By Warren and Dianne Hinson
On our trip to Scotland in late September/early October 2017, Dianne and I thought we could simply drive through the highlands and stop along the way to obtain lodging at the many local B&Bs or lodges. That was quite naïve for two main reasons: Scotland is a very popular tourist destination now, and October is traditionally the end of the tourist season, so many of the B&Bs close. Fortunately for us, the wonderful folks at one of the local TI centers (Tourist Information) all around Scotland helped us find lodging for the middle 10 days of our trip in a wonderful area of central Scotland called Glen Affric.
Glen Affric (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Afraig) is a glen south-west of the village of Cannich in the Highland region of Scotland, some 15 miles (24 km) to the west of Loch Ness. For better orientation, it is about 35 miles and a 1-hour drive (some of that on single track roads!) southwest of Inverness. The River Affric runs along its length, passing through Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin (pronounced “loch ben a-vey-un”).
Our self-catering apartment on this trip was in the Tomich Holidays Courtyard Cottages, a former stable repurposed into charming 1 and 2-bedroom suites.
The facility is located on a working farm, so looking out of our living room and bedroom windows showed beautiful green pastures with sheep, and often farm workers in the midst of daily chores.
The village of Tomich is lovely with a village coffee shop/post office, and a heritage hotel containing the village pub where locals often meet in the evenings – their dogs included!
A quick bit of history: Glen Affric was part of the lands of the Clan Chisholm and (heads up Outlander fans!) the Clan Fraser of Lovat from the 15th to the mid-19th centuries. Lord Lovat passed the property through his sons and by the 18th century there were feuds of ownership among clans (very common with Highland clans!). Dudley Marjoribanks, later Lord Tweedmouth, by 1856 had acquired ownership of the Glen Affric Estate (called Guisachan – “the place of the pines”) from “Laird Fraser.” The estate held over 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) at the time of its transference. By the 1860s, Lord Tweedmouth had much enlarged the house, and built an entire village – Tomich – both for his employees and for visitors to the estate. Tweedmouth had enjoyed shooting rights over much of Glen Affric since 1846, and, following his acquisition of the estate he initiated the first breed of golden retrievers at kennels near Guisachan House. He put the retrievers to good use at the shooting parties he hosted when at Glen Affric Lodge. So today, a memorial is located in the heart of the village to Lord Tweedmouth and the founding of the Golden Retriever breed, now spread over the world.
But, on to the hill walking! Probably the most dramatic area on a tributary to the Affric River is Plodda Falls, a short drive southwest of Tomich. With a suspended platform over the top of the falls and a steep path to the bottom, you can feel the spray from top to bottom of the switchback climb. The falls are listed by Scottish Forestry Commission as 151 feet high.
On the path down to the bottom, moss seemed to drip off of the rocky hill side.
Almost as dramatic were the huge Douglas Firs on the riverside walk beyond the falls. These trees are not native to Scotland, but were planted by Lord Tweedmouth in the mid to late 1800s as part of his plan to transform the estate into an impressive parkland.
Glen Affric is also one of Britain’s largest and richest areas of native woodland. In addition to being a national nature reserve, Glen Affric is a Caledonian Forest Reserve, a National Scenic Area, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Woodland trails and old forest roads line each side of River Affric and the Lochs, making for unlimited hiking and trail biking.
Shores of Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin.
Bracken ferns along a trail.
Some of the many Monros along Glen Affric.
An overlook along a woodland trail with a wooden plaque erected by the Scotland Forestry Commission.
A bridge over River Affric near Dog Falls.
If hiking is your favorite activity, Glen Affric has all levels: Flat trails along the river, walks along a country road to the local pub, waterfall hikes, climbs up forest roads in the lower hills, or multi-day walks to surrounding Munros (mountains above 3000 feet).
See you on the trail!
Warren and Dianne