Great Glen Way circuit from Inverness makes for perfect Sunday morning run
ACTIVE OUTDOORS: John Davidson takes on a great circuit from Inverness leading to a memorable view over Loch Ness
Inverness is a fast-growing city but thankfully there are still plenty of tracks and trails that lead off from the centre into places where we can embrace nature and the outdoors.
Whether it’s the long corridor of the canal towpaths, the Merkinch nature reserve or the fort at Craig Phadraig, this is what makes it such a liveable place.
With the recent spell of largely dry weather and hot temperatures, the wildflowers are out in force – as is the bracken.
Some nearby areas have suffered from devastating wildfires, too, so it’s important that we all do our bit to avoid the risk of fire, particularly while the vegetation is so dry.
This route keeps to good paths and tracks, starting out at the leisure centre on the edge of town, and heads high above the houses to capture a fine view of Loch Ness stretching down the Great Glen.
At 10 miles, we did this as a Sunday-morning run, but it could equally be walked or even biked – though there is a stiff climb to start with!
Heading first for the Tomnahurich Bridge, the older of two swing bridges that cross the Caledonian Canal in this part of the city, we followed the Great Glen Way route alongside the southern towpath.
I had joined a few friends from the Inverness Harriers that I hadn’t run with for a while, so we caught up as we jogged along the flat section of the route on a very warm day.
The Great Glen Way then heads left, leaving the canal behind as it drops down some steps to pass alongside football pitches and a golf practice area, emerging on a slab path. Go left here and through an underpass, then across a grassy area past a playpark before crossing a residential road and climbing another grassy section.
There are plans to build yet more houses in the undeveloped area straight ahead, but for now this is a nice bit of green space enjoyed by walkers and others.
The route goes left at the footpath sign to take a path known as “Nurses” that climbs to reach Great Glen House. It’s never an easy run up here and I was out of breath at the top, especially in this heat!
Keep ahead to reach the road then turn left past yet more new housing being built here at Westercraigs. At the roundabout, go right to join an old road that climbs steeply up – and is now part of the Great Glen Way.
The route, marked by blue posts with a thistle symbol, continues across a field at the top to reach the outflow of a reservoir – although there was no water at all in it today.
The worst of the climbing was now out of the way, thankfully, and the track that bends right then passes a pylon before going left, was at a much easier gradient. At a gate we continued straight ahead to follow an old drove road where cattle would once have been moved to markets in the south.
This is a lovely trail and there were plenty of walkers and a few bikers making use of it on this sunny morning, as well as ourselves. It passes an old drove stance at a clearing before heading through an open stretch.
After this area, the path bends left beside a fence then right. We left the Great Glen Way here and took the less obvious track left to start the return journey and head through a lush area of cleared forest teeming with heather and other flowers.
Keeping left at a couple of junctions, we looked out for a familiar track off to the right, immediately before a left-hand bend in the main track. Going right here, we headed downhill to skirt below Craig Leach, stopping at the end of the fence on the right to admire the view back over Loch Ness.
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It really is a place to reflect on what a beautiful part of the world we live in, even if the rush of our daily lives mean we sometimes forget.
The path continues, keeping right at a barely noticeable junction ahead to enjoy a magnificent long downhill run that demands concentration on the narrow path with rocks and roots that could catch out the unsuspecting.
After twisting below the line of pylons we regrouped at the bottom of the Vomit brae – another nicely named Inverness trail – before going right to continue down to the cottages at Balnacraig.
Our route back goes right here to drop past the horses on a path that continues all the way down to the A82, which must be crossed with extreme care. Then you run alongside a fenced-off dog training area and into the edge of the old Torvean quarry, where there are sometimes off-road trial bikers but thankfully it was quiet in here this morning.
At a fork in the path, we went right to drop down to the canal, emerging down a steep section of eroded path into the bright sunlight. Turning left, we followed the towpath for the last mile back to the newer swing bridge at Torvean, which we crossed to return to our starting point.
Despite the heat, a coffee at the botanic gardens was the perfect end to a social and strenuous Sunday morning run – now I just had to keep the legs working for the cycle home.
Route details
Great Glen Way loop
Distance 10 miles / 16 km
Terrain Hilly, off-road paths
Start/finish Inverness leisure centre
Map OS Landranger 26; OS Explorer 416
A great circuit from Inverness leading to a memorable view over Loch Ness
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
