The Great Glen Canoe trail is a geological fault that stretches from Loch Linnhe in the West, to Inverness in the east and is over 200 million years old! It makes a great trip from west to east over 5 days, taking in fantastic views down the glen and spotting any wildlife along the way including Nessie! There are also options to paddle the River Oich and The River Ness if people feel up for a little more excitement.
Learn how to paddle the traditional style open canoe
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Paddle across the length of the mighty Loch Ness
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Options to paddle some exciting but easy white water
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Sleep under canvas or B&B options available
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Get to experience the wonders of Thomas Telfords extraordinary feat of engineering
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Paddle from the west coast to the east coast of Scotland
Day 1
Fort William - Glas-dhoire
Starting at Neptunes Staircase in Fort William, we have a check through the kit and get any cars moved. We then get on the canal and run through how to pack our boats and basic skills then we make our way up the canal to Gairlochy where we have a portage which we use trolleys for and get onto Loch Lochy then on to the campsite.
Day 2
Glas-dhoire - Loch Oich
Waking up beside Loch Lochy we get some food and then make our way up the rest of Loch Lochy to South Laggan, we then make our way onto the canal and through to Loch Oich, the water shed of The Great Glen.
Day 3
Loch Oich - Invermoriston
Today we head along Loch Oich and have the potential to paddle down the River Oich if levels are ok and we feel up to it with our new skills.
Finishing near Invermoriston, we can relax for the night with some food and drink at a local restaurant.
Day 4
Invermoriston - Drumnadrochit
Loch Ness is spectacular in any weather conditions, so as we continue our canoe journey, we could potentially sail with the prevailing SW wind or gaze at reflections of the steep mountains in mirror calm water. Urquhart Castle guards the bay into which we plan to paddle for our last night’s camp.
Day 5
Drumnadrochit - Inverness
The last day where we head out towards The North Sea, over the course of the day with the scenery changing from the mountains at the start to now the urban setting of Inverness where we finish our trip.
InclusionsWhat's Included🚆
Transportation - On-course transport
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Food🥤
Drink🧰
Equipment - > Equipment supplied by SRW > Buoyancy aids > Helmets > Canoes & paddles > Waterproof storage > Camping food if staying under canvas > Camping stoves (trangia style) inc fuel > Camping mats > Cutlery > Tents 2 or 3 man > Group shelter > First Aid kit
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Other - Highly experienced & qualified guide
What you'll need🧤
Warm Clothing☂️
Waterproofs - > Waterproofs, top and bottoms > Walking trousers (synthetic materials; jeans or similar are not suitable) > Spare shoes to get wet plus dry shoes for camp > Quality, breathable waterproof jacket and trousers. We recommend Gore-tex or similar
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Other - > Spare insulating layer
Hat & gloves
Warm socks
Sleeping bag, 3 season
Spare set of clothes x 2
Some large zip-lock bags to keep your clothes and equipment organised
Head torch, plus spare batteries
Water bottle or flask
Sunglasses and sun cream (you just never know!)
Personal medications