ACTIVE OUTDOORS: A new bridge in Glen Affric proves popular with walkers
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A new bridge over the River Affric is already proving popular with visitors to what is surely one of the Highlands’ most beautiful glens.
Having spent much of the previous day on a more traditional Highland estate, with mile after mile of treeless moor devoid of any real diversity of life, I was in need of a dose of nature.
Rewilding may have become something of a political hot potato, but the contrast between land run predominantly for deer shooting and the land in places such as Glen Affric is stark.
Life is everywhere here, from the bogs and woodland floor supporting ants and insects, to the treetops with their treecreepers, crossbills and flycatchers. The moss and lichen clings to rocks and the water carves its way through the solid mass of stone, while green leaves are bursting from the branches of deciduous trees with a backdrop of darker Scots pine needles, their trunks glowing red in the sunlight.
The glen has been managed for nature since about 1960, when the remnants of the ancient Caledonian forest began to be preserved. Now new life flourishes, and you can see the younger trees joining those older specimens, gradually creeping further up the hillsides to fade out naturally as height is gained, rather than by some arbitrary straight line where a deer fence ends.
Further into the heart of Glen Affric, the rewilding charity Trees For Life is planting thousands more young trees to benefit the area, providing not only a further boost for biodiversity but jobs at its rewilding centre over the hills at Dundreggan as well as at its headquarters in Findhorn.
It’s no wonder that Glen Affric is popular with visitors, and it is already teeming with human life as well as plant and animal life now the tourist season is well under way.
Related articles:
• Glen Affric car park and paths upgraded - along with new toilet facilities
• ‘Last Ent of Affric’ ancient elm tree playing a role in saving its species
• EMMA HARRISON: The beauty of our hidden gem Glen Affric
• Glen Affric: Enjoying a winter wonderland on Dog Falls Trail
Forestry and Land Scotland has recently upgraded some paths on its waymarked trails at Dog Falls, as well as replacing the worn-out bridge over the river that makes up part of the walk there. The agency, which manages the land through much of the glen, has also installed new toilets at the car park and expanding the space available for parking.
Some work was still being finished off when we were there, but the trails are open and busy with tourists from around the world, judging by the number of languages we heard.
Following the forestry’s red walking route, we headed along the signposted trail beside the vehicle bridge that leads alongside the river – where Matthew immediately wanted to stop to clamber on the rocks at the water’s edge.
When we finally got moving, we followed the path along, admiring the wonderful flowers such as the white wood anemone that are plentiful along the way. Their Gaelic name, Lus Na Gaoithe, means plant of the wind, and they are said to be an indicator of ancient woodlands, which explains their numbers here.
The path crosses the road then continues on the other side until it drops down to another road crossing opposite a viewpoint over the falls themselves. New fencing has been erected here above the precipitous drop, where the River Affric crashes through the rocks below, carving out the hollows in the cliffs below.
Returning to the path, another viewpoint a short distance ahead offers another look at the falls before you drop down to reach the magnificent new bridge.
Our last walk on this route was the winter before last, when the old bridge was coming to the end of its days, so it is great to see this brand new construction in place and in use while the finishing touches are being put to paths hereabouts.
On the far side, the path climbs to a junction, where we turned right to stick to the red route, which climbs steeply for the next section – much to the delight of the children! I was just enjoying the nature all around me, and trying not to wish too much that I was deeper in the glen on the magnificent high mountains.
At the top of the path, you emerge at a track where a bench offers a nice spot for a little break. We turned right here to complete the red loop, now on a much easier forest track that rises gently then levels out around the corner before dropping to a track junction.
Meg took Matthew and Jennifer back to the car park, while Clara and I headed up to the viewpoint on the out-and-back white route. This gives a wonderful outlook over the tops of the trees across Loch Beinn a’ Mheadhoin to the Affric mountains, which still have a noticeable amount of snow in hollows on their flanks.
The hills could wait for another day, as we headed back down the track – part of the Affric-Kintail Way – all the way down to the bridge that leads straight into the car park.
To my surprise and delight, Meg had the camping stove out at the picnic tables, so we had our own personal café, which the resident birds were clearly familiar with, as they came right onto the table to nibble a few crumbs while we were all sitting there.
The Dog Falls walk is a lovely introduction to Glen Affric and the abundance of nature it supports. We need to protect and celebrate areas such as this and do everything we can to spread this diversity of life to other parts of the Highlands.
Route details
Dog Falls, Glen Affric
Distance 2.75 miles / 4.5km
Terrain Well-made footpaths and forest tracks with rocky steps and roots in places; steep hills; road crossings
Start/finish Dog Falls car park, Glen Affric
Map OS Landranger 25; OS Explorer 415
A waymarked route on good paths and tracks in Glen Affric
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
