The Great Glen Way is 73 miles/117km in length. It runs from Fort William to Inverness, with spectacular views and historical and natural heritage to be discovered all along the way.

The route begins at the Old Fort in Fort William, under the shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. From here it skirts the shores of Loch Linnhe to join the historic Caledonian Canal at Corpach. From Corpach, the journey along Scotland's longest Glen and greatest geological fault begins. The canal towpath is followed to Gairlochy, passing several interesting canal features such as Neptune's Staircase and the awesome aqueducts.

The next part of the route, mainly on forest tracks, hugs the peaceful western shores of Loch Lochy. There are splendid views as you pass below towering mountains, two of which are 'Munros'.

The Canal comes back into sight and you rejoin the towpath at Laggan Locks, where you are close to the site of the Clan Battle of the Shirts in 1544. From here the route leads you into Laggan Avenue, a lovely canal side path through a fine variety of tall trees established by Thomas Telford.

This takes you almost to Laggan Swing Bridge where you cross the A82 to find the secluded Eastern shores of Loch Oich. Following first the old railway line, abandoned in 1946, and then a section of General Wade's Military Road, you follow the tranquil shores of the loch through beautiful mixed woodland where wildlife abounds. The route emerges at Aberchalder Swing Bridge where you once again join the canal towpath for a scenic walk to Fort Augustus passing the delightful Kytra and Cullochy Locks. Passing through historic Fort Augustus you may catch sight of the grand, imposing Abbey, which housed Benedictine monks until very recently.

From Fort Augustus you start the first real climb but the reward is a series of breathtaking views back over the village and across Loch Ness as you follow high forest tracks to Invermoriston. As you come into the tiny village and cross the mighty river Moriston, have a look at the splendid old bridge, another Telford design.

Another steep climb and yet more dramatic views are in store as you leave the village and continue mainly along forest tracks to emerge at the crofting community of Grotaig. A quiet minor road is followed through crofting land, high above Loch Ness, until you turn off and descend through woodland to the River Coiltie and on to Drumnadrochit.

The route passes through the heart of the bustling village and centre of the Nessie industry. Leaving the roadside it then climbs steadily through farmland offering unforgettable views back over Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle before entering the woodland and winding its way up, with occasional glimpses of the Loch and far away the east coast of Scotland comes in to sight. A short section across exposed, rugged heather moorland and you are nearly at Abriachan, another hill crofting community.

A lovely quiet stretch along a minor road, with wide ranging views across the crofts and over to far away hills takes you to Blackfold. Here the route turns into Craig Leach forest, emerging at the reservoir were you get a dramatic view of the final destination, Inverness, with the Moray Firth stretching out behind it. Winding downhill, you pass close to Leachkin chambered cairn, and approach the city. Pleasant canal side and riverside paths lead you through the city to Inverness Castle, in the heart of Scotland's newest City and capital of the Highlands.

Distance: 10.5 miles (16.8km)

Fort William to Gairlochy

The first day starts with a brief introduction at Glasgow Central Station from the guides who will be accompanying you on your walk. From here we make our way to Fort William by minibus, and to begin our walk on arrival. The first day is relatively easy, starting from the Old Fort we skirt the shores of Loch Linnhe and head toward Gairlochy, on route we pay a visit to Old Inverlochy Castle for a bit of history. Shortly afterwards we meet The Caledonian Canal, which leads us to Neptune's Staircase from here we follow the towpath all the way into Gairlochy where we will be collected by our transport, and taken to our first nights accommodation at Loch Lochy Youth Hostel.

Distance: 12 miles (19km)

Gairlochy to South Laggan

On day two we start off again in the transport back to the previous days finish point at Gairlochy! From here we follow on to meet the shores of Loch Lochy, and pick up the forest track near Clunes where you will be rewarded with splendid views of Loch Lochy and the surrounding mountains. The last short section takes us to the minor road at Kilfinnan which leads us to Laggan Locks on the canal, and our second nights stay at the Loch Lochy Youth Hostel.

Distance: 10.5 miles (16.8km)

South Laggan to Fort Augustus

Day three sees us leave The Loch Lochy hostel, for our days finish point at Invermoriston. We pass the Great Glen Water Park and into the Leiterfearn nature reserve, here, we carry on over the old disused railway abandoned in 1946. After a while, the old trackbed gives way to General Wade's military road. Looking west across Loch Oich it may be possible to glimpse the ruins of Invergarry Castle, once the seat of the MacDonells, and like many of the Great Glen clans, they supported the Jacobite cause. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed there twice, and the castle was burned after the battle of Culloden. Again we pick up the Caledonian Canal, which leads us all the way into Fort Augustus, where our transport will be waiting to take us to our hostel accommodation on the shores of Loch Ness.

Distance: 12.5 miles (20km)

Fort Augustus to Alltsigh

Day four we leave our accommodation on the shores of Loch Ness to make our way back to the previous days finish point in Fort Augustus, where we begin the day with a steep climb out of the village. Once up, there are good views back across the town, we continue along the forest track occasionally catching glimpses of Loch Ness through the forest. Our day ends as we walk into Loch Ness youth hostel.

Distance: 9.5 miles (15.2km)

Alltsigh to Drumnadrochit

We begin our day from Loch Ness youth hostel, and another steep climb. Day 5 follows the now undulating forest tracks that parallel Loch Ness, on a clear day it's easy to pick out Ben Nevis to the south west and Ben Wyvis to the north. We finish the day following the pavement on the A82 into Drumnadrochit locally known as 'Drum' where you will find it's the capital of the Loch Ness monster industry, with its two oddly labelled 'official' and 'original' visitor centres. From here the minibus transports us back to the Loch Ness hostel for our third and final night there.

Distance: 18 miles (28.8km)

Drumnadrochit to Inverness

Sadly, our Final day! This is a long day, but very varied, with a mixture of farmland, exposed high moorland and woodland, finishing with the city pavements leading to the fine setting of Inverness Castle. Our final night sees us spend the night at Inverness youth hostel within the city. The perfect location for a good knees up and to celebrate the completion of The Great Glen Way!

Inverness to Glasgow

Friday morning we rise not so early, as some may feel a little delicate from the previous night! You will also have some time available to do some last minute souvenir shopping in Inverness, and then it's all aboard the transport to take us back to Glasgow, via Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness (the area of many 'Nessie' sightings). This castle is a 'must visit' site, with it attracting some 250,000 tourists per annum, from many parts of the world.

All accommodation is provided by The Scottish Youth Hostel Association, which are of a very high standard of comfort and cleanliness. This type of accommodation involves small groups sharing.

Packed lunches are distributed each morning prior to the walk commencing and will contain whatever you requested on your daily lunch form. All evening meals will be a set 2 course meal with a couple of menu choices (inc vegetarian options) these will be provided by the local hotels and inns along the way, transport between these locations will be provided each day. Breakfast will be continental each morning i.e. cereal, toast, fruit juice etc.

All of our guides are highly motivated, experienced mountaineers, and also qualified first aiders. They offer both experience and encouragement, as well as sharing their great sense of humour, you really couldn't be in better hands!

Transport will always be on hand during the trip. Its main role is to transport us to any outlying accommodation that we may be staying in the evening, and for the movement of luggage to each overnight location. It is also there for safety reasons should anyone retire medically, or for any other reason. The guides are in contact at all times with the transport through radio communications should it be required. At certain locations along the Way, we have the transport meet us to serve tea, coffee or orange juice, and let us replenish our water bottles. And not forgetting our transport back to Glasgow!