Great Glen Shuttle Service

Ford Tourneo Custom

In 2021 Explore Highland took delivery of a very high spec Ford Transit Tourneo Titanium LWB. Fitted with eight individual leather passenger seats, spacious legroom with dual air condition units, it’s the perfect comfortable shuttle vehicle.

The minibus commercial roof bars can carry two standard open canoes.

Should you need a group larger than eight(8) paddlers moved with hire canoes & kit, we are happy to arrange additional transport services with our local taxi company. Inverness Taxis support our work as and when required with their private hire cars and minibuses.

Open Canoe Trailer

The Explore Highland canoe trailer can carry up to eight(8) standard open canoes. This takes our total carrying capacity to ten(10) canoes when teamed up with the minibus.

Great Glen Canoe Trail Shuttle Service

Explore Highland offers bespoke Great Glen Canoe Trail shuttle services for those taking on this formal Canoe Trail. Based in Inverness we offer a cost-effective shuttle service for open canoe hire clients only.

Great Glen Bespoke Shuttle (Inverness to Fort William)

Most groups we shuttle meet at the Coop, Telford Street, just beside the Canoe Trail car park finish point, Inverness. Here there is space to pack your kit into the hired barrels. Plus if you have forgotten anything, you can pop in for additional food at the store, or if it’s camping equipment, Go Outdoors store is only 200m away. You can also pick up your Canoe Trail facilities key from the Scottish Canals Seaport Marina office which is just by the canal during office hours (Mon-Fri).

After loading up the Explore Highland minibus and/or trailer, you can park your car(s) in the Great Glen Canoe Trail car park by Muirtown Basin, Inverness where there are designated parking spaces you can use for free during your Great Glen Canoe Trail adventure.

We then shuttle you to your requested drop-off/start point. For the majority of paddler groups this is to the top of Neptune’s Staircase at Banavie, Fort William. This takes just under two hours in summer, but with A82 swing bridge delays it can sometimes take a little longer.

During the shuttle, you will see the trail first hand and able to ask about the route as you are driven through the Great Glen. This is invaluable for those who are less familiar with the area and first time taking on the route.

Great Glen Bespoke Shuttle (Meeting in Fort William)

Should you wish to meet at the Canoe Trail start, Banavie, Fort William, Explore Highland can easily shuttle your canoe(s) and kit to Fort William.

After dropping off your own supplies and equipment at the top of Neptune Staircase, Banavie, any drivers can then move their vehicle down to the main Scottish Canal car park besides the Moorings Hotel where there is plenty of free parking spaces.

Once completed your Great Glen paddling adventure, Explore Highland will meet you at the finish point which is again usually at Canoe Trail car park at Muirtown Basin, Inverness and collect back the canoe(s) and kit hired.

If you need to return to Fort William, there is a two hourly Scottish Citylink bus service from Inverness returning to Fort William for approx £13 per person or for larger groups a private car or minibus can be prebooked with Inverness Taxis (01463 222222)

Shuttle Timings

Normal shuttle timings meeting in Inverness include.

• 9am Saturday’s and Sunday’s
• 6pm weekdays, Saturday’s and Sunday’s
• Limited canoe shuttle are available at other times.

Inverness to Banavie, Fort William Shuttle Overview

Six-hour shuttle overview:

• 60 mins – Check and load canoes & hire kit plus drive to Inverness meeting point
• 5 mins – Meet n greet clients at Coop Telford Street car park
• 20 mins – Pack kit into hired barrels, and load minibus and/or trailer
• 5 mins – Clients move cars across the road to the Great Glen Canoe Trail car park
• 2 hour – Shuttle to Banavie, Fort William
• 10 mins – Unloading minibus and/or trailer of bags, boats & kit
• 20 mins – Advice on packing the canoes, moving & handling, using a portage trolley, and canoe sailing kits if required
• 2 hour – Return drive to Inverness for driver

Great Glen Canoe Trail Shuttle Costs

Below are the costs of the shuttle from Inverness to various locations along the Great Glen Canoe Trail.

• to Neptune Staircase Canoe Trail pontoon – from £200 (up to 2 canoes), £240 (3 plus canoes)
• to Well of Seven Heads – from £170 (up to 2 canoes), £190 (3 plus canoes)
• to Fort Augustus – from £120 (up to 2 canoes), £140 (3 plus canoes)
• to Foyers – from £110 (up to 2 canoes), £130 (3 plus canoes)
• to Dores Beach – from £70 (up to 2 canoes), £80 (3 plus canoes)
• to Dochgarroch Locks – from £60 (up to 2 canoes), £70 (3 plus canoes)
• Canoe Trail car park Muirtown, Inverness – from £40 no trailer, £50 (3 plus canoes)

* Prices based on shuttles for our hire clients with a maximum capacity of up to eight paddlers. Local taxi company can support if more than eight paddlers are needing shuttled.

** No trailer required for up to two canoes, trailer required for 3 or more canoes

** During peak season, single canoe bookings may not be accepted.

All our Great Glen Canoe Trail hire & shuttle clients at the time of confirming the booking are also given links to a number of key resources which include;

• link to Explore Highlands interactive canoe trail map
• Scottish Canals Canoe Trail registration/key purchase information
• directed to the two main Great Glen Canoe Trail Facebook pages
• your bespoke shuttle service overview schedule details
• a copy of the Great Glen Canoe Trail guidebook (2nd edition)
• emergency text/contact number for direct contact with Explore Highland

Emergency Shuttle Uplift

Should the weather turn for the worst or one/all of the group decides not to continue on with their paddling adventure, Explore Highland is able to plan an emergency uplift around the current workload/bookings in the diary.

All hire clients are given an emergency text number to contact should there be a problem. At the earliest opportunity, Explore Highland can offer advice or suggest a suitable location and time an uplift suggested.

This ensures you have peace of mind when taking on your self-guided adventure. All emergency shuttle uplift prices will be quoted at the time of request.

These are based at £35 per hour minibus & driver only, or £45 per hour if a trailer is required.

Booking Your Canoe Hire & Shuttle

You can enquiry about your open canoe hire & shuttle service availability by completing the provisional booking form on the contact page!