Today’s run was supposed to be a straightforward circuit of Loch Oich, following the Great Glen Cycle Route (new ground to me despite driving both A82 and A87 countless times) up the north-west side of Loch Oich before returning by the Great Glen Way on its south-east side (which I’ve run once before as an out-and-back from Bridge of Oich). Which might have been fine if I’d known where the (now defunct?) Cycle Route goes, but wasn’t quite so good as a spontaneous (= mapless!), follow-your-nose expedition on the way home from another trip to Lochalsh Pipes. So trusting your nose can be stupid when, after correctly following the waymarkers on a disconcerting 2km west/east diversion to Easter Mandally, it tells you to ignore the sign pointing to the main road north over the river, strike east towards the loch instead and look for a way through the grounds of Glengarry Castle Hotel. Which led via a fairly unmagical mystery tour to an unwanted couple of miles up the main road when I was probably close to getting back on the right track before stubbornly following a vestigial path through the undergrowth to avoid said road after crossing the river by the old (?) bridge. So it might yet be a good route when done as planned (need to try again some day) but wasn’t when done as done! :-O
