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South Loch Ness - The Song Remains the Same

South Loch Ness - The Song Remains the Same


Postby Sunset tripper » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:57 pm

Date walked: 16/10/2015

Time taken: 2 hours

Distance: 3 km

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The south side of Loch Ness is rich with history and legend but not a place where you find many people on the hills. Dun Dearduil near Inverfarigaig is only 235 metres high and not on any hill list for this reason it may be of little interest. This hill has few visitors and on this circular walk the route finding can be really difficult especially in summer due to the undergrowth and old felled trees but there is a fairly easy way through.

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Dun Dearduil is in the centre of the picture and wouldn't look out of place in a more tropical setting.
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From the forestry car park I followed the road a short distance past the house then crossed into the woods where a faint path zig zags down to the burn.
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If in spate the burn can be crossed using a fallen tree which has been there for several years.
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Once across the burn another faint path takes you out of the gloom to beneath the crags.
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I then crossed diagonally beneath the crags uphill where the views of the Loch start to open up.
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Loch Ness
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Its near here where Jimmy Page was filmed climbing crags in a Led Zeppelin film. Jimmy Page at the time owned nearby Boleskine House which was once owned by Aleister Crowley an alleged Satanist and mountaineer :shock:
At the end of this cliff face its uphill onto a ridge keeping right initially to avoid felled trees.

On the ridge looking across the loch to the Meall
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Once clear of the tree debris and bracken I walked along the left side near the edge of the cliffs with views towards Urquhart Castle
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Urquhart Castle
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From here it was a short stroll to the top.
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Where quite often a flag sits on the cairn.
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At the top great panorama across to the Corbett on the Monadhliath unfortunately soon to be spoiled by more wind turbines
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If you ever come up here its easiest to go back down the way you came but it is possible to take a good route down the other side avoiding felled tree debris and picking your way down into the River Farigaig gorge which can only be crossed in low water levels.
From the river I climbed diagonally out of the gorge which takes you out at a cattle grid on a minor road which is part of the South Loch Ness Trail.
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Then followed the corkscrew road downhill
A hairpin bend in the corkscrew
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And another
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And another
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There are six hairpin bends in total which take you down to the main road (if you can call it that :roll: ) and back to the start.

A few years ago I climbed nearby Dun Garbh which is the higher top nearby. From there you can see another house which (I think) was built and lived in by Michael Lee the drummer who played with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
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I took this photo when the house was empty for a long time but it has since been sold and cant be visited now.
haunted house (640x480).jpg
Last edited by Sunset tripper on Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: South Loch Ness - The Song Remains the Same

Postby malky_c » Wed Nov 11, 2015 10:49 pm

That's a great report :D . I often cycle down the corkscrew road into Inverfarigaig, and the last couple of times I have been wondering how best to get up Dun Dearduil. Now I don't need to wonder any more! Great place for the autumn colours too 8)

As an aside, when I was working down south about 4 years ago it ended up walking past Bron yr Aur:
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=17094
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Re: South Loch Ness - The Song Remains the Same

Postby Silverhill » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:01 pm

That looks like a nice wee walk. :D Interesting to hear about the Led Zeppelin connection.
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Re: South Loch Ness - The Song Remains the Same

Postby Sunset tripper » Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:54 pm

malky_c wrote:That's a great report :D . I often cycle down the corkscrew road into Inverfarigaig, and the last couple of times I have been wondering how best to get up Dun Dearduil. Now I don't need to wonder any more! Great place for the autumn colours too 8)

As an aside, when I was working down south about 4 years ago it ended up walking past Bron yr Aur:
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=17094


Cheers Malky the route up from the forestry car park is not too bad to do especially when the Bracken has died down. The route down into the Farigaig gorge that takes you out at the cattle grid is hard to find and there is only one line down through youngish trees following a line of tree stumps. Also a lot of steep ground and drop offs if you go off line. Not to mention fallen trees which are about 10 feet deep :shock: The River Faragaig is often too dangerous to cross when you get down to it.
Good to read about Bron yr Aur :D
Silverhill wrote:That looks like a nice wee walk. :D Interesting to hear about the Led Zeppelin connection.

Cheers Silverhill Its a fantastic viewpoint when you get to the top and a great area full of interest. Here is google earth shot of nearby Boleskine and at the bottom of the picture a big hole in the ground :shock: Another place your not allowed to visit.
Screenshot_2015-10-26-23-53-34-1 (542x640).jpg
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Re: South Loch Ness - The Song Remains the Same

Postby RiverSong » Sat Nov 14, 2015 10:59 am

Really enjoyed your report and photos sunset tripper :D

A few years ago I went to visit friends who had rented a cottage on the shores of Loch Ness. When I got there I discovered it was next to Boleskine graveyard, and beyond that was Boleskine House. In the afternoon we went for a walk up the crags which Jimmy Page had climbed in the film. I don't have any photos from the walk but the path as I remember it looks very similar to the corkscrew winding road in your report. At the top we rested on a sort of plateau thing, same as you, with tremendous views over the Loch.

Jimmy Page had sold Boleskine when I was there, in any case I don't think he ever lived in the house, just wanted to own it. When Alastair Crowley lived there he apparently conducted rituals in the graveyard, freaking out the locals as you can imagine. He was a top-class mountaineer and lead an expedition to try to be the first to climb K2, but he was beaten back by the weather. You should google him sometime.
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Re: South Loch Ness - The Song Remains the Same

Postby Sunset tripper » Sun Nov 15, 2015 10:09 am

Cheers RiverSong and good info :D
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