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With the West Highland Way lined up for the end of April we decided to do the South Loch Ness Trail as a warm up. Owing to the weather we ended up doing the three stages in a different order to that suggested, but still walking from south to north.
We did the the third stage from Dores to Torbreck back in January and it was March before we were able to do another. On the day we were free the forecast was for cloud and showers so we decided to do the middle stage from Foyers to Dores, some of which we'd walked before on a brighter day, and leave the stage from Loch Tarff to Foyers for a better day. This proved to be the right choice - as you'll see when I write up that part of the trail.
We left one car in Dores and travelled together to the car park by the Waterfall Cafe at Foyers. We've been to the cafe on a few occasions before but it didn't look like it was open for business, with newspaper covering the windows. We found out later it was due to be open for the Easter weekend.
Waterfall Cafe
It's worth the detour to take a look at the Falls of Foyers, following the signs that start across the road from the cafe.
Falls of Foyers
From the cafe we followed the main road downhill and turned right on to a waymarked lane which passes to the right of the church. We took a right fork at the sign for Inverfarigaig and Boleskine, climbing steadily through the forest until reaching a blue SLNT sign on to a path on the left.
Waymarked path
WH warns the going becomes very rugged, but we found it to be a fine path for walking - possibly not so easy on wheels.
Path not too rough
The only short section which could rightly be called rugged was skirting a large boulder with a chain attached, although we found with poles we didn't need the chain.
The chain
This section was well marked with the blue SLNT posts and improved from when we did it in 2012 and found ourselves scambling over a craggy section somewhere between here and the boulder with the chain. It was much clearer this time.
When the path reached a track we turned right, which led us under the Beauly/Denny powerline, staying on the main path at a fork and at the next fork taking the option to the left which goes downhill on the left side of a burn. We ignored the footbridge on the right and stayed on the broad path down to the Inverfarigaig forest walks car park.
Dun Dearduill from Inverfarigaig forest walks car park
The public toilets at Foyers had been closed but the ones at Inverfarigaig were obligingly open. Drizzle had turned into proper rain and it was time to don waterproof trousers which is always a bit of a faff with nowhere to sit. But these toilets came up trumps, being equipped (in addition to the obvious!) with a table, two chairs, reading material and a fire extinguisher. Well you never know when you might need one. So we got ourselves rain-proofed in comfort and because these toilets were immaculate and we were clearly the first ones in since they'd been cleaned we stayed for a cup of coffee and half a marmalade roll. First time for either of us to have a coffee stop in public lavvies!
This is a first!
From the car park we turned left down the minor road to reach the main South Loch Ness road where we turned right. After crossing the bridge we took a right turn on to a narrow minor road which climbs in zig-zags and was in my parents' young days used by occasional traffic. I seem to remember they called it "the turns" but now it's known as the Corkscrew Road.
Corkscrew Road and a view back to the super loos of Inverfarigaig!
Meal Fuar-mhonaidh in cloud
At the top of the turns the road levels out as it heads northeast through farmland.
Gloomy view back to Dun Garbh and Dun Dearduill
Looking south in the direction of Errogie I wondered where the croft at Oldtown was - now just a ruin - where my granny and her 7 siblings were brought up. I've since found it on the map and it's a fair distance from Inverfarigaig which is where she had to walk to on a Monday morning to get the boat to Drumnadrochit for secondary school and back again on a Friday afternoon. She was dux of the school in 1907 before finishing her schooling at Inverness Royal Academy and then on to teacher training in Aberdeen. It was such a simple home but all 8 of them went on to successful careers in education or farming - some going as far afield as New Zealand to start sheep farming there. These crofting families were tough stock. As a total contrast to that humble home (now a pile of stones overgrown with nettles) there stands a grand edifice complete with turret, resplendent on the hillside.
Curly-horned sheep, geese, big white house and Monadhliath Mountains beyond
Balchraggan Farm
We passed the strange cross-roads with a short section of road stopping abruptly and turned left on a forest track to cross a cattle grid. The blue SLNT marker has fallen so be careful not to miss it.
Blue SLNT marker has fallen
This track climbs with a sharp right bend, a waymarked left turn at a T junction and finally reaches a turning area with a sign for 'Fair Haired Lad's Pass'. At this point there was a sign warning of forestry work ahead and the need to follow diversion signs. In terms of distance this was about the half way point on our route so we found some conveniently placed logs at the side of the path to sit down for lunch.
Useful logs
A bit further on we came to the whimsically named Fair Haired Lad's Pass. I'd like to find the story of the fair haired lad but have drawn a blank. Does anybody know? This excellent path was opened in 2007 when the local press were persuaded to come up to take photos for the Inverness Courier!
Fair Haired Lad's Pass
Despite the low cloud it was as lovely as described with views north and south along Loch Ness and across to Urquhart Bay on the other side. I'm sure on a clear day it would be possible to see much further over to the west.
Urquhart Bay
I'd never seen Urquhart Castle from this angle before and although invisible to the naked eye the photo shows people there.
Zoomed to Urquhart Castle
And so began the long zig-zag descent to the swathe of forestry from here to Dores along the side of Loch Ness. It was the less interesting half of the route as mainly entailed walking through planted conifers, only enlivened by bare stubbly sections of recently felled planted conifers.
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When we reached the junction where we were to turn right on to a grassy path there was a sign saying that owing to forestry operations we should follow the diversion sign. But the diversion sign directed us along a track going uphill and back in the direction of Inverfarigaig. I looked at the map and the track we were being sent along petered out giving us no indication of where we would end up. I had something on later which required me to be back at Dores when we had expected to be so I wasn't keen to add any distance to our route. There was no sound of forestry work ahead so I suggested we go on with caution, aware if we came across anything barring our way we'd have to turn back, which I reckoned was a risk worth taking.
So that's what we did. For a long way there was nothing happening and then on a long straight section we passed a stationary timber harvester some way off the track with a man in attendance. He had his back to us, head phones on and didn't notice us passing so we didn't have to plead senile dementia for disobeying the diversion sign. In our defence I think if it had said exactly where it was taking us we would have been more inclined to follow it.
Looking back to Urquhart Bay
Dark waters of Loch Ness
Eventually the forestry track led us down to the single track road to Dores and we were left with a 3km walk along it, stepping on to the grass verge whenever anything passed. It was surprisingly busy so that kept us on our toes and we were glad to get back to the car parked near to the Dores Inn.
