We both had a good night’s sleep although Sophie was a little cold. I promised to swap sleeping bags with her at our next camp. We were underway by about 7:30 to begin the 7 mile walk to Drumnadrochit and a proper breakfast.
We made the right choice to camp where we did. We soon went downhill and walked along forestry tracks and then came to a road which we followed for several miles. This wasn’t the most inspiring part of our walk and Sophie will admit that she is not at her best in the mornings. The good news was that the rain stayed away and we were able to find a shortcut by continuing on the road and letting the Great Glen Way sweep away to the left through more woodland and then back again to the town for reasons that made little sense from our vantage point at the top of the hill.
Everything seemed good after a very good breakfast and the acquisition of some Gorilla tape which bound up Sophie’s shoe and we embarked upon the final leg of our journey, a 19 mile walk to Inverness. We hoped to leave only a short distance of four or 5 miles to Inverness for the following morning, leaving 14 or so to complete today.
After a couple of miles we started a long climb, steep in several places. Sophie went two miles all the way to the top without a break. She was starting to intimidate me a bit! Her ski season and the miles she walks each day serving at the pub are certainly keeping her fit. We passed woodland that reminded Sophie of the Gruffalo. At the top we admired the views for a bit and set off again arriving at the turn off for the even higher route after an hour or so. This was a shorter section, but very pretty. We were a long way west of Loch Ness, but the heather and the views of distant hills were breathtaking.
Back on the “low” route we passed through an interesting outdoor activity centre with some kind of a school and a teepee. Shortly after that I saw the sign for Abriachan Farm which I had been waiting for. This was the restaurant in the forest that Guitar Jack had told us about. It was mid afternoon by now and we were both getting very hungry.
Approaching the restaurant in the middle of the woods, there were hand painted signs everywhere to say that they were open 365 days a year. Arriving in an area with outdoor tables we were invited to “ring the bell”. Once rung a lovely woman appeared who explained that they served a set vegetarian and set meat meal. We should sit down and everything would be taken care of. In short order her husband appeared bearing a huge tray with bacon and lentil soup, vegetables, cheese and oatcakes. This was followed by an enormous pot of tea and the largest slab of cake I have ever seen. Both husband and wife were extremely hospitable, seemed genuinely interested in us both and were unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. Eventually we had to tear ourselves away. I will remember the restaurant in the woods, with great affection, as a highlight of my very long walk.
All that now remained was to walk 7 miles of the 11 remaining to Inverness. This was mostly down a minor road with views of hills in the distance to our west. We managed the walk in under 3 hours (I had to insist on stopping for a rest at least once). At 8pm we arrived at a grassy meadow at the top of a hill looking over Inverness in the distance. We pitched our tents and crashed out by 9pm. Sophie had walked 24 miles on tricky terrain with dodgy footwear and without complaint. She made it look easy.
Day Summary:
The magical restaurant in the woods. Seeking the Gruffalo. Outwalked by my daughter. Finishing the Great Glen Way.
Discover more from Henry’s very long walk
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
She’s totally right on the Gruffalo wood. What does the restaurant doing in the, presumably not infrequent, rain? It sounds an amazing place.
Well done Sophie for a seemingly effortless near marathon walk. She has grit!
It’s a Scottish restaurant Rachel, they keep going regardless. Yes, she certainly does. She is a young woman of many colours.