Beautiful Glen Affric - Exploring The Dog Falls & Coire Loch Trails

Last June I visited Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands, which is one of my favourite parts of the country. I walked many of the trails and, in this particular video, I follow the beautiful Dog Falls & Coire Loch Trails, which are some of the most wonderful woodland walks in Scotland.

Glen Affric’s stunning landscape was sculpted by glaciers about 9,000 years ago and was owned by the Chisholm Clan from the 15th century. It became a sporting estate in the 19th century and was bought by The Forestry Commission in 1951 (now Forestry and Land Scotland). They work incredibly hard to protect and preserve this amazing National Nature Reserve, which has some of the most precious woodland, moorland bogs and wildlife in Scotland. Please always follow the countryside code when you visit and help protect it for future generations to enjoy.

The Dog Falls Car Park is located beside the River Affric, about a 4.5 miles drive from Cannich, which in turn is about a 50 minute drive from Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The roads in the glen are mostly single track, so please always drive carefully. There are good facilities at the Dog Falls with public toilets, plenty of parking (paid) and picnic benches close by.

There are three formally marked trails from the car park, The Viewpoint Trail (White), The Dog Falls Trail (Red) and The Coire Loch Trail (yellow). There are excellent free maps of all the trails in the area, published by Forestry and Land Scotland, which I highly recommend (I got mine from the visitor centre in Drumnadrochit). In the video you can see some of the highlights of the trails, including a newt and a frog which were really wonderful to see. Remarkably, I was also lucky enough to see two Pine Martens on the way home, which, sadly, were moving too quickly for me to film. Given how rare they are, it was a huge thrill to see them and very unexpected (so keep your eyes peeled - you never know what you might see!)

All trails start from the car park and are categorised by Forestry and Land Scotland as ‘strenuous’. I think if you’re of good fitness and in good health it should be manageable. I have permanent nerve damage in my foot, but still managed it ok. Please always have a map, let people know where you’re going and wear suitable clothes and footwear. Never take unnecessary risks when walking in Scotland, the weather can change very quickly and someone should always know where you are, especially if you’re walking alone. Mobile phone reception can never be relied on - it can be very patchy in remote areas like this.

The walk starts off along the River Affric, which is so beautiful and full of wildlife. Tread carefully, as it’s easy not see wildlife under foot. The frog I filmed was right beside the path and not easy to see. I was soon on the yellow Coire Loch Trail which takes you through an incredible mix of old Caledonian pines, birch trees, shrubs & wild flowers, which are stunningly beautiful. The Coire Loch trail is about 4.5km and took me about 2 hours (filming excluded). There is a fairly steep hill for about 500 metres, but it’s doable if you take your time and admire the scenery along the way. The loch itself is incredibly special and there’s an excellent information board explaining the importance of the loch as a habitat for damselflies & dragonflies and other insects. Sadly, even though it was the height of summer, it was actually really cold and there was very little hatching. I really hoped to see the rare brilliant emerald dragonfly, but it wasn’t to be. Hopefully you might have better luck if you decide to visit!

This is a really wonderful walk to do in one of Scotland’s most beautiful areas and I hope you enjoy the video and are inspired to visit.

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David

David Wheater is a Writer, Guide, Photographer & Filmmaker living and working in Edinburgh, Scotland.