We leave the family run Great Glen Hostel then rejoin the Great Glen Way for a while, walking beside the Caledonian canal until it reaches Loch Oich. We then take a path higher up through a plantation alongside the loch.
About midway through the loch, we turn away towards Glen Garry. At this point, the track disappears and the inhabitant of a remote house tells us that the route has been changed as the footbridge has been washed away. This is a theme for the day. The forest has now changed to a mixture of native trees on one side and plantation on the other. Where trees have been felled, there are tantalising glimpses of high mountains.
We stop for lunch then follow the track down towards the Glen and the river Garry. Soon the track disappears and we are left to pick our way through very boggy ground next to the river. The bog is horrendous and, after Rich falls and I get mired in the wet, we get out our walking poles to aid our progress. Our mood is not helped when we see a boot that has come up through the bog. Part way along, we cross a stream and fill our water bottles for tonight and tomorrow using our Katadyn water filter.
After what seems like an age, and after we ford another stream where the footbridge has been washed away, we reach a new track, not marked on the OS maps. We follow this to another track that leads to a bridge across the Garry, where the river rushes over a fall. On the far side, there is a good patch of flat grass, an ideal camping spot (except for the midges). We put on our midge nets then erect the tent. We’re using all our equipment today. We boil water outside for our dehydrated pasta bolognaise then dash into the tent to eat.
We’re not good campers and, despite the good site, we struggle to sleep, worrying about the journey tomorrow, especially the remote river crossing. Soon, it is raining so hard that the sound is even louder than the nearby rushing river. It’ll be wet striking camp tomorrow.
Total distance so far: 713 miles