The Woodland Trail gives an excellent chance to enjoy the magnificent Caledonian pinewoods that led Beinn Eighe to be designated as Britain's first National Nature Reserve.
Well made, easy marked path around 100 metres of ascent.
Bus from Inverness/Kinlochewe and Gairloch.
Coille na Glas Letire Trails car park, off the A832.
Park at the Coille na Glas Leitre Trails car park, which is well signposted on the Loch Maree side of the A832. There is a beautifully situated picnic site here, as well as interpretation boards and machines which sell booklets giving details of the walks. The trail begins at the far end of the car park and passes through the underpass beneath the main road. Once through, there is a bridge; cross it and continue up the path, taking the left hand route from the junction.
The route initially leads through birchwoods; birch trees being a significant part of the pinewood ecosystem. Coille na Glas Letire (the Wood of the grey slope) has been here for at least 8000 years, making it one of Britain's very few truly wild landscapes. Preservation of the forest was the main reason for this site being chosen as Britain's first National Nature Reserve in the 1950s. Soon the path begins to ascend.
On the right a post marks a point where a long-term project of photographic recording is taking place. Scottish Natural Heritage (who manage the reserve) are studying the growth to find out whether they are being successful in helping the pinewood to regenerate. A photograph is taken here at least once every ten years. Many of the best trees in this section were unfortunately felled during World War Two for making into ammunition boxes. Further on there are some larger, broad-topped 'Granny pines' that would have started growth following a fire when there was less competition for the light. Soon the trail forks; the Mountain Trail comes in from the left; our route is to keep right.
At a second fork by a wooden seat, you can detour a short distance to the right to the viewpoint for Loch Maree. The stone plinth here has been constructed in three layers. The bottom plinth is Gneiss - the oldest rock in Europe at 1200 - 1600 million years. Above that is darker Torridonian Sandstone (800 - 1000 million years old). And the top two courses are built of the much lighter and younger quartzite (600 million years old). These layers match those in the landscape. Return to the seat, turning right. There are great views of Slioch over to the right throughout this section.
The path is now heading downhill once more, through more fine pinewoods. It runs down beside a burn for some distance before crossing it and then bearing right back towards the bridge and the car park.
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