Great Glen Way 2013 Day 3

Day 3 Thursday 2^nd August 2013

The owners of the B&B were 74 and had planned on ceasing operations later in the year.  At breakfast there was another Scottish couple who had stayed overnight; their accent was so broad I did not understand a word they said.  This was my only difficulty understanding anyone in Scotland during my time there.  I checked out an ancient well, a waterfall with a stone summer house, and the remains of a bridge that was no longer in use, before taking a track up a hill covered with pine stumps.   

For most of the day the trail then followed a forestry access road.  Unlike yesterday, which was like a warm, wet NZ winter’s day, today was mostly sunny except for a brief sun shower.  There were long views up and down Loch Ness off to my left.  

My left shin, right above the ankle, was swollen and painful, and the ankle inflexible.  The pain was such that I would be taking long breaks every so often to try and alleviate it.  Before arriving in Fort Augustus, there was a lovely descending path through a wooded area with a small river.  I stopped and removed shoes and socks to soak my feet in the cool water.   

I arrived at Fort Augustus early, as thankfully it was a short day, so sat for three hours near the string of locks and watched as boats made their way slowly from one to the next, making their way from loch to canal, or vice versa.

The locks at Fort Augustus

At the B&B I got some ice for my shin/ankle and rested before heading out again to find a takeaway fish and chip place.  I took the food back to the lock system to sit and eat it.  Afterwards I hit a pub for a pint of cider and chatted to a local while there.

Day 4