After three days of walking at the bottom of Great Glen I felt a surge of pleasure at being able to climb up the mountainous sides of the Glen, rising above the trees and looking down the length of Loch Ness. Patches of sun broke through the cloud in places turning areas of the water silver and the surrounding mountains a warmer shade of green.
From Fort Augustus there is a choice of a low route nearer the loch and a high route which climbs up the side of the glen. I followed the Great Glen Way High Route to Invermoriston for the views and as a change from forest tracks. Much of the route was on well made paths which rose above the forestry that covers the sides of Great Glen to reach open moorland strewn with rounded rock outcrops. Concerned about my knee I was pleased to easily manage the steep ascent out of Fort Augustus, however descending is the real problem. Coming down steeply into Invermoriston I took care to lean heavily on my poles to take some weight off my knees, and also to walk quickly down slightly less steep sections to minimise the time my knee was under pressure.
At Invermoriston the small collection of buildings included a place where I purchased a "monster" ham salad roll, apple, coffee and "Caramac" bar. The latter was a sentimental reminder of my childhood. After reading the ingredients (basically fat, milk and sugar) I doubt I will buy it again. I asked the lady serving to fill my water bottle, she refused to touch it, presumably a Coronavirus precaution, but gave me a paper cup of water which I poured into my bottle. Invermoriston also had one of Telford's bridges which crossed the raging river in two stone arches. Nearby, St Columba's well was less impressive.
Again I chose the High Route for the next section to Drumnadrochit, owing to the better scenery - distant mountains flattered by occasional sunlight as well as Loch Ness. After a steep climb it went through areas of forestry and tree stumps on the upper slopes of Great Glen. Two sites on the trail captured my attention, a circular sculpture of branches of wood called the "Viewcatcher" and the "Troll's" Bridge. The Great Glen Way is well constructed with functional wooden bridges over streams. For the Troll's bridge, its sides are made of contorted wooden branches; a few faded poems on the subject were posted nearby.
My plan between Fort Augustus and Inverness was to try and avoid walking too many kilometres on any single day to minimise stress on my knee. Having achieved my desired mileage today, I camped on a flat, but stony, area of ground beside the trail near a bench from which I could look down between fir trees onto Loch Ness. I had hoped to camp by a water source but the nearby stream was dry. My boat trip guide yesterday had said that due to lack of rain many streams have dried up and the water level in Loch Ness is lower than anyone can remember.
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