Back to Glen Affric for an easy lochside walk

LAST week I wrote about a wet spell we had in GLEN AFFRIC, WITH A short climb to the modest bump that is An Socach, a hill seldom attempted on its own, but ideal for a day of bad weather and/or a short November day. We had both!

Factfile

Map Ordnance Survey map 25, Glen Carron

Distance 10 miles

Height 200m

Terrain Track/path all the way

Start point Glen Affric road-end car park at map ref 201234

Time 5 to 6 hours

Nearest village Cannich

Nearest refreshmentsThe caf in CannichBearing in mind the restricted daylight hours at this time of year, I had suggested that taking a bicycle to reach the base of the hill was almost essential. However, some walkers do not have, or do not like using, a bike so this week's walk, a circuit of Loch Affric, avoids the need. The walk, staying well clear of hills, is ideal for a poor day and can be concluded in the dark if necessary. Yes, even for the hillwalker, being below the cloud-covered hills has a certain attraction. It is a fairly flat walk, albeit with some undulations, and the height climbed is of the order of, say, 200m.

Glen Affric, one of the most beautiful glens in Scotland, is a wonderful spot at this time of year, indeed at any time, with remnants of the old Caledonian Forest set beneath wonderful mountain scenery. Much of the walk is on Forestry Commission access land.

You will need Ordnance Survey map 25, Glen Carron, though once on the circuit of the loch it will be used only to identify the surrounding peaks.

The road into Glen Affric goes by the north shore of Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. When the loch was dammed for hydro-electric generation purposes its length doubled, mostly affecting the east side, and the old road was inundated. The lack of mapped contours and the presence of shoreline tidemarks betray its changed status. By contrast, Loch Affric retains all its unspoilt natural beauty, with its contours disclosing a depth of 60m.

Continue to the road-end car park at map ref 201234, a wooded area at the east end of Loch Affric, with the water initially hidden to view. Head west on the track, the first sight of water being the Affric surging under a concrete bridge. Do not cross that bridge - this is the return route - and continue along the north shore to Affric Lodge. This is one of the most-photographed parts of Scotland, staple material for calendars, and rightly so. Pause to admire the wonderful wooden bridge straddling the narrow part of the loch.

The track skirts north of the lodge and stays well above the shoreline, at a height that enhances views to the south. Nearing the west end of the loch, the track, more of a path in places, goes south-west by Loch Coulavie to join the track, at map ref 128208, that comes in from Strawberry Cottage. This is the halfway and turning point. Remember to head east. Straight on west leads to Alltbeithe youth hostel, closed until next year.

Strawberry Cottage at map ref 132207 is quickly reached and who knows, if occupied, a kindly hillwalker may offer a mug of tea. The cottage belongs to the An Teallach Mountaineering Club and after its refurbishment is one of the best-equipped huts in the country. Bookings are normally restricted to fellow hillwalking clubs. What I have never been able to find out is why it is called Strawberry, but I am sure there is a reader out there who knows the answer.

Cross the Affric by the long wooden bridge, an impressive 90ft span, to reach Athnamulloch, the fording place. Athnamulloch bothy, on the south side of the Affric, a former croft house, is now used only for seasonal accommodation. The forestry track on the south side of Loch Affric, undulating and rough in places, is not as pretty as the north track/path but nevertheless gives fast walking back to the concrete bridge, and the car park.

Last week I mentioned that we had had difficulties in driving out of the glen, a short stretch of the track just east of Athnamulloch being flooded. I had left my car at the car park, safe, I had assumed, from any water problems. The car had let in water on the passenger side. It has now recovered, or rather I have, following an expensive week in the garage having the electrics dried. The ingress of water was due to a broken pollen filter. While a bike can get rusty, it would not have had those problems, and hillwalkers are even better equipped to cope with the rain. We quickly dry out with no ill effects, so even if your visit is on a bad day, just go for the walk.