The Loch Ness Marathon finishes in Inverness on a Saturday in early October. The race runs 42 kilometres along the south shore of Loch Ness through birch and pine forest - some of the most dramatic terrain of any marathon in Britain. By the finish line at Bught Park, your legs have been working on gravel forest paths and undulating lochside road for several hours, and the idea of any further hill is not welcome.
The Great Glen - the geological fault line running southwest from Inverness to Fort William - contains the flattest valley floors in the Scottish Highlands. The glen follows the Caledonian Canal, the lochs (Ness, Oich, Lochy), and the river systems that run through them at essentially sea level for 97 kilometres. The Scottish Citylink 919 coach runs this route from Inverness Bus Station to Fort William in 1 hour 45 minutes. Buy tickets at citylink.co.uk; October fares are around £12 to 18 single.
Nights One and Two: Fort William
The Citylink service departs Inverness Bus Station (on Farraline Park, central) several times daily. In October, the loch-side road passes through birch forest in full autumn colour - the birches turning yellow and gold against the dark water of Loch Ness and the grey hills above.
Fort William sits on the shore of Loch Linnhe, a sea loch at the southern end of the Great Glen. The town (10,000 people) is oriented toward outdoor activities and has been the base for Ben Nevis ascents and West Highland Way completions for generations - its infrastructure is excellent at feeding and accommodating people who have just finished something physically demanding and would like to stop.
The Caledonian Canal towpath is the post-marathon infrastructure. The canal - completed in 1822 by Thomas Telford, connecting the Great Glen lochs into a continuous navigable waterway from sea to sea - runs through the flat valley floor north of Fort William. The towpath from Neptune's Staircase at Banavie (2.5 kilometres north of the town centre) is a wide, smooth gravel track beside the canal water, running north through open country with Ben Nevis and the Grey Corries visible to the east.
Neptune's Staircase - eight consecutive canal locks rising 20 metres over 500 metres - is the most photographed piece of civil engineering on the canal and worth seeing specifically in October, when the autumn colour of the surrounding valley intensifies the drama of the lock flight. The towpath alongside it is entirely flat.
Fort William in October: the summer season is ending, accommodation is available, and the temperature is typically 8 to 13°C. Rain is probable - Ben Nevis receives approximately 4,000mm of rainfall annually. Bring full waterproofs.
Where to stay: The Alexandra Hotel on The Parade is the standard Fort William choice - central, reliable, good restaurant. The Moorings Hotel at Banavie, directly at Neptune's Staircase, offers the canal-side position.
Where to eat: The Lime Tree restaurant on Achintore Road serves modern Scottish cooking using local Highland produce, with a particular focus on West Highland venison and the coastal fish that comes up from Loch Linnhe.
Nights Three and Four: Nairn
Return to Inverness by Citylink coach (1 hour 45 minutes), then continue by taxi or bus east to Nairn - approximately 26 kilometres along the A96.
Nairn is a small seaside town of 12,000 on the Moray Firth coast, east of Inverness. It has a mild microclimate - one of the sunniest and driest towns in Scotland - and a beach that extends for several kilometres of firm, flat sand east of the town. In October, the temperature sits around 9 to 13°C.
The East Beach at Nairn is the recovery activity: 2 kilometres of flat, firm sand running east from the town's beach approach, backed by low dunes and looking north across the Moray Firth. At low tide, the sand extends further and the surface is firm enough for easy walking. In October, the beach belongs almost entirely to locals and their dogs.
Where to stay: The Golf View Hotel on Seabank Road faces the Moray Firth directly, with a garden running down to the shore - the most obvious choice for the beach access.
Where to eat: Cafe Larder on High Street is the current local benchmark - local smoked fish, Speyside venison, seasonal produce from the surrounding farms.
Getting Home
Nairn to Inverness Airport (INV): The airport is approximately 10 kilometres west of Nairn, midway between Nairn and Inverness. A taxi costs approximately £15 to 20 and takes 12 to 15 minutes. Inverness Airport serves London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, Bristol, and Amsterdam on direct services.