Fairy Lochs, near Badachro

GAIRLOCH AND POOLEWE


Summary :	A short hillwalk into an area of small rocky hills with many small lochs and good views. The walk includes a visit to a memorial marking the site of a fatal air-crash from World War 2.
Terrain :	Much of this walk is very boggy though it does have the benefit of a rough path. It crosses exposed moorland and waterproofs/windproofs are essential.
Grade :		Distance :	6km/3.75 miles
Bog Factor :		Time :	2 – 2.5 hours
Start :	Car park just west of the Shieldaig hotel.	Grid ref :	NG805725
Map :	View an OS map of the route Buy Explorer 433 - Torridon online	Ascent :	230m
GPS Route/ Waypoints :	Open this walk in QUO 2 Tell me more Open this walk in GPX format (compatible with Memory map etc)	Open this walk in Google Earth Tell me more Open all walks in Google Earth Tell me more
Pronunciation and meaning :	Press play button to listen Tell me more
Public Transport :	No public transport.[Click for timetables - choose Area 5]

1. There is a fair sized parking area on the south side of the B8056 just west of the Shieldaig hotel. Before starting the walk, enjoy the view of Loch Shieldaig, a sheltered harbour with sailing boats. Walk east along the road, passing the hotel, before turning right onto a track – marked by a public footpath sign and mountainous country warning. Go along the track, and at the fork after the building veer left. Continue for another 100 metres to a cairn, where a path goes off left; turn up this path.

2. A short distance on, the path forks once more at another cairn; again veer left. This path heads up towards the beechwood and passes through part of it, continuing to climb uphill. The surface is rough, both rocky and boggy, and care is needed to stay on route especially where the path bears right across some wet ground – don't continue straight ahead to where the stream comes down. There are cairns at intervals along the way, which after the turn continues uphill to reach a high point at another cairn. There are good views back over Loch Gairloch, and from the highpoint, forward to Baosbheinn ('The Wizard's Mountain').

3. Beyond, the path descends towards one of the lochans. There is a pile of aircraft remains next to a rock, together with a nearby engine whilst a propeller sticks out of the loch. This sad is the scene of an aircrash when a USAAF Liberator carrying troops back home from World War 2 slammed into the hillside, killing all 15 on board. It is a dedicated war memorial and it is forbidden to move any of the wreckage.

4. Continue on the now fainter path round the left side of the lochan. Beyond, the path becomes faint and very boggy but is marked first by cairns (look out of one atop a rock outcrop), and then by white wooden posts. It leads down to a much larger body of water, Loch Braigh Horrisdale, where a track is reached. Turn right on the track.

5. The track gives pleasant walking at first, but as it descends is somewhat eroded. At one point it forks; the right hand fork is the original overgrown rocky route through the trees, whilst the left route is the newer, boggy track – take your choice, they rejoin a short distance further on. The track then leads pleasantly back to the road and the start point.

Have you done this walk?

If so, why not comment on it in our Forum. If you start a new topic in the walking discussion with the name of this walk as the topic, we will link the discussion to the walk so that others can read your comments here.

Have you found an error or is any information wrong or missing?

Please let us know by using the error report form.

Route profile

Accommodation links for this area:
Hotels in Gairloch and Poolewe
Gairloch and Poolewe Bed and Breakfasts
Self catering cottages in Gairloch and Poolewe
Torridon & Gairloch hostels
Campsites in Torridon and Gairloch region