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The Wildcat Trail around Newtonmore is promoted in the leaflet Newtonmore Paths and on two websites. Newtonmore Paths is one of a series of leaflets under the general title of Cairngorm Paths. Six Newtonmore Paths are listed and the Wildcat Trail is the longest and described as strenuous. According to the leaflet The Wildcat Trail is an iconic orbital path through woodland, moorland and alongside rivers, offering wonderful views. Narrow uneven earthy paths, some rough, stony and...

Cùl Beag is a less popular destination for walkers than its neighbour Cùl Mòr. Cùl Mòr has a good access path from the A835 which rises steadily until the final stiff climb to its summit. Once at Cùl Mòr's summit there are a range of ridges to explore and this makes for a great day out. In fact one of my images from Cùl Mòr has been my most viewed on Geograph and the day spent on the hill was one of the finest of my trips in recent years. So, Cùl Beag became an obvious target when my...

The Bealach Path and Killiecrankie Loop Saturday 6 August 2022 This walk to Killiecrankie over the hills from Pitlochry and then back by the River Garry is described in a number of trail guides. The route receives acclaim with high star ratings. So, it was no surprise that Jo and Richard Doake were able to persuade Scotways (The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society) to lead this route for a sociable walk for its members. The route details were: 8.5 miles/14km; 530 m ascent; and...

The journey Each year my wife and I take a train trip to celebrate our respective birthdays. Living near Inverness and with my wife’s birthday falling on January 10 we usually head west to Kyle of Lochalsh. The Kyle line is particularly striking with snows on the highest peaks and the journey can be done in daylight. See for example Link. However this year we repeated the journey made exactly ten years earlier to take an Away Day on the train from...

This GeoTrip is a walk of a published route on the WalkHighland website and the paragraph that follows is from there. [i]Meall a' Bhuachaille is a great choice for a first hill walk in the Cairngorms, being easily accessible and having the benefit of great paths to the summit as well as superb views. Here is a chance to experience the beauty and wildness of the Cairngorms without the length and remoteness of some of the Munro walks. The walk described offers great variety, with ancient...

The Walk Highlands website provides a suggested itinerary for climbing Cùl Mòr, and this was mostly followed for this Geotrip. The walk uses the Stalkers Path from Knockan that crosses Meallan Dìomhain and climbs Cùl Mòr by the North East ridge. The walk then heads North West along the spur over Sron Gharbh until the terrain descends abruptly at a nose. This point provides a memorable view over Loch Sionasgaig and Stac Pollaidh. The return is made along the spur to the bealach separating...

A circular walk beside the River Beauly above Lovat Bridge used to be possible by parking a car near Lovat Bridge at the entrance to the estate. The Laird has now closed the logical car parking area, and the walk now is best made by parking at Black Bridge. The full circle is over 9 km if one extends the route into the woodland that adjoins the Balblair Quarry. In fact the best part of the walk is the section in Balblair Wood. The route along the river is very quiet. I have been in the...

The railway line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh is famed for its beauty. Together with the more publicised “Harry Potter” line that includes the Glenfinnon viaduct on its way from Fort William to Mallaig, and the wilderness route to Fort William over Rannoch Moor, the majority of the passengers who use the lines are tourists out for the ride and experience. Each year my wife and I plan a winter journey from the Inverness area on one of the North Highland lines. The choice is...

Scotways Hill Track 303 takes the popular walk from Glen Torridon between Beinn Eighe and Liathach as far as a col and then heads up behind Beinn Eighe before crossing trackless country to join a path along Glen Grudie that reaches Loch Maree at Bridge of Grudie. The 14 km walk is described in detail in the Scotways book, Scottish Hill Tracks. The first half of the walk is on excellent paths and a small spur takes you into Coire Mhic Fhearchair. Many take this route there and back to...

Each year a walks programme is organised for members of Scotways - the Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society. Besides being a social activity and led by a local member, the opportunity is taken to check up on the signage and the state of a Hill Track and exploring whether any maintenance is required. Scottish Hill Track 320 is a 7 km linear link from Strathrory to Dalnaclach. The opportunity was taken to create a circular walk starting from the Forestry Commission’s Aldie Burn car...

Scottish Hill Track 315 is 20 km long and connects Dingwall and Garve, which are just one station apart on the Highland Line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh. The route can be broken into two, a Dingwall to Strathpeffer section and then Strathpeffer to Garve. In fact I had walked much of route 315 when on shorter circular walks, but had always thought the route as a simple linear walk would be rewarding. Studying the summer rail timetable it became evident that trains were better...

The Beinn Eighe Reserve provides two trails. A short woodland trail and a far longer mountain trail. The woodland trail is around 7 km and can take four hours because of the steep terrain. According to others: The Mountain Trail is a fabulous trail to explore the hills of Beinn Eighe. This loop trail takes you up through ancient woodland, rugged grasslands and heath, to the beautiful heights of the mountain terraces. This is a memorable walk, with breathtaking views over the surrounding...

