Although our small Dog Friendly Bed and Breakfast is in Invermoriston just by Loch Ness, we are only an hour’s drive through Drunmadrochit and Glen Urquhart to Glen Affric. The drive itself is lovely as you pass by Urquhart Castle which is right on the edge of Loch Ness, then through Drumnadrochit which has two Loch Ness Monster Exhibitions – one called The Loch Ness Monster Exhibition and the other Nessieland – and then through Glen Urquhart to Cannick and Tomich where you could have a coffee before arriving in Glen Affric and enjoying one of the many walks of various lengths on offer.
Glen Affric, often described as the most beautiful glen in Scotland, stretches for some 30 miles from Kintail in the west to within a couple of miles of Cannich in Strathglass. The burns tumbling down the mountains on the north side of Glen Shiel and from Beinn Fhada culminate in two major streams – Allt a Chòmhlain and Allt Cam-bàn. Together they combine to create the River Affric that flows through two major lochs to Fasnakyle in Strathglass where it meets with the Abhainn Deabhag to form the River Glass.
The spectacle of the Dog Falls at the foot of the glen leads the visitor to Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin, known for the excellence of its trout fishing and beyond, by pathways, along Loch Affric to enjoy the magnificence of the Highlands.
Despite the decline in the woodland, Glen Affric is still home to one of the largest remnants of the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest that once covered much of the Highlands. Recognising the importance of Glen Affric to the nation, the Forestry Commission purchased a large part of the Glen in 1951 – the remainder being part of a number of sporting estates or in the care of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
In more recent times the charity Trees For Life has played a major role in carrying on the conservation role. TFL organize volunteer workweeks periodically throughout the year, allowing interested individuals from near and far to play a vital role in the restoration process. Weeks are spent working at a number of locations with accommodation mainly at Plodda Lodge near the village of Tomich and at Athnamullach bothy at the western end of Loch Affric.
Glen Affric was part of the Clan Chisholm lands from the 15th to the mid 19th centuries. Life would have been hard, families depending mainly on subsistence farming, on a poor soil, for their survival. From the 1780s many Highland glens saw the forced removal of men, women and children by their own Clan chiefs as the introduction of sheep was deemed a more economic use of the land. Unfortunately the folk of Clan Chisholm were particularly affected, and like many others throughout the Highlands they were dispersed around the globe. You can still see the remains of small settlements scattered around the Glen today.
Glen Affric
When visiting the countryside it is so important to remember the common sense countryside rules – we all want to keep the Scottish Highlands a stunning place to visit whether you are staying in a Bed and Breakfast, Guesthouse, Hotel, Hostel or camping you have come to the area to enjoy it so please do not spoil the area for others.
It is so important to take your rubbish home and not spoil the beautiful Scottish countryside ………… whenever we walk the dogs we take a carrier bag and collect rubbish – water bottles seem to be a major problem – along the way but there should not be any !! I don’t understand why people come to the area to enjoy the stunning scenery and then discard their rubbish in it without a thought. Loch Ness is a great tourist stop but it does also get badly littered.
Rubbish is so dangerous to wildlife as well as a wildfire hazard due to sun (yes we do get some lol) through plastic.
Everyone has the right to be on most land and inland water providing they act responsibly.
Heading for the hills. Most stag stalking takes place between July and October, although this does vary. Follow all advice from the land manager or visit outdooraccess-scotland.com for advice on where deer management, stalking and shooting may be taking place.
Rock climbing. Follow any advice about safeguarding a rare bird nesting site. This might ask you not to climb particular cliffs or sections of cliffs during the breeding season.
Ground nesting birds. Reduce the chance of your dog disturbing birds during the nesting season (usually from April to July) by keeping your dog on a short lead or under close control in areas such as moorland, loch and sea shores, woods and grasslands.
Fire warning. Never cut down or damage trees. Never light a fire in forests, woods, farmland, on peaty ground, near buildings or where damage can be easily caused.
In the woods. Keep away from log piles and machinery. Pay attention to signs and follow any advice from the forester or land manager.
The Stunning Scottish Highlands
This Loch Ness Monster “Nessie” can be found in the village of Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness …………………… can you find it ???
The Loch Ness Monster - "Nessie"
Of course the Loch Ness Monster may not actually exist but Drumnadrochit offers two exhibitions which you can visit that provide accounts of “sightings” since around 1933.
Manda took this photo of last nght’s moon. We know that the supermoon is tonight but it might be cloudy so we thought we would try last night too. We are lucky to live in Invermoriston by Loch Ness and have little light pollution so the moon and stars are beautiful on a clear night.
Our guests who were staying in our Bed and Breakfast last night also took some snaps of the big clear moon as they returned from the Glenmoriston Arms hotel after dinner with other walkers enjoying the Great Glen Way walk.
Tonight is the annual nearest orbit of Earth and will give rise to ‘supermoon’ that appears 14% larger than normal. The biggest and brightest moon of the year will be seen as it passes closer to the Earth than usual. The moon will come within about 221,802 miles (357,000km) of Earth, which is about 15,300 miles closer than average.It will make the moon appear 14% larger than it is when farthest away. The difference in appearance is so small that you’d be very hard-pressed to detect that with the unaided eye. The moon’s distance from Earth varies because it follows an elliptical orbit rather than a circular one.
