Taking in the magnificent views on top of the plateau we decided to stop for some refreshment, sitting at the roadside surrounded by the glorious purple heather, with the view of the peaks surrounding Glen Affric away in the distance. There is another blot on the landscape, the towering wind turbines on the other side of the Great Glen on the hills above Invergarry.

Making our way from the plateau the road heads down towards Glen Tarff and like most of the road behind us the road is covered with quite loose hardcore making it quite slippy at times, especially when descending. A few miles on we came across another of Wades bridges an old favourite from a previous walk over the Corrieyairack where we stopped for lunch and like a tradition we did the same as before, even making time to have a dip in the cool clear water of the burn. With the weather being so fine it was with reluctance that we were willing to move, but we knew that we had to as there was no other way to go.

From the Wades Bridge the road was undulating for the next few miles, passing through the Culachy Forrest you come to a new bridge of good structure crossing the Allt Lagan a Bhainne, which flows into the River Tarff, looking left here there are traces where the old bridge and road went, but now is re-diverted for a short distance. The military road from here begins to run parallel to the River Tarff down Glen Tarff, here we bumped into an Australian couple, the first people we had came across in the last 10 miles, we chat briefly and I give them a wee bit of a history lesson about the road etc, on leaving them we cross a few small burns and a ford and its was not long before the buildings of Fort Augustus came into view. Approaching the slopes of Glen Mor the road veers slightly left passing Creag Dhubh, from this point there is a magnificent view of Fort Augustus and Loch Ness. Dropping down into Fort Augustus the road changes a bit to what looks more like a forestry or access road never the less the scenery is outstanding. Entering the last mile or so, the power lines that had escorted us all the way from the Melgarve Bothy now leave us and head away into the hillside of the Inchnacardoch Forest. Nearing the end the pink coloured building of Culachy House, set in its magnificent grounds comes into view, skirting the edge of the extensive grounds the last few hundred yards of the of the path runs down the side of a dyke towards the end or starting point. As we came in view of the finish and of those who were waiting for us, I couldn?t help but think as I had done through out the walk to the history and the soldiers who had used the old military road since it was built in 1737. For It was on the Corrieyairack that the first prisoner was taken in the 1745 uprising, a Captain Switenham of Guise?s regiment, taken by a party of Glengarry?s men under the command of Glengarry and it was the Corrieyairack that Charles Edward Stewart crossed with his army of some 1800 men, the likes of Lord George Murray and Lochgarry.

As we were greeted at the end I had only one request [a cold pint of lager shandy] It then became apparent with having my shirt off for most of the walk that my back had turned a bright shade of red and could feel a wee bit of tenderness on it, which took the emphasis away from the fatigue of my feet and legs. Once sitting in the comfort of the Spean Bridge Hotel enjoying a cold pint the aches and pains were soon forgotten and as I write the memoirs of the walk I find myself being pulled into the urge for doing it all over again.

By Jim Singer