The walk around Loch Affric passes through Scots Pine woodland and open moorland with fine views of the neighbouring mountains and Loch Affric. Glen Affric is considered one of Scotland's finest glens and in reaching the River Affric car park at the end of the public road to start the walk you will have passed through delightful woodland and loch scenery. The circuit of Loch Affric is around 18 km and taken leisurely in good weather could take 7 hours. According to Wikipedia Loch...

Slochd Military Road Start location: Raigbeg (NH 811 291) 
End location: Layby on A95 near Carrbridge turn off, (NH 913 187)

 Path distance: 19.7 km The Old Military Road between Dunkeld and Inverness was built between 1728 and 1730 under the auspices of General Wade. Much of it now lies under the A9, but a few sections* such as the stretch over the Slochd take a different alignment and can still be followed. The Slochd Mor is a narrow pass, hence this strategic gap...

Monadh Mòr makes a good destination for a walk on a sunny day, because you can enjoy the sunshine between the rather widely scattered trees. And some trees are barely alive! A walk into the untamed SSSI gives you a challenge. To penetrate as far as you can into the boggy areas but still be able to extricate yourself and your wellington boots when you go further than you really should. Indeed I am not the only Geographer who has had to retrace purely on the evidence of a GPS track showing...

My wife was committed to demonstrate spinning at the Nairn Show for four hours so I set about finding a local walk to fill the available time. Quite a low tide was scheduled for 1115 in the morning so I decided to walk the coastline of Whiteness Point. The plan was to walk outward by the sand and to return by the track that runs down the middle part of the spit. A good walk for the dog, especially with one minor detour to visit a "square" just off the direct route. The interest in the...

Cnoc Fyrish provides a fine viewpoint of the Cromarty Firth and the marine activity in its waters. A folly graces the summit of the hill. The Fyrish Monument is a monument built in 1782 on the orders of Sir Hector Munro, 8th of Novar, a native lord of the area who had served in India as a general. As the local population were being cleared off their land, employment was a problem and so it was built to give the locals some work. It was said that Sir Hector rolled stones from the top of...

One route up Am Faochagach requires the fording of a normally fast flowing Highland burn, and so the route is recommended only for times of drought. After a very dry Spring, May 2017 was a good time to attempt the route. The river crossing is rather daunting especially when the first person seen near the crossing point was above his knees in water. However there is a preferred crossing point marked by a small cairn on each bank. The east bank has the more distinguished feature to be...

This is a walk to dawdle over. Less than two miles and its downhill all the way from the furthest point. The walk lies within a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its trees and woodland flora. Guided walks occur in late May organised by the Highland Council Rangers. The wood has both a Fort and a Hut Circle but both need a bit of finding. A helpful sign saying "Hut Circle" beside the one obvious path through the wood has disappeared. On this hour's walk the fort was not visited,...

The Monadh Mor Site of Special Scientific Interest is for the most part trackless. The SSSI contains the best example of bog-forest in the UK. The terrain is gently undulating - the ridges contain trees and the lower areas are swampy and in places contain sheets of water. Going back 150 years to the 25 inch to the mile maps shows that even when the inhabitants needed to use the bog for peat extraction there were no real paths that crossed the area. Over the years deer and other animals...

This 12.5 mile walk takes in two Munros, Sgurr Breac and the higher A Chailleach. Route finding is straightforward and the only difficulty is descending the steep nose back to above Loch a Bhraoin when the ground is greasy. On a number of occasions the weather has been dry in the Fannichs when An Teallach has looked decidedly wet. There are good views to be had from this route. Some books recommend coming off A Chailleach by its northern ridge and descending beside Sron na Caibhre, but...

This nine mile circular walk on forest tracks delves into the hills behind Strathpeffer. At its heart is a section beside the Inverness to Kyle railway line at Raven Rock, the high point between Dingwall and Garve, which even recently has posed a challenge to steam trains carrying rail enthusiasts on the Kyle line. The walk follows recognized tracks, except for the stretch by the railway line that follows a footpath which few people use, and for a few hundred metres of hillside on the...

This is a short and popular walk beside the Black Water, traversing a section between two old bridges allowing a circular walk using both banks of the river. The Black Water has some fine waterfalls in this stretch of the river while it crosses some interesting geology. A walk for any season, but probably at its best with ice beside the river or in the autumn. There is much to see and explore, especially the architecture of the bridges. Allow a minimum of 1 hour 30 to enjoy the 2.5 mile...

The river defences of the River Beauly provide an elevated yet narrow walk along the side of the river. Best done in the winter when vegetation is low - in summer there will be a few inconveniences from lush growth. It is also wise to consult tide tables as the firth is tidal in this stretch of the river, and the higher the water level the less debris - natural and man-made is seen at the water's edge - and the more exciting the prospect is where water floods the saltmarsh. Good after...

Callachy Hill is part of the Learnie Red Rocks Mountain Bike area. It forms the furthest point of this circular walk starting from a footpath that leaves the Rosemarkie to Eathie road around a mile beyond the turning by the Fairy Glen. One car can be squeezed beside the road at the footpath sign - although the sign takes some finding. See the map for the exact location. The footpath goes through cleared woodland and then follows the edge of the Fairburn fields before uniting with some...