Dog Falls and Coire Loch, Glen Affric
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:14 pmMany occasions, with ages from 2 through 60+, in all weathers, on foot and by mountain bike. I first remember this area from about 7 years old, and that's well over 35 years ago - I get up the glen at least four or five times a year...
The walk description starts you downstream, and this is a very pleasant amble alongside the river, crossing over the road at times, with two lovely viewpoints down into the gorge to view the falls themselves. The sceanery here is mostly birch forest, with some mixed other broadleaved trees mixed in, and bracken and grass underfoot. The path is rustic and stoney, but very good, and the view from the bridge is first class.
Pushing on up the hill on the other side from the bridge takes you into mixed conifer, with some fine old "granny" pines, amongst rocks and heather. The viewpoint overlooking the lochan is a classic photo location, and a great place to stop and picnic - the actual shores of the lochan tend to be damp and boggy.
For two/three weeks in March/April (weather dependant) the area near the Lochan is absolutely HOPPING with toads... you'll have trouble avoiding them!
When my kids were younger we used to take their mountain bikes, and cross the bridge from the car park. There is a cruel rise on the far side up which we'd push their bikes, past two lovely carved benches where one can recover, but from the top, the path heads east (take that turn!) and there's some great rolling open road through the plantation, and sweeping downhill before the path rises again. At the top you have to take a minor turn left into forrest, down what appears to be an overgrown ride. This track narrows, and you again turn left down an even more minot trail to come back to the lochan - well worth the effort!
Crossing the bridge at the car park is also the way for more adult/adventurous MTB fans to circumnavigate the loch(s) to the west (which I'm not going to try and spell from memory!) or to head over to Tomich, and complete a number of possible circuits back to Dog falls by road or forest path!
The walk description starts you downstream, and this is a very pleasant amble alongside the river, crossing over the road at times, with two lovely viewpoints down into the gorge to view the falls themselves. The sceanery here is mostly birch forest, with some mixed other broadleaved trees mixed in, and bracken and grass underfoot. The path is rustic and stoney, but very good, and the view from the bridge is first class.
Pushing on up the hill on the other side from the bridge takes you into mixed conifer, with some fine old "granny" pines, amongst rocks and heather. The viewpoint overlooking the lochan is a classic photo location, and a great place to stop and picnic - the actual shores of the lochan tend to be damp and boggy.
For two/three weeks in March/April (weather dependant) the area near the Lochan is absolutely HOPPING with toads... you'll have trouble avoiding them!
When my kids were younger we used to take their mountain bikes, and cross the bridge from the car park. There is a cruel rise on the far side up which we'd push their bikes, past two lovely carved benches where one can recover, but from the top, the path heads east (take that turn!) and there's some great rolling open road through the plantation, and sweeping downhill before the path rises again. At the top you have to take a minor turn left into forrest, down what appears to be an overgrown ride. This track narrows, and you again turn left down an even more minot trail to come back to the lochan - well worth the effort!
Crossing the bridge at the car park is also the way for more adult/adventurous MTB fans to circumnavigate the loch(s) to the west (which I'm not going to try and spell from memory!) or to head over to Tomich, and complete a number of possible circuits back to Dog falls by road or forest path!