I walked the line
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IT was the Great Glen link that never was. The canal’s there and the road’s there, but the Invergarry to Fort Augustus railway, built between 1897 and 1903, made it no further than Fort Augustus and closed in 1946.
Looking back now it seems like a fantastic opportunity missed. What a great tourism boon a railway line between Fort William and Inverness would be.
Instead we have to be content with the history. And at least the trackbed is now forming the base for a new section of National Cycle Network Route 78. Work is well advanced, with a completion date forecast for July.
I got a close look at progress during a walk round Loch Oich, on what turned out to be the best day of the year so far.
The car park at the elegant Bridge of Oich was the start point. The suspension bridge took traffic over the River Oich until 1932 when the new bridge carrying the A82 was built.
Despite being fairly close to the A82, the Great Glen Way (GGW) route south seems like a world away. From the first marker post at Bridge of Oich it winds through the forest above the loch for four kilometres.
The surface is good, the walking easy and there are great views to the opposite side of the glen and south to the Loch Lochy Munros.
The path descends quite steeply in its latter stage to emerge on the Skye road at Invergarry. From there my wife Rosemary and I walked east to reach the main bridge over the Garry and a wooden sign inscribed “River Walks”. The lovely riverside path is then followed to a handsome metal footbridge crossing the Garry. A plate set into it declares that it was erected by Mrs Ellice of Glengarry and Glenquoich in 1892, and it has stood the test of time well.
At the end of the bridge we made a right turn over another small bridge then turned left to walk beside a fence to the minor road near Easter Mandally.
Opposite, to the left, is a forest track with a GGW marker. We followed the markers on the forest roads to Laggan Swing Bridge, where it was time for lunch at a solitary picnic table sited just below the north side of the bridge, with a fantastic vista back up Loch Oich.
Moving on from there we stopped to watch a clutch of toads – clearly in amorous breeding mood – swimming about at the edge of the loch.
A road bends around towards a group of holiday lodges and a GGW marker points the way.
When the cycleway is finished it will be a fine recreational route, allowing cyclists to continue from Laggan Swing Bridge on the canal towpath to Fort William.
For now the surface was rather unforgiving underfoot and we were glad to see a GGW marker pointing down onto the old Wade road and more pleasant walking beside the loch.
Unfortunately, the work on the cycleway above had dislodged several trees which blocked our way and had to be clambered over.
Having cleared them we continued unimpeded, enjoying the scenery and the rest of the afternoon.
On the other side of the loch is the rather gruesome Well of the Seven Heads monument. The polished obelisk is topped by seven stone heads and a hand containing a dagger.
It commemorates the summary justice meted out to the murderers of the Chief of the MacDonalds of Keppoch.
But such gruesome thoughts were far from our minds as we walked on in sunshine to Bridge of Oich and the end of the route.
