Product Description

This guidebook (updated 2005) contains all you need to plan and enjoy a holiday walking along Scotland's historic Great Glen (73 miles/117 km). The Way runs between Fort William and Inverness, along the Caledonian Canal and past various lochs, including Loch Ness with its famous monster legend, and Urquhart Castle. The drop-down map flap shows the whole route in five panels; waterproof paper throughout; in full colour, with over 60 photographs; visitor attractions and hills to climb (Munros, Corbetts and Grahams); town plans of Fort William and Inverness; background on local geology, history and wildlife; summary of each section showing distance, terrain and food/drink stops; planning information for travel by car, train, bus or plane.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41603 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 64 pages

From the Back Cover
This is the essential trail guide, written by hikers for hikers, printed on waterproof paper in rucksack-friendly format. It contains all you need to plan and enjoy a week's walking along Scotland's historic Great Glen from Fort William to Inverness:

*fold-out map showing the official route in five panels
*the Way in sections, with summaries showing distance, terrain and food/drink stops
*concise background on local wildlife, history, Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal
*planning information for travel by car, train, bus or plane
*special notes for novices, with equipment checklists
*full colour throughout, with over 50 photographs
*robust, rucksack-friendly format
*printed on waterproof paper.

From 2002, part of the profit from sales of this book goes directly toward maintaining the Great Glen Way.

About the Author
Jacquetta Megarry is an enthusiastic walker turned publisher. She devised the Rucksack Reader format in 2000 to suit the needs of hikers, and has made several visits to the Great Glen while researching and photographing the Great Glen Way. Sandra Bardwell is a dedicated, lifelong walker who also works as an archivist and historian. In her native Australia, she wrote extensively about bushwalking and national parks. Now based in Scotland, she writes walking guides for Lonely Planet and Rucksack Readers. She lives on the Great Glen Way and frequently walks along and around the Great Glen.

Excerpted from The Great Glen Way by Jacquetta Megarry. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
[from page 5] The Great Glen Way passes Britain's highest mountain, follows its greatest geological fault along the shores of its most famous loch, and finishes at Inverness, Scotland's newest city and the capital of the highlands. Most of the walking is straightforward, along canal towpaths and forest tracks, but there are some challenging sections.

You don't need to be an experienced long-distance walker to tackle this hike. It is easier than the West Highland Way, for example, being shorter, flatter and with mainly good terrain. If you are inexperienced at walking, read the Notes for novices (pages 13-20). Well in advance of doing the Great Glen Way, you should complete a few long day hikes, if only to test your feet and gear.

Experienced walkers may seize the chance to combine both Great Glen and West Highland Ways, walking from Glasgow to Inverness over two weeks. This challenging project takes you through 168 miles of spectacular scenery and highland heritage. It is arguably the grandest walk in Britain.

Customer Reviews

Really useful information, written by someone on the ground
I recenlt walked the Great Glen Way and the book was really useful. There was lots of useful information that made me realise that this had been written by someone who knew the walk.

A really good format for reading the book with fold out content and it was waterproof! Was really useful seeing as one of the more taxing days for navigation it rained. Their website for Rucksack readers is really good aswell and you can even sample the books contents. got me thinking, where next??? Maybe Mount Kilimangaro!!

A good walk, worth the book and some additional web research.

Much improved in its third edition
As sole author of the first edition and co-author of the current one, I start by declaring my interest. But Amazon visitors may be puzzled by the wide variation in reviewers' ratings, and I'd like to explain. Back in 2001, Britain was gripped by Foot & Mouth disease; our first ed lacked trail detail in places simply because the countryside was closed! Two editions and four years later, having enlisted help from a co-author who lives in the Great Glen and walks it daily, it was possible to create a much better guidebook. I believe this book fully justifies its five stars, but I don't claim any objectivity, and respect the opinions of independent reviewers. Be aware that most of the reviews displayed on this page refer to obsolete editions such as The Great Glen Way (Rucksack Reader).

The map is certainly small-scale, limited by what fits on the book's dropdown cover. Large-scale maps are available for those who like them, but the trail is fully waymarked and in practice few walkers get lost - with or without maps. Our map flap is always handy, doubles as a bookmark and, unlike a large sheet, is usable in rain and wind. You can also spill coffee on it and it wipes clean!

A very useful guide
I walked the Great Glen Way this year and found the guide useful and interesting. Other reviewers have criticised the map for being too small, with a lack of detail. But the Great Glen Way is so well signposted, you don't really need a detailed map and if you like maps the only ones to buy are the O.S. ones! This guide gives excellent descriptions of the history of the route, its wildlife and of things to do around it. The section on planning and the references are also very useful. For me walking is not about getting from A to B. It's about enjoying the countryside and finding out about it. This is a great guide to help with that.