After breakfast, tackle your first steep hill on the climb behind Invergarry up through Nursery Woods, with commanding views of Loch Oich wherever there are breaks in the trees. Your cycling route returns to the loch and then undulates on a single track through the woods to cross the beautiful chain-tapered suspension bridge built in 1854, bringing you into Aberchalder. Here you rejoin the Caledonian Canal towpath and the Great Glen walking trail. This pretty and relaxing section gives you time to rest your legs along the towpath to Fort Augustus. As you reach the town, there is another series of boat locks before you reach the shores of Loch Ness. You might fancy the idea of locking up your bike and take a pleasure cruise on the loch to see the famed but normally rare monster. Either way, Fort Augustus is a good place to snack up before ascending back into the forest above the loch on the fire roads. Some of the climbs are quite steep and there is no harm in walking a hill, have your camera ready for some dramatic views of Loch Ness and mountains. A sharp descent into Invermoriston follows. A pretty feature here are the falls of the Moriston River under the old Thomas Telford Bridge (1813). Another very steep climb takes you back onto the undulating balcony track above the loch for another 12 miles/20km or so until you start to descend into the unusual Scottish village with a green called Drumnadrochit. It has been a long day of cycling, but if you have the time and inclination you can cycle a couple of kms extra to Urqhart Castle, one of the most dramatically situated in Scotland.
Accommodation: We have selected for you a mixture of B&B's in the bustling town of Drumnadrochit, all well appointed.