Great Glen Way · Overnight stop
Accommodation in Gairlochy
16km / 10 miles in — the end of stage one, where the Way leaves the Caledonian Canal towpath.
16km from Fort William · Stage stop
A canal settlement rather than a village: locks, a swing bridge and a scatter of houses at the top of Neptune's Staircase's quieter northern cousin. The stage that ends here is deliberately short, which catches people out — arriving at two in the afternoon with nowhere to go is a common first day.
The first night on the standard 6-day schedule, and the shortest stage on the route.
What is actually in Gairlochy
B&Bs, with the Great Glen Hostel a short distance further on. A small supply for a stage end.
How far ahead to book
Three months in high season. The constraint is not demand so much as how little there is: a handful of rooms serving everyone doing the standard first stage.
When it is full
Spean Bridge is a short distance east and has considerably more beds plus a railway station — for many walkers it is the better first night anyway. Fort Augustus is 33km on, which is the longest stage of the route and not something to attempt as a fallback.
Getting there, and getting out
No station. Buses are limited. Spean Bridge, a short distance away, is on the West Highland Line and is the practical transport point for this end of the route.
Camping
No permit zones on the Great Glen Way — ordinary Scottish Outdoor Access Code camping applies for the whole route, which is a real difference from the West Highland Way's southern half. Canal-side ground is mostly enclosed, so walk on for a pitch.
Food and resupply
Very little. Buy in Fort William, or detour to Spean Bridge, which has shops.
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