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For our final stage of the South Loch Ness Trail (which would normally be the first but we changed the order to suit the weather) we left one car at Foyers and drove together to Loch Tarff. The parking is at the north end of the loch, off the road to the right and through a gate. As soon as we stepped out of the car we were struck by what a beautiful morning it was. Blue sky, reflections in Loch Tarff and gleaming white peaks in the south west. Seeing the distinctive shape of Ben Tee I thought of Mary who was airlifted off with a broken ankle on a similarly gorgeous day about this time 3 years ago.
Zoomed to conical Ben Tee, slightly left of centre
Excellent path climbs north
The well made path starts behind the parking area and zig-zags uphill at a comfortable gradient. We made slow progress only because we stopped so often to take photos of the ever improving view.
A beautiful island-studded loch
Look who slipped into the picture
What a poser
Inversion over Loch Ness
North to the Great Glen (with another poser bottom right)
In addition to the red deer there were roe deer around and a couple of times we heard their high pitched alarm call letting the area know we were there.
South to Loch Lochy Munros
The path skirted to the right of the pointed top Carn an t-Suidhe so I took the short detour to the top to have a look.
Zoomed south from Carn an t-Suidhe
The path then dropped a little before rising to the viewpoint Suidhe Chuimein, which is roughly parallel to the layby viewpoint on the road below. Owing to the haze looking north the view over Stratherrick wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be. Stratherrick was always a special place to my father as his mother Isabella Shaw came from a croft at Oldtown and as a boy he spent many a summer fishing the burns there. I remember being taken with my brothers and cousins for a big family picnic there and fishing for trout, very much hoping I wouldn't catch one as I didn't want to kill it. Needless to say with an attitude like that my fishing career didn't progress much further!
Undulating path looking north
There's a path from the viewpoint down to the road but we took the left fork to continue through an area of recently felled forestry towards Loch Knockie.
Felled area
The path is well signed and easy to follow. Having already done the other stages of the SLNT we reckoned this was the best part, both for scenery and quality of path, and were glad we'd kept it to last and got such a beautiful day for it.
Meall Fuar-mhonaidh and Loch Knockie
When the track met a minor road from Knockie Lodge we turned right and followed it the main road where we turned left.
Minor road from Knockie Lodge
Immediately after turning left on the main road there's a waymarker at a right turn on to a track which leads to the river.
Follow the SLNT sign
Cumrack Burn and Monadhliath
We followed the river to the footbridge over the Cumrack Burn, which we crossed.
Footbridge
We continued along the far side of the burn until a post indicated where to turn right through an area of woodland.
North to Meall Fuar-mhonaidh (M's pic)
The path led through trees to a gate beside a ditch, then over the ditch and continued on the other side with views south to the Monadhliath mountains.
South to Monadhliath
The track came out on a minor road where we turned left and passed Killiechoilum then along a long straight section to a T junction where we turned left. This led to a bridge high over the river.
River Foyers from road bridge
Immediately after the bridge the way is marked by a sign to the right on a path through woodland. Parts of this path were muddy - the muddiest part of the day.
Follow the sign
The muddy path soon led on to the main road to Whitebridge so anyone wanting to avoid muddy feet could stay on the road after the bridge and turn right on to the main road a bit earlier. There is a hotel at Whitebridge, a second information board about the South Loch Ness Trail (first one being at Loch Tarff) and General Wade's bridge.
Information board at Whitebridge
General Wade's bridge over the River Foyers was built in 1732 and was later succeeded by the present road bridge, but Wade's bridge is more photogenic than the newer one.
General Wade's bridge
Before crossing the bridge we turned left on to a very minor road that follows the river downstream which eventually took us to Dell Farm where we followed the signs round the farm and along a grassy track crossing a couple of minor burns and then to a ford with stepping stones.
Stepping stones at ford
When we reached a larger track it curved to the right as it crossed a bridge high above the Upper Falls of Foyers and led to the main road where we turned left to walk downhill through part of the village of Foyers to where we left the car in the car park beside the Waterfall Cafe. From there we took the short drive to Cameron's Tea Room and Farm Shop for some calorific intake.
Camerons Tea Room (M's pic)
On the way back to collect the car at Loch Tarff we stopped briefly at the roadside viewpoint. Back in the 1960s my elderly grandparents made the decision to move from the Highlands to Yorkshire, to be near where we were then living. It wasn't an easy move for them as their hearts were in the Highlands and my granny's last request before leaving was to come here to see the view for one last time - of Stratherrick, her childhood home. The blue sky of the morning had clouded over but I took a photo anyway.
Granny's last view of Stratherrick
For me the South Loch Ness Trail was a great walk to do. Not only was it a good preparation for doing the West Highland Way, but also very special to walk in the area my granny and father loved so much. I only wish I could tell them.
