An Leacainn: Definitely not flagging at the Place of the Flagstones!

Published: 17:03, 05 May 2025

It’s not always easy getting children to enjoy a walk in the country, but sometimes they can surprise you.

That was definitely the case with this quick outing close to home. It’s a hill that is familiar to us because it’s easily accessible from Inverness – if you can drive, that is – while offering a real summit feeling.

The trig pillar includes a sign giving the translation of the hill's Gaelic name.

On a clear day, the views are pretty impressive for a short walk, too.

The sense of achievement comes from the 414m top of An Leacainn having its own trig point, as well as the rugged moorland feel of the approach.

In the past, we’ve always approached this hill from north-east, but we decided to approach from the south this time, following a faint, boggy path leading off the Great Glen Way. Last time we descended this way, and the path wasn’t easy to find, so we hoped we’d have more luck going up this way, too!

There was just me and the three kids on this trip, and there were no other cars in the parking area at Blackfold when we arrived.

A small path leads away from the car park to meet the Great Glen Way beside a gate. Don’t go through the gate but instead turn left, passing an information board then going straight ahead at a track to follow the blue marker posts for the long-distance route.

The path down offers a good view over the Beauly and Moray Firth to the Black Isle.

Looking up towards the bar moor of An Leacainn.

The well-made path climbs gently through a beautiful mixed pine woodland, and it was here that Jennifer – who is not always leading the way on our walks – was charging ahead. After we got back to the car, she announced: “That walk was too short.”

It was only three miles or thereabouts, so next time I’ll need to plan something a bit more adventurous for her!

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Heading along the Great Glen Way, you reach a fenced off area beyond the main plantation. Continue along the fence until you see an angled gate that leads off the path to the north – on your right. If you continue too far you’ll hit the tarmac of the road and know you’ve gone too far!

There’s a little drainage ditch to jump over to reach the gate, which can take some effort to open. The path is much less well-defined now, as you follow it slightly right then left towards a tree, aiming for the hill beyond.

Jennifer and Matthew spent most of their time up here warning Clara and I about slugs on the soggy path in case we stood on any of them! This path, and parts of the track further on, were still quite wet despite a lengthy dry spell, so boots are definitely recommended on this walk.

Close-up of pine needles growing in the woods at Blackfold.

As we’d hoped, the path was easier to follow on the way up than we’d found it going down, although there do appear to be a few strands you can take. It bends left below the base of the hill then contours below its western edge, from where an offshoot leads north-east towards the trig point.

This vague route follows a line through the peat and across rocks to “The Place of the Flagstones” as the hill is described at the trig. The Gaelic word “leacan(n)” appears to refer to both a broad slope and a small slab or flagstone, while the word “leacanach” is pertaining to or abounding in small slabs.

We stopped at the trig point to take in the views – as well as the necessary photo of the trig pillar itself (and its number plate) – and enjoy a promised snack. You can see the prominent hill of Meall Fuar-mhonaidh from here as well as the Glen Affric and Strathfarrar hills and the flat-top of Ben Wyvis.

Our descent route heads off in a roughly east-north-easterly direction towards a small dammed lochan the other side of a rough track. The path down passes through the deer fence via another lean-to gate, with views down over the Beauly and Moray Firths to the Black Isle and beyond.

Once at the track, we headed down to the lochan for a closer look. Clara and I had been here a few years ago in winter when this water was frozen over so well that people had been safely skiing on the snowy surface as well as making a curling rink.

We listened to the birds here for a while before continuing along the track to a junction, where a right turn leads you back – past some pretty wet sections – towards Blackfold. Head down through the pine trees, ignore a grass track that shoots off to the left, then keep straight ahead to reach a metal gate that you can easily skirt around.

It’s just a couple of corners now until you reach the crossroads of tracks above the croft at Blackfold, where you turn left then right to reach the car park.