Looking for a multi day canoe journey? The Great Glen Canoe Trail has something to offer everyone. It can be used by families, friends or groups doing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.
The full trail goes from Fort William to Inverness following the famous Caledonian canal and through three major Lochs. However, it is possible to start and finish in a number of places, meaning it can be paddled as a continuous journey or broken down into 2 smaller trips depending on the time available and the age and ability of the group.
As the route comes close to the A82 in a number of places it is also possible to take advantage of a number of accommodation options from very basic wild camping with no facilities, through to hotel accommodation each night with options in between.
The paddling is not technical, so it is suitable for people with little or no previous canoe experience. There is plenty of time to learn the basic skills to allow you to complete the trip. Paddling along the Caledonian Canal is relatively sheltered providing a good place to learn the paddle stokes you will need on the larger open sections of the lochs. The canal sections are often tree lined and can be beautiful in the Autumn.
There are three lochs to paddle, Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and the most famous of them all, Loch Ness.
These sections can provide flat easy paddling, but with just a small amount of wind this can turn into paddling in large waves. This can be fun if you raft the canoes together, making them very stable. If the wind is going in the right direction you can even use a purpose made canoe sailing rig to allow the wind to help with the journey.
As you paddle along the Great Glen there are beaches to stop at and stretch your legs. On the canal sections you will find toilet and shower facilities. These can be really useful if you are choosing to wild camp.
The trip can be done in either direction taking advantage of the wind and weather conditions. Overall the trip is not difficult, but it does require a reasonable level of fitness to allow you to paddle each day. You also need to portage your canoe on a trolley round the canal locks which you are not allowed to paddle through.
So if you are wanting a fantastic multi day canoe journey through spectacular scenery then why not do the Great Glen Canoe Trail? This 60 mile trip can be done over four to five days. The best time to do it is from the end of April to end of May or mid September to the end of October. So why not give us a call and organise your Great Glen Trip?
