Great Glen Shuttle Service
Explore Highland is able to offer a canoe hire drop-off and collection service for your next Great Glen Canoe Trail multi day paddling adventure. Various Great Glen shuttle service drop off and uplift locations options are available for canoe & paddleboard hire clients only.
Explore Highland DO NOT offer a shuttle service for non hire clients as we don’t offer private vehicle hire or licensed taxi services.
Minimum of one hire canoe, to a maximum of four hire canoes per group are available throughout the year for the Great Glen to ensure groups are safe and comply with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
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 two canoes on the minibus roof bars.
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 by Go Outdoors – Inverness, 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 supplies or food at the neighbouring Coop Store.
You can also pick up your Canoe Trail facilities key from the Scottish Canals Seaport Marina office – Inverness which is just 200m away and open 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 normally takes just under two hours, but in summer with A82 swing bridges opening during the day, and added tourism traffic 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 Banvie or Corpach, Fort William.
After dropping off your own supplies and equipment at the top of Neptune Staircase, Banavie or by the locks at Corpach, any drivers can then move their vehicle(s) to the main Scottish Canal allocated spaces where there is free parking.
Once completed your Great Glen paddling adventure, Explore Highland will meet you at the finish point at Canoe Trail car park at Muirtown Basin by Jammy Piece, Inverness where we uplift/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
- Canoe shuttle may be available at other times by request.
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 by Go Outdoors 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 the two main start points/locations along the Great Glen Canoe Trail, valid from April 2026.
Shuttle/Drop Off
- to Fort William – from £200 (up to 2 canoes), £250 (3-4 canoes), £300 (5-6 canoes)
- to Fort Augustus – from £120 (up to 2 canoes), £150 (3-4 canoes), £200 (5-6 canoes)
Uplift/Collection
- Canoe Trail car park, Inverness – from £50 (up to 2 canoes), £60 (3-4 canoes), £70 (5-6 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;
- Invite to a 60 min MS Teams trip/planning support session
- Scottish Canals Canoe Trail registration/key purchase information
- Signposted to the two main Great Glen Canoe Trail Facebook pages
- Your bespoke shuttle service overview schedule details
- Directed where best to purchase 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.
Responsible Access
When out paddling under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, you must take responsibility for your own actions on and off the water. Further details can also be found online at Downloads, but Donald can help by providing you with further local knowledge on responsible access at the time of hire also. This includes parking, access and egress location, wild camping, and campfires etiquette in the Highlands.
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