Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 13 hours ago
Welcome to Day 1 of our Great Glen Way adventure! Today, Woody and I are kicking off this 75-mile journey with a relatively flat 12-mile hike following the beautiful Caledonian Canal towards Gairlochy. We take in the stunning snow-capped views of Ben Nevis, check out the Old Boat of Caol, and marvel at the 19th-century engineering of Neptune's Staircase. Along the way, we secure a Caledonian Canal key (highly recommended for the facilities!), celebrate Woody's 50th birthday, and eventually pitch up at a designated wild camping spot just as the classic Scottish weather rolls in. Grab a brew and join us on the trail!
I've started sharing my routes over on Hiiker. They've kindly given me a discount via my affiliate link
https://hiiker.app/paulmessner?via=paul and then you can download to my routes here https://hiiker.app/users/6h3F8tE4psSp4WtyBUP5MUy8Bo22/hikes and use the app to navigate you. I'll be uploading all my future hikes here.
Big thank you to Ultralight Outdoor Gear for supporting us in 2026 geni.us/UltralightOutdoorGear
My current backpacking setup for The Great Glen Way:
Trail Running Shoes Topos geni.us/UOGtopovista
and Altras geni.us/UOGLonePeak
Backpack geni.us/UOGHyperliteUnbound55
Stove geni.us/UOGJetboilTrailcook
Quilt geni.us/UOGVesperQuilt
Sleeping Pad geni.us/UOGNemoEclipse
Mini Inflator Pump geni.us/UOGgigapump
Sambob Hoodie geni.us/UOGSamboAlpha90
Outdoor Research Helium Waterproof Jacket geni.us/UOGORHeliumUL
Tent durstongear.com/products/x-dome-1-plus-ultralight-backpacking-tent
Zinc Oxide Tape amzn.to/4dIK2X6
Quick Charge Powerbank amzn.to/3Ro4cgi
Quick Charge Plug amzn.to/3RqhLvL
Pillows geni.us/UOGNemoFillo & geni.us/UOGNemoFilloElite
Little sit pad geni.us/UOGLittleSitPad
Mug geni.us/UOGS2Smug
Water bottle geni.us/UOGThrubottle
Rab Down Jacket geni.us/UOGRabmythicjacket
Darn Tough socksgeni.us/UOGDarntoughsocks
First aid kit geni.us/UOGLifesystemsfirstaid
Little towel geni.us/UOGTowel
Wilderness Wash geni.us/UOGWildernesswash
Ikea storage bags ikea.com/gb/en/p/rensare-clothes-bag-set-of-3-check-pattern-grey-black-30432502
All my other gear messner.co.uk/gearlist
Multi-day Hikes Playlists
Cumbria Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49lK5YCmgcZRT1Q3_cIjR4o
West Highland Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49qFqV3d99ATSR6T6bAL92U
Peak District Multi Day Hikes youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49WHWTNtRYD5r2nkiwdNUch
Cairngorms youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa48Wxn3MGLWl3PJyEyV89Q5_
Timestamps
0:00 Setting off on the Great Glen Way
1:51 Spotting Ben Nevis in the distance
3:37 Facing my fear of bridges
4:39 The Old Boat of Caol
5:45 Exploring Neptune's Staircase
7:03 Brew stop and Woody's new glasses
8:29 Getting the Caledonian Canal key
10:14 How the Great Glen got its name
13:32 Arriving at the wild camping area
15:33 Pitching the tents
18:34 Checking out the canal facilities
20:22 The abandoned tea room
21:52 Happy 50th Birthday Woody!
