Glen Spean and the Great Glen area

The Great Glen is the long, deep valley running diagonally across the Highlands from Fort William to Inverness. Scenic Glen Spean runs east from the foot of the Great Glen.

The Great Glen is a major geological construction – a rift valley on a fault line that was formed when the ice retreated in about 8000BC. The Glen incorporates Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and, dwarfing them both, Loch Ness to the north and the sea loch Loch Linnhe to the south.

Running from Fort William eastwards towards Newtonmore, Glen Spean isn’t quite on the same scale, but it boasts some very impressive scenery. The Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge is in a superb setting, backed by the Nevis range. The National Nature Reserve of Creag Meagaidh, with many square miles of forest and moor, and lots of native wildlife, is to the north of scenic Loch Laggan.