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After an exhausting Saturday on and around Rois-Bheinn, something a little less strenuous was on the cards for Sunday - and it turned out to be one of the most beautiful walks we've ever taken. From Arisaig we headed down the coast road to Castle Tioram for the circuit taking in the Silver Walk with an inland return.
Half a dozen cars in the shady car park and no midges. Castle Tioram was visible across the bay - what a wonderful spot!
The tide was about halfway out and still falling, so we had plenty of time to cross the sandy causeway and get up close to the castle walls. Unfortunately you can't explore inside (long story - google it), but it's still a pretty special place if you ignore the functional warning signs at the entrance.
The views up and down Loch Moidart's South Channel aren't bad either, separating the mainland from Eilean Shona.
Back across the causeway, and we couldn't wait to explore The Silver Walk. Some paths have wonderful views, but few are beautiful paths in themselves. This route is both - there was so much to look at that we ended up really taking our time. With the temperature around 20C we were glad of both the shade and the cooling breeze. The next few pictures are all taken from The Silver Walk:
The Silver Walk continues along the coast to the road at Ardmolich, but we wanted a circular walk so had to say goodbye to the shoreline after a mile or so. Walkhighlands suggests taking the second of two paths to the right, but we only noticed one, and continued ahead a little way before backtracking to the junction. We were expecting the return would be much less interesting, but the views were superb looking back, and the boggy sections had pretty much all dried out. There was also more shade than the map suggests, helping make the gentle ascent comfortable.
View from the cairn near the top of the low pass:
Not far beyond, Lochan na Fola came into view ahead:
Close up:
The path skirts the right side of the lochan until a junction at a tree, where we turned right again into a low pass leading back to the coast. Lots of wildlife along this stretch, and another small loch which is dammed at the far end:
Beyond the dam, the path descends through a lovely wooded glen (although slightly spoilt by a pipe carrying water from the lake)... supposedly to reach the road beyond. Somehow we lost the path at the very end, leaving 100 metres through long grass to get to the tarmac.
A track leads back to the shore and back up the coast to the park.
A stunning corner of the Highlands!
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