24:38 Foot care and settling in for the night
27:46 Warming up and charging gear
29:01 Final thoughts before Day 2
patreon.com/paulmessner
Join our Patreon community for additional videos, community WhatsApp style chats and more. MASSIVE thanks to YOU. I couldn’t do this without your support.
messner.co.uk
WIN a FULL WILD CAMPING SETUP
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
Welcome to Day 1 of our Great Glen Way adventure! Today, Woody and I are kicking off this 75-mile journey with a relatively flat 12-mile hike following the beautiful Caledonian Canal towards Gairlochy. We take in the stunning snow-capped views of Ben Nevis, check out the Old Boat of Caol, and marvel at the 19th-century engineering of Neptune's Staircase. Along the way, we secure a Caledonian Canal key (highly recommended for the facilities!), celebrate Woody's 50th birthday, and eventually pitch up at a designated wild camping spot just as the classic Scottish weather rolls in. Grab a brew and join us on the trail!
I've started sharing my routes over on Hiiker. They've kindly given me a discount via my affiliate link
https://hiiker.app/paulmessner?via=paul and then you can download to my routes here https://hiiker.app/users/6h3F8tE4psSp4WtyBUP5MUy8Bo22/hikes and use the app to navigate you. I'll be uploading all my future hikes here.
Big thank you to Ultralight Outdoor Gear for supporting us in 2026 geni.us/UltralightOutdoorGear
My current backpacking setup for The Great Glen Way:
Trail Running Shoes Topos geni.us/UOGtopovista
and Altras geni.us/UOGLonePeak
Backpack geni.us/UOGHyperliteUnbound55
Stove geni.us/UOGJetboilTrailcook
Quilt geni.us/UOGVesperQuilt
Sleeping Pad geni.us/UOGNemoEclipse
Mini Inflator Pump geni.us/UOGgigapump
Sambob Hoodie geni.us/UOGSamboAlpha90
Outdoor Research Helium Waterproof Jacket geni.us/UOGORHeliumUL
Tent durstongear.com/products/x-dome-1-plus-ultralight-backpacking-tent
Zinc Oxide Tape amzn.to/4dIK2X6
Quick Charge Powerbank amzn.to/3Ro4cgi
Quick Charge Plug amzn.to/3RqhLvL
Pillows geni.us/UOGNemoFillo & geni.us/UOGNemoFilloElite
Little sit pad geni.us/UOGLittleSitPad
Mug geni.us/UOGS2Smug
Water bottle geni.us/UOGThrubottle
Rab Down Jacket geni.us/UOGRabmythicjacket
Darn Tough socksgeni.us/UOGDarntoughsocks
First aid kit geni.us/UOGLifesystemsfirstaid
Little towel geni.us/UOGTowel
Wilderness Wash geni.us/UOGWildernesswash
Ikea storage bags ikea.com/gb/en/p/rensare-clothes-bag-set-of-3-check-pattern-grey-black-30432502
All my other gear messner.co.uk/gearlist
Multi-day Hikes Playlists
Cumbria Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49lK5YCmgcZRT1Q3_cIjR4o
West Highland Way youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49qFqV3d99ATSR6T6bAL92U
Peak District Multi Day Hikes youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa49WHWTNtRYD5r2nkiwdNUch
Cairngorms youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbU28ZzUOa48Wxn3MGLWl3PJyEyV89Q5_
Timestamps
0:00 Setting off on the Great Glen Way
1:51 Spotting Ben Nevis in the distance
3:37 Facing my fear of bridges
4:39 The Old Boat of Caol
5:45 Exploring Neptune's Staircase
7:03 Brew stop and Woody's new glasses
8:29 Getting the Caledonian Canal key
10:14 How the Great Glen got its name
13:32 Arriving at the wild camping area
15:33 Pitching the tents
18:34 Checking out the canal facilities
20:22 The abandoned tea room
21:52 Happy 50th Birthday Woody!
24:38 Foot care and settling in for the night
27:46 Warming up and charging gear
29:01 Final thoughts before Day 2
patreon.com/paulmessner
Join our Patreon community for additional videos, community WhatsApp style chats and more. MASSIVE thanks to YOU. I couldn’t do this without your support.
messner.co.uk
WIN a FULL WILD CAMPING SETUP
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
