Today we began the first leg of the Great Glen Way, a 130 km walk from Fort William to Inverness. Elevation is no longer an issue as most of this trek follows canals or Loch shorelines, however heat is becoming a problem as temperature keep rising towards the thirties.
We hit the trail at 7:45 and made a good pace over the flat hard packed surface. The path quickly left the urban trailhead and followed a green corridor along the shore of Loch Linnhe passing parks, fields and a Shinty pitch (field hockey—rugby hybrid game). After an hour we made a wrong turn and walked under a railway bridge to discover the wonderful ruins of Interlochy Castle. This 13th century fortification has stood up well and provided us with a welcomed detour.
Two hours into our walk we arrived at Neptune's Staircase, a series of 8 locks that connect the Caledonian Canal to Loch Linnhe, just in time to see both the train and car swing bridges open for passing sailboats and then locks lift the boats. The sun was brutal so we did not wait around and headed down the trail that now followed the Caledonian Canal. We reached Gairlochy by 12:30 and began a detour down the road towards our accommodation in Spean Bridge 5km away. The heat was unbearable, so we found a cool, shady spot along the Spean River and had a siesta for an hour.
Back on the road the heat was worse; the rest and hydration did not seem to matter. We had just decided to push on towards a caravan park, when a car stopped and offered us a ride to our destination. We gladly accepted and finished up the journey in air conditioned comfort!
A shower and a second siesta revived us enough to walk downtown and buy a picnic supper from the local shop. We finished up the evening watching England lose to Belgium in World Cup Soccer.
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