Aigas transformation will leave a different world behind
When I think of Aigas, what first leaps to mind is that stiff little climb four miles from the end of the cycle section on the Highland Cross.
After that, my mind drifts to the natural habitats of the Aigas Gorge on the River Beauly, and the conservation work that goes on at the Aigas Field Centre.
The community here, through Strathglass, is so supportive as you cycle past during the Cross, and it’s the community that is behind the location for this walk.
Aigas Community Forest was purchased in 2015 – after years of work behind the scenes – and is now being managed by a social enterprise that aims to provide social, economic and environmental benefits.
On its website, it states: “We hope to secure a legacy from this generation to the next and hopefully to the many after that. In 100 years’ time the residents of our community, who can all see the forest from their homes, will be looking out on a massively different woodland.
“A woodland balanced between native species and commercial planting, criss-crossed with paths providing easy and enjoyable access, home to a wide diversity of wildlife and producing an income not just to reinvest in the forest but also to support other activity in the glen.”
It takes a long time to transform a forest, so don’t expect the finished article when you visit Aigas – but you will find beauty and peace and perhaps some solitude among the 260 hectares of the community land.
The walk begins at an information bothy that was opened earlier this year, beside the track above the small parking area. It contains a map of the various paths, tracks and trails – which can also be downloaded from the website – as well as a whiteboard to record wildlife sightings.
Choosing a route from the various paths, we headed off through the gate and up the track. A path soon leads off to the right, which makes a more interesting ascent than following the zigzags of the main track.
In springtime, this area will be bursting with bluebells. The path twists and turns to cross an older track then continues to the corner of a field. There are stunning old beech trees lining the edge of the field, but don’t cross the stile, instead continue round to the left to meet the main forest track on a hairpin bend.
There’s a bit of a slog up the hill now to reach the forestry office on a sharp right-hand bend, but little posts dotted here and there had brass rubbing plates, so bring along some paper and pencils, especially if you’ve got children with you.
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Beyond the office, we continued along the track to a junction, where we turned right to reach Loch nan Losgann, or Loch of the Frogs. There are picnic benches here sheltered under a stance of pine trees and we stopped for our lunch.
Feeling refreshed, we decided to do the full “purple” route, named Rogie’s Walk on the map. However, be warned that the colour coded routes on the map don’t yet match up to any signing on the ground, so you might need to do some very basic map reading.
We set off, with a rainbow arching over the trees, and then looked out for a path striking off to the left of the track. This is marked by a post with blue tape, and is easily followed through some boggy ground to reach an older track in the forest.
Going left here, we slowly made our way back towards the “green” route on the main access track. Turning right at the bottom of a steep drop, we enjoyed a quick visit to the dipping pond amongst a cleared area of the forest.
Some of the remaining trees were reflected beautifully in the still water as we stood on the wooden platform enjoying the peace.
It would have been nice to return via the southern section of the green loop, which crosses the Victorian Bridge and heads along the Ladies Walk back to the start, but this section was closed while windblown trees were being cleared. Check for updates at the information bothy or on the group’s Facebook page to see when the work is complete.
There are many other “Explorer” paths and other trails to discover in the forest, but for now we headed back by the main track via the forestry office.
The team here have planted more than 4000 mostly broadleaf trees as well as a small apple orchard and tree nursery since taking control of the woodland. It will be fascinating to watch the forest grow and develop as the years progress.
We’ll certainly be back here to explore some of the other paths and, in particular, to see the views from the southern section of our loop once it’s accessible again.
Route details
Aigas Community Forest
Distance 3.5 miles / 6 km
Terrain Forest tracks and paths
Start/finish Aigas Community Forest car park, off the A831 south-west of Beauly
Map OS Landranger 26; OS Explorer 431
Exploring the woodland paths and trails at Aigas
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
