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Forestry Commision Glen Affric Guide

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Forestry Commision Glen Affric Guide (Seasonal) River Affric Plodda Falls Am Meallan Viewpoint Trail Contact 1 Forestry Commission Scotland Plodda Falls Trail Explore The Forest walks of Inverness, Ross & Skye Forest District, 0.5 km/0.3 mile. Allow 20 mins. 0.6 km/0.4 mile. Allow 20 mins. Enjoy Tower Road, Smithton, Inverness, IV2 7NL A short climb for a classic view up the A short loop situated on a gentle hillside. and Tel: 01463 791575 glen to the mountains beyond Follow us on: E-mail: invernessross&[email protected] Discover The first tumbling torrents you Glen Affric Web: www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland River Affric Trail come to are a magnificent National Nature Reserve Public enquiry line 0845 FORESTS (367 3787) Take care of your pinewoods! 1.6 km/1 mile. Allow 50 mins. taster for what’s to come! Take When you camp; gas stoves are better, quicker and safer care on the rising path as you For than fires. If you must light a fire, make sure it’s properly Take care on the rocky sections alongside information sited; put it out when you leave. the river, which can be slippery when wet. pass the rocks covered in on what’s mosses and ferns. available If you’re walking in the hills, take a map, compass, protective clothing and food. There is no mobile phone Stand on the rock, which resembles a whale’s back, from Forestry The glory of the Plodda Falls reception in the glen. as the peaty waters surge into the loch. Watch for Commission will amaze you as the burn dippers searching for larvae below the foaming waters. Scotland in The weather can change very quickly; always cascades vertically with an carry warm, wet-weather gear and wear Make sure you’re wearing proper footwear as the river in the rest of awesome roar. And all around strong footwear even on low-level walks. spate can rage past before settling into deep dark eddies. the West are soaring trees including Highlands When the wind changes direction, you may see three great firs planted by Lord and the Trail Grades a heron, with his unmistakable lazy wingbeat, heading Plodda Falls surrounding Gladstone in the 1880s. area Forestry Commission Scotland trails are graded for quieter fishing grounds. In winter, whooper swans please according to the degree of difficulty, gradients and type hold icy vigils on the lochs. of conditions visitors can expect. contact Tweedmouth Trail 2 Forestry Commission Scotland, Lochaber Forest District Easy Moderate Strenuous 2.3 km/1.5 miles. Allow 45 mins. Sensible Waterproof Hillwalking Tel: 01397 702184 footwear footwear boots A long descent down to the river. [email protected] Easy Moderate Strenuous 3 Forestry Commission Scotland, North Highland Forest District Muscle Muscle Muscle Tel: 01408 634063 Loosener Stretcher Builder Lord Tweedmouth bought Guisachan estate from Laird [email protected] Fraser in the mid-1800s and built Guisachan House among the trees and cottages for his workers. The house If you need this publication in an (Giùsachean – say gi-oosuchun – is Gaelic for pine alternative format, for example, in forests) has gone, but you can still see the magnificent large print or in another language, larch, which are a legacy for us all to enjoy today. please contact: The Diversity Team Much of the estate was used for shooting, but Lord Tel: 0300 067 5046 Tweedmouth planted many exotic trees including E-mail: [email protected] towering redwoods and majestic Douglas firs, three of Designed by: Design & Interpretive Services, Forestry Commission Scotland. D&IS-25K.JTCP-March 2014.Edition 9. Photography by: Forestry Commission Allan Picture Pollok-Morris Library, and written Neil by: McIntyre. Michael Text Hamish Glen, QuiteWrite. which replaced the original masts on Captain Scott‘s For information on public transport services contact: RRS Discovery, now berthed in Dundee. Traveline Scotland, 0871 2002233 or Tweedmouth Trail www.travelinescotland.com © Crown Copyright 2014 welcome to Dog Falls Viewpoint Trail 3.2 km/2 miles. Allow 50 minutes (total for round trip) glen affric A steady climb from the bridge up to the viewpoint. fàilte do’n gleann afraig Climb up the path above Dog Falls car park and drink River Affric Along the Dog Falls Trail Looking down over Coire Loch in the view. In the distance are the great ‘Munros’ Scots pine Even a fleeting visit to Glen Affric will leave an indelible memory of inviting pinewoods, of Tom a’ Chòinich - (hill of the moss, say tome-a- Common Hawker Dog Falls Trail Along the meandering trail, cheeky chaffinches will take Coire Loch Trail shimmering lochs, enchanting islands and tumbling burns. Stay longer, let the glen honich) and Toll Creagach - (rocky hole) - which