EDITORS NOTE: This walk has now been removed by the Forestry Commission.


I chose this walk because of the promise of waterfalls and red squirrels, but it amuses me (in my sassernach way) to mispronounce it; and, as it was Easter Sunday; call it the Easter Egg Falls. The instructions were concise, representative, and easy to follow.

12th April 2009
9.30am
Weather: mainly clear, sunny intervals, still.
No (orange) Mobile Telephone Coverage

Got to the site on Saturday (after a slight misunderstanding between the A82 and the Great Glen Way on my map!) rather too late to go about doing it. So I set up camp in a small clearing above the the car park. Cooked my dinner on a gas stove, and then made a small campfire for something to do. Sat and poked it; and sang ging-gang-gooli. A little way from my clearing is a hollow which made a perfect loo- no-one would have been able to see me with my trousers round my ankles! From my tent, I could see the top of snowy Ben Nevis, and it did get a little nippy in the wee small hours; but I put on lots of layers and survived the night.

The sound of running water was slightly annoying at 5.30am...

Awoke at 8.30am slightly suprised at how late it was. Got up, put some water on to boil for a cup of tea, and struck camp while it was doing. Easily buried all signs of the campfire. Thermos flask full, and camp gone; by now, a couple of other cars had pulled into the car park. I started the walk at about 9.30am, and quickly forgot the night chill after a few hundred yards up the steep path! This was the hardest part of the walk, but when you come out of the forest; what a feeling! The sun had come out too, and the effect was breath taking. Gorse, primrose and St John's Wort sprinkled the route with yellow dots, and various small birds of the 'tit' family clicked and trilled at me, keeping me company.

At instruction number 4; instead of turning left at the junction, I was intrigued by a hand-chiseled and painted sign that read 'Cave' with an arrow pointing right. I thought it sounded like it might be worth the detour. A little further along, another 'Cave' sign, just like the other, pointed up some stone cut steps and led around a hill. I did pass a couple of primitive caves, though I never stumbled upon the fairy grotto I was expecting- for such elaborate waymarking. The detour path afforded some excellent views of Loch Arkaig, and after reaching the summit, the path descended and ran parallel with the wider track that the walk instructions tell you to take, joining the original track close to the 'Forest Walks' signpost as described.

It was here that I saw a glimpse of what I now think was a pine marten. In a patch of young sapling pine trees to my left, I heard a loud rustle. I quickly followed the sound and saw a dark brownish-red bottom, and fluffy sausage-like tail disappear into the undergrowth. I was hoping for a sighting of a red squirrel, but quickly decided it was too big, and too dark for to be a squirrel. No sign of the shy creature after this, I'm afraid, but it was very exciting.

As I was finishing the walk, a coach load of people were just starting out. I was pleased that I had not arrived at the same time as them, and had had nature as my sole companion. Completed the walk and was well on my way to the next stop on my magical mystery tour by 11am.