Great Glen Way Day 4.
Distance today: 16 miles.
Total distance: 257.7 miles.
Accommodation: campsite.
My ‘easy’ day. On the road by about 7, with Matt and Maria barely stirring in their tent. I think I was finally paying the toll for the accumulated miles. While the majority of my body parts were fine, my feet were suffering. The underfoot tenderness had returned. When I could have done with some distracting scenery, I was faced with seemingly endless canal-side track. The route would gently curve around and when you did get to any kind of corner, there was just more of the same on the other side. I guess on days like this, you just need to grind out the miles, taking it slow, and taking advantage of any bench to have a break.
Approaching Fort William, the first interesting landmark is the set of 8 locks called Neptune’s Staircase. That’s a lotta locks. The system definitely appears to be set up to cope with a fair amount of traffic. Everything just appeared to be super-sized. Wider, longer, maybe not faster. It was also strange to see yachts using them rather than narrowboats.
Just when you might be tempted to think you are nearly there, the route sends you on a loch-side detour. Pleasant enough but can’t we just get on with it? Finally I make it to the old fort and that’s the Great Glen Way done. Happy to have another section ticked off and even happier that I have given myself the day off tomorrow. I am a very weary man.
I had a wander around town which unsurprisingly had a reasonable number of outdoors shops even if they chose not to stock much dehydrated food. Managed to replace my lost water bladder at least. And, in breaking news, I can now report that I have worn through the first pair of rubber tips on my hiking poles. That’s just taken a couple of days of Cotswold Way and the Jogle up until here. Thought they might last a little bit longer but I do not resent a single penny spent on them. The poles have been a lifesaver.
At the far end of town I happened upon another Wetherspoons pub. As it was still only around midday, the place was packed with lunchtime diners. I stood near the door looking a bit dazed, trying to spot a space. Eventually I asked an old couple sat at a long-ish table if they were okay if I sat at the other end. And with a smile on her face, the woman said “Yes, as long as we can ask you some questions”. I laughed. “Of course. It’s a deal”. Clearly I had the bedraggled look of someone doing something interesting. I never did get their names but they were lovely. As I told them about my trip, they listened with a mixture of amazement and admiration. It was as if I was a favourite grandchild and they couldn’t help but be brimming with pride. They both used to do a lot of walking but admitted those days were behind them. Covid had not been kind, with the poor guy in a coma at one point. Before they left, the woman reached into her purse and pulled out 5 pound coins. “Put that towards the charity”. It was such a touching gesture and the whole encounter had genuinely made my day.
After a baked potato and a couple of cups of tea, it was time to find my campsite. I’d chosen the Glen Nevis campsite because I think someone had recommended it and I didn’t fancy a hostel again. Admittedly, it was a couple of miles out of town but at least they were genuine West Highland Way miles so I would already be getting a jump start on my next trail.
The place was big. This wasn’t a bijou campsite like Dunbeath but thankfully it wasn’t Grannie’s Heilan’ Hame either. There were plenty of facilities on site but it still felt like it was trying to be outdoorsy rather than a resort. The woman in reception told/warned me that although today may be relatively quiet, tomorrow they were expecting an extra 300 people. Apparently there was a world cup mountain biking competition taking place nearby. I pitched my tent near the top of the Ben View field where there were definitely views of some mountains. Still not sure which. You could certainly see the part of the route people took to get to Ben Nevis. One minor gripe: having to pitch the tent on a slope. This wasn’t a case of being the last one in and accepting that there were going to be a few spots there weren’t ideal. This was the whole field. In this day and age, etc. etc.
When the evening came round I went in such of food. The site had 2 main places where you could eat. The near option was a tastefully converted shipping container which served as a burger bar. Slightly further afield was a more traditional bar/restaurant. I wandered over to the restaurant to see what they had on offer and, lo and behold, Matt and Maria were there. It was great to catch up with them again and we had a good chat over dinner (mac and cheese in my case). If I remember rightly, Matt was going to be climbing Ben Nevis as part of a stag do!
Back to the tent, sharing the field with 2 others. I suspect that is going to change tomorrow.
