Grotaig to Inverness (2 days)

My wild campsite was one of my favourite spots along the Great Glen Way, but I did get rather a fright when I woke to the sound of something large moving through the underbrush near my tent. I could actually hear its footsteps, and it kept up a constant huffing and snorting as it moved. Part of me really wanted to open the tent for a look, and a lot of me REALLY didn't! Logically I concluded it was most likely a badger, and Adam confirmed that as most likely when I messaged him the next day. I feel a little embarrassed that I was so terrified of a badger, but I challenge anyone to hear the amount of noise it makes, at 1am, alone in their tent, and have the courage to look outside. Additionally I really don't want to know how a badger reacts when surprised, when my face is at ground level.
I packed the tent quickly the next morning, bothered by midges, and headed down the road to Drumnadrochit. Unfortunately the Way doesn't pass Urquhart Castle, and I didn't want to add the extra hours of walking there. Instead I stopped in at the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition - a base for research of the loch and an informational exhibition about the geology of Loch Ness, and the facts about its "monster". The exhibition moves you through a series of rooms with videos and displays to discuss the ongoing question of its infamous inhabitant.

I expected this to be a bit gimmicky, but actually found it really interesting. It first details the geographical history of the loch, including the shift the caused the Great Glen to form, early in Pangaea, and it's subsequent northern drift. After the times of the dinosaurs most of Scotland and all of Loch Ness, was covered with ice - a fact apparent in the shaping of it's valleys and the smoothed tops of it's mountains. This fact precludes the possibility of a plesiosaur population somehow residing in the lake, as they could not have survived the ice age there, and wouldn't have had access to return after.
The earliest take attributed to the Loch Ness monster is St Columba banishing a water beast as it pursued a swimmer in the River Ness. This event was recorded some 100 years after the saints death, and even if we believe in such miracles of God, the beast was in the river not the loch, and is not described in form. From  the then until the 20th century the only references are local tales of "strange fish" and sometimes the description of an "upturned boat" in the water. It is not until 1933, when the first "Nessie" photo is released to a paper, that the term "monster" appears, coupled with the image of a long-necked creature - until then there had been absolutely no mention of a long neck at all. Suddenly images and reports appeared, showing long necks reaching out of the water and serpentine humps.
As some images were revealed as accidental artefacts, or even outright hoaxes, the determination to uncover the secrets of the loch increased. Multiple surveys have been made, by underwater camera, and by sonar, among other research, all methods having their difficulties. The cameras struggled with the peaty dark water of the loch, and some images that appeared monstrous (and were pounced on by media) turned out to be logs, or other underwater debris. Sonar had a more interesting artefact - the loch has a thermaclime, a sudden change in temperature that makes a refractory boundary in the water. This can create seemingly large objects in the water, and furthermore is not a still layer but a constant wave in motion up and down the loch. These surveys, while failing to find the Loch Ness monster, did provide valuable information about the viability of the loch itself. Loch Ness is remarkably barren, with hardly enough zooplankton to support its small population of trout and seasonal salmon. This is another nail in the coffin for Nessie - there is simply not enough food in the lake to support a breeding population of large predators. If there is any sort of monster living in the deep, then it must be a magical one, and sensible enough to avoid discovery.

Moving on I climbed steadily out of Drumnadrochit, getting a side glimpse of Urquhart Castle as I did so. The rest of the way passes mostly through actively managed pine forest and is pleasant enough walking. I stopped to chat to a couple of Australians cycling the path with a Scottish guide and then caught up with them later that day, just past the Abriachan cafe and "eco-campsite". They strongly recommended I return to the cafe for their lemon sponge cake, and given that I was already as far as I needed to go that day I decided to give it a try. As I ordered the owners asked if I was wanting to camp that night as well, giving grim tales of murdered hikers further down the road. It was not their dire warnings that decided me, but the insidious rain, and I forked out the £5 for their minimal facilities "campsite". At least I was able to cook in some meagre shelter, but after paying £9 for cake and fresh juice, I was less than impressed with a fiver for nothing more than a composting toilet. Give me a couple days and I could build better facilities myself, hmph. To their credit the owners are both lovely, if eccentric, and the cake was delicious, if overpriced.
There is little to say about the final day of this epic journey. I packed my tent soaking wet and walked the last 20km in dramatic mists, without pausing to rest. Central Inverness is very pretty and I immediately inhaled a giant burger and celebratory whisky. I am now warm and dry, comfy on a double bed, in a b&b for 1 night. It'll be back to hostels after this, and then... who knows!

A glimpse of Urquhart Castle

A fitting final day?