you food from your hand below the rowans and granny pines 3.2 km/2 miles. Allow 1 hour 5.2 km/3.25 mile. Allow 1.5 hours. can reach from the car park at Chisholm Bridge. hanging with old man’s beard. feed your soul, and your cares will fly away with the eagles. (for a shorter route, going to the Falls and back will take you Natural path surface, steep in places. Look over the islands of Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhain - about 30 minutes). Feel the awesome power of the whisky-coloured river (middle hill – say ben-a-vey-un) - and up into the Climb past ancient Scots pine and birch, which shield The path surface is made up of natural features and can pouring over the falls; watch for a silent otter slipping into pinewoods. Grazing animals have been well managed a carpet of seedlings, and along the steep trail lined be muddy at certain times of the year. a dark pool searching for eels and brown trout greedily to allow young trees to grow. Below you, hardly waiting for passing insects. with blaeberries and mossy boulders. Look out over the noticeable, is the dam holding back the waters that crowns of the great pines and the hills in the distance feed Fasnakyle power station. Map of all 3 trails and get a first glimpse of Coire Loch. Little grebes fish in summer among the water lilies and dragonflies hover above the boggy margins. Follow the trail as it sweeps through the heather and look for butterworts and insect-eating sundews. Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhain You will tread in the steps of folk who have lived here over aeons, who have harvested the There are no waymarked trails from this car park but woodlands, herded cattle and sheep, fished the Autumn in Glen Affric is it is good for picnicking and waters and made their own whisky. You will see where breathtaking with its golds and greens and blues wildlife watching. You can plantings of spruce have given way to native Scots pine walk down the road a little and where the pent-up power of the lochs lights the lives and up the path alongside of far-off people. This is where Bonnie Prince Charlie hid the ‘burn of the flitting’, Allt after Culloden, where Clan Chisholm ruled until the land na h-Imrich. It’s quite steep was given over to stalking and shooting, and where the but you get memorable River Affric views from the moorland. wild red deer roam and watch over today’s visitors. View towards Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhain Everywhere is special in its own way, but Glen Affric is more special than most! One colour dominates – the reddish-pink of the Scots Eagles soaring over Glen Affric for eight thousand The Forestry Commission bought much of the estate He ensured that deer were culled to reduce damage pine trunks, the fox, the deer, years have seen the pinewoods suffer a wet period in 1951 and the early foresters fenced off important to young trees and the seeds of a Caledonian Forest when swamped trees formed peat and then return to remnants of native pine forest, the first steps in a major Reserve were literally sown. Today, because the woods the squirrel, the pine marten healthy growth, only to be cut down for timber and regeneration project. They were led by Findlay MacRae, are actively conserved, wildlife is abundant and the and the chests of bullfinches glen affric fuel. The land was overgrazed by the big sheep that then head forester whose dedication and custodianship forest is now a National Nature Reserve. gleann afraig replaced tenants and used by Victorian sportsmen. set the pattern for today’s foresters. Male Scottish crossbill S tag above Beinn a’ Mheadhain The wooded islands in the loch come straight out of a fairy tale Pine marten The glen of countless colours Gleann nan dathan dò-aireamhan Examine the ancient rocks where volcanic fire painted streaks of different colours. Look for brown bracket fungus on trees, golden chanterelle mushrooms, red fly agaric with its white The glen of spots and grey-green old man’s beard hanging from branches. a thousand whispers Come and see hazy bluebells and marsh violets, bright yellow bog asphodel, pimpernel, tomentil and anemone, pale yellow Gleann nan mile cogaran primrose, pinky-white wood sorrel and dark-spotted orchids. You’ll hear the rustle of leaves on birch and aspen, and the murmur of Then there are black crowberries, red cowberries, blueberries, wind through pine needles. You might catch the bark of a roe deer or the orange rowan berries and red wild raspberries. The hues and tints chatter of crossbills as they split open pine cones for their seeds. You can’t of Glen Affric are amazing. miss the mewing of a buzzard, the call of a sandpiper searching for a missing chick, the songs of warblers or the curious clicking of a stonechat.
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