The village of Spean Bridge lies a couple of miles outside the Great Glen and is the first stopping point for travellers heading north From Fort William. Riders on Great Glen routes can make a slight detour (3 miles, 5km each way) from Gairlochy over the quiet B8004 to visit Spean Bridge and Roy Bridge a further 3 miles, 5km.
Distances from Fort William:- Gairlochy 10miles, 16km; Spean Bridge 13miles, 21km; Roy Bridge 16miles, 26km.

Gairlochy has a seasonal tearoom next to the canal locks at grid reference NN177 843.

Spean Bridge has a good car park, a tourist information noticeboard, a well-stocked Spar shop, a Woolen Mill with cafe, Little Chef, Fish & Chip takeaway at Spean Bridge Hotel. There is also a railway station on the line from Glasgow to Fort William. Its buildings have been converted into a restaurant.

Another reason for making the detour from Gairlochy to Spean Bridge is to see the Commando Memorial, a bronze monument by Scott Sutherland (1952) which commemorates the elite commando units who trained in the area during the second world war. The Commando Exhibition is located at the Spean Bridge Hotel where you can find out more. Some parts of our cycle route follow the Commando Trail to Achnacarry Castle that was their headquarters at the end of Loch Arkaig.

Spean Bridge had an earlier claim to fame in the Jacobite uprising of 1745 when the first skirmish took place at the original bridge over the river Spean a mile and a half to the west of the current bridge. A small number of noisy highlanders tricked the larger force of government troops into retreating. This 'High Bridge' built by General Wade collapsed into the river in 1913. Traces of it can still be seen on one of our routes.

There was also an ill-fated attempt to build a railway in 1901 starting from the existing West Highland Line at Spean Bridge up the Great Glen to Inverness. The tracks were only laid as far as Fort Augustus and struggled to operate in the years before the scheme failed in 1947. Many parts of the line are still visible and feature in some of our routes. Impressive railway bridge supports are still visible near 'High Bridge'. More railway bridge columns can easily be seen when crossing the river at Fort Augustus.

Roy Bridge is a further 3 miles (4.8km) west of Spean Bridge at the foot of Glen Roy which another interesting place to cycle. The River Roy is extremely popular for kayaking and Glen Roy is famous for it's geology. Close by the village square, take a moment to notice the village hall, built in 1869 as a military drill-hall for the newly formed 10th Mackintosh Company Rifle Volunteers. A single track road signposted "Glen Roy" passes St Margaret's church and, just beyond a small group of houses, a cairn commemorates the site on the hill above of the last inter-clan battle fought in 1688. Further exploration of Glen Roy is featured in one of our cycle routes. Roy Bridge has a railway station on the Glasgow to Fort William Line, a useful village shop, post office, two hotels serving food and several B&Bs. There are several places offering budget, cyclist friendly accommodation in Roy Bridge. There is a caravan & campsite and an independent hostel in the village and another camping & caravan site and independent hostel within 1-2 kilometers.