Inverfarigaig and the Falls of Foyers

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Varied hill and shore walk with good views of Loch Ness, taking in the Falls of Foyers.

Terrain

Walk on waymarked paths and tracks with some steep sections.

Public Transport

Bus service to Inverfarigaig or Foyers. .

Start

Farigaig Forestry Commission car park at Inverfarigaig. Open start point in Google Maps for directions.

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Walk Description

Stage 1

Start the walk from the forestry car park at Inverfarigaig, where there are toilets and a picnic area. This route begins along the red waymarked route, passing the loos and climbing uphill. At a junction, turn right. Sometimes you can see Roe and Sika deer in the woods here.

Stage 2

The path climbs up through the trees, swinging road and passing a seat with a view over Loch Ness. Take care to keep to the path, following a meandering route beyond the viewpoint eventually descending some steps to rejoin the main path, where you turn right. The main path soon becomes a track; when the red markers go left, ignore them and continue along the track through the dense plantations.

Stage 3

Ignore a track coming in from the right, and keep slightly left ahead. The narrower track leads under powerlines, and reaches another junction; ignore the signed route to the right for the Loch Shore, and instead bear left. The dense plantation is replaced by an attractive mix of heather and birch woodland. The path becomes hard to follow for a time, and is poorly marked (there are some red blobs on trees, and very occassion South Loch Ness Way markers). It swings right and then left to climb steeply and roughly through denser trees across the top of Toman Tarsuinn. At one point there's a chain handrail as the path leads past a huge boulder. Just after this the path improves once more.

Stage 4

Eventually a forestry track is reached; turn right and follow this, soon swining left downhill. An old tunnel entrance is passed. Keep straight on, passing the primary school. At the road junction opposite the church, turn left to reach the main road. At the road turn left, and walk uphill to the shop and cafe in Upper Foyers.

Stage 5

Opposite the shop take the right hand gate for the Falls of Foyers. Follow the path downhill and turn left at the junction to visit the two viewpoints for the Falls. After both, viewpoints climb back up to the path junction and now continue straight ahead following the path signed for Lower Foyers. Follow the path and fence as it skirts the spectacular gorge and then goes downhill giving a view of the lower falls.

Stage 6

There are good views lower down of the two bridges at Lower Foyers and Loch Ness - the higher, stone bridge is now closed. Eventually the path emerges at a gate with the Foyers Bay House Hotel on the right. Turn left and head downhill passing houses until you reach the road. Turn left to pass the medical centre and follow the road around the sharp bend to the right, and then to the left.

Stage 7

Just before it reaches a bridge over the river, turn right on a path that follows the river and then curves to the right, by the shores of Loch Ness. Eventually this path leads over a lovely wooden footbridge and then swings right by a fence to join a larger track; turn left along this. Look out for a footpath sign on the right shortly after this. The path can initially be overgrown, but soon emerges on a clearer path - turn left along this. Follow the path as climbs gently, with some good views over Loch Ness. Eventually it reaches the main road.

Stage 8

Turn left along the verge to pass Foyers Lodge and immediately after take the path to the left with a footpath sign for Inverfarigaig. Climb a stile and follow the path until it emerges onto a tarred track, turn right uphill and pass an electricity sub station. Immediately after this turn left onto a path that descends alongside the fence. Lower down the path swings right and becomes a grassy track. Follow this, eventually passing a house. Ignore a path off left, and follow the lane past more houses and an abandoned pier. From here follow the surfaced road that curves right to meet the main road. Turn left for a short distance and then turn right onto the Errogie road to return to the car park.

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