Supermoon
Loch Laggan is a freshwater loch situated east of Fort Willian in Lochaber, in the Highlands of Scotland. It is a typical Highland hill loch and is accessible by car. The Loch is about 1 mile long and 350 yards at its widest point, with parking a few yards from the waters edge. You reach the loch by approaching Bonar Bridge from Ardgay. The A86 road from Spean Bridge to Kingussie follows along its north shore and it is now a reservoir retained by the Laggan Dam and part of the Hydro Electric scheme.
The Loch featured in the popular BBC series Monarch of the Glen as Loch Bogle, and the Eastern end of the Loch includes the largest freshwater beach in the UK.
Loch Laggan
When we visited Glenelg the other day we saw Bernera Barracks and it inspired us to find out more about them.
By far the largest buildings in the area, Bernera Barracks is one of four such structures built in Scotland during the early 1700’s by the Hanovarian Government to suppress the Jacobites. The other three barracks are at Kiliwhimen at the western end of Loch Ness, at Ruthvenin Badenoch and at Inversnaid near Ben Lomond.
Bernera was built to house a garrison of up to 200 soldiers and is strategically located to control the crossing at Kylerhea. The officers did not live in the barracks but were accommodated in a row of buildings, which still exist but are now private houses, located opposite the Glenelg Shopand known locally as the Officers Quarters.
Construction started in 1720, a year after the (local) battle of |Glensheil and was completed in 1725. Some of the material used to build the barracks was taken from the Brochsin Glen Beag. The twin blocks are four storeys high and are generally regarded as the finest of the four built.
By 1800, rooms in the barracks were available to rent at one pound per year. By 1830 the barracks had become a poor house for the local area and thereafter the buildings fell into their present ruinous condition. In the 1990′s, plans were lodged to renovate the buildings but at present they remain in a somewhat dangerous condition and are now fenced off for the safety of the public.
A little known legacy of the barracks, is the military roadconstructed over the Mam Ratagan to Glen Shiel, parts of which are still in use today.
Bernera Barracks
Today was a stunning spring day so we decided to take a few hours off and drive to the Nevis Range Gondola to take some photos. We enjoyed the trip in the cable car up to the Snowgoose Cafe and then walked about 30 mins to the viewpoint just below Ben Nevis. We were impressed with the mountain bike trails and watched the bikers going down the mountain at quite a speed. After we walked back to Snowgoose we treated ourselves to a hot chocolate and then took the return trip in the gondola, watching the mountain bikers sepeding along below.
We then went into Fort William, stopping to take some photos en route, and then had a wander down the High Street. Luckily we returned home to our B&B in time to welcome our guests lol
The Nevis Range
Ben Nevis
View from the Viewpoint
We had time to take a few hours off today and so we went to Glenelg to take the ferry over to Skye. Well that was the plan ………………. We drove through Glen Sheil and then turned off to the ferry stopping to take a few photos en route. However when we got to the ferry we found the area deserted, we could not spot a ferry and were suspicious something was wrong lol We assumed it was not running so we headed for Glenelg for lunch. When we stopped for lunch we bumped into a man wearing a “Skye Ferry” jumper and we asked him if it was running and he said that the Maritime Police had stopped them and that it should be on again soon, we assume it is being mended then.
It was interesting to see the old ruined barracks which were built to house the English Troops during the Jacobite Rebellion, it is a huge building and seems amazing that such a place was built in such a remote area in that time.
We did manage to spot a rabbit, a buzzard, wild goats and lots of new lambs.
Glen Sheil
Lamb
Scottish Wildcat
It is great news that previously unknown populations of Scottish wildcats are living in the Cairngorms National Park, conservationists have discovered. The new pockets of habitation have been identified by camera traps which captured images of the animals across the park and beyond. The Cairngorms Wildcat Project has also helped raise awareness about the cats. However, scientists warn the species remains under threat because of cross-breeding with domestic and feral cats.
The Scottish wildcat, or Highland Tiger as it is sometimes known, is larger and much fiercer than its domestic cousin. It is estimated there are only about 400 left in the wild and for the past three years researchers have been using camera traps to gain an insight into the lives of the animals.
The images captured by the camera traps have helped scientists gain a much better understanding of wildcat distribution and the biggest threat to their survival – hybridisation as a result of cross-breeding.
Dr Hetherington said: “The camera traps have been particularly helpful in verifying the occurrence of wildcats and hybrids.
In total, there were 465 potential wildcat sightings around the national park. The findings suggest the species is especially rare in Donside, Deeside and the Angus Glens, but does still live in Badenoch and Strathspey, Perthshire and, possibly, Glenlivet.
Scottish Wildcat
We are so lucky to have wildlife visiting us at our small Dog Friendly B&B in Invermoriston by Loch Ness. We enjoy watching Red Squirrels and Pine Marten and we put out tasty treats such as peanuts and hazelnuts for the squirrels and raisins mixed with jam, peanut butter sandwiches and pieces of cake on a bird table just outside the dining room window for the pine martens. One of the pine marten came about 10.30pm last night and below is a photo we took with our outdoor wildlife camera.
Pine Marten
