Day 67: Inverewe Gardens, Wester Ross to Loch Garve, Ross-shire

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

12th March 2021: 98.50km walked today taking the total to 6931.17/8868km. 14.5% of 87 entries submitting 679.28km.

We visit Inverewe Gardens then make our way to Gairloch before heading inland past Loch Maree through Kinlochewe and Achnasheen to reach Garve.

Route 20: Scrabster to Inverness NC500+ Part 2

Following the road, we soon reach Inverewe Gardens which were started in 1862 when Lady Mary Mackenzie bought a barren 850-hectare estate for her son Osgood Mackenzie. The only soil at that point was acid black peat and the only vegetation was heather. He initially brought in tonnes of topsoil and planted large trees to provide shelter before he started to plant many exotic shrubs such as giant rhododendrons, Himalayan blue poppies, eucalyptus trees and palm trees. The gardens cover 21 hectares with the rest of the estate managed for recreation and conservation. In the gardens, despite the northerly latitude, the exotic plants thrive due to the warm currents of the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift.

Osgood Mackenzie also built a Scottish baronial-style house, which was completed in 1870 but this was destroyed by fire in 1914; the current Inverewe House was built in 1937. When Osgood died in 1922 his daughter, Mairi, continued his work and then in 1952, before she died, she gifted the garden and estate to the National Trust for Scotland.

We walk through the gardens to the jetty where boat trips explore the loch with the opportunity to see seals, otters, golden eagles or even sea eagles soaring above. In the woodlands we might see pine martens, red squirrels and red deer.

From Inverewe, we make our way to Poolewe which sits in a stunning position at the head of Loch Ewe. It also sits at the mouth of the River Ewe, one of the shortest rivers in Britain, at 1.6 kilometres long, which runs from Loch Maree to the sea. Poolewe is a pretty village with white rendered buildings. It has a church, St. Maelrubha’s, which although looks old was actually built in 1965.

In the 17th century Poolewe was home to an iron furnace, which used charcoal produced from the surrounding woodlands. However, this industry didn't last that long, as the woodland disappeared fairly quickly.

Poolewe was once the most significant port in north west Scotland, as it was sheltered by Loch Ewe and was at the western end of one of the early land routes across northern Scotland. In the early 1700s it was the terminus for a weekly mail service to Stornoway, with the mail then being transported by foot overland from Poolewe to Dingwall. At around that time it was also the port where cattle were transported between Lewis and Harris and the mainland.

From Poolewe, we head through moorland to the coast at Gairloch, passing Loch Tollaidh. The island in the north of this loch once held a small fort initially owned by the MacBeaths, then by the Macleods until 1480. The island is overgrown today and only a few stones remain, but underwater there is evidence of the causeway for access to the area.

We reach Gairloch, a collection of villages along the shore Loch Gairloch (Gair Loch). These were once the 3 villages of Srath, Achtercairn and Charlestown, and they still have their own identity as we pass through. There are villages further north and south of here, as far as Red Point, which class themselves within Gairloch’s boundary. Until circa 1849 Gairloch was only accessible by sea when, at that time, another ‘destitution road’ was passed through the area.

We arrive in the Achtercairn area of the village via the A832, passing an area of Neolithic remains as we do so; there is an Archaeology Trail which you can follow to the Iron Age roundhouses, ceremonial circle and hearth. Once on the shore road to our right is Strath, the original village for the crofting community. We continue south along the shore road through Achtercairn; a lot of services are based here today but in the 19th century there was a solitary farm here. We pass the Gairloch Heritage Museum, established in 1977, and based in an anti-aircraft Operations Centre; it was built for the Cold War and, for a time, was the nuclear bunker for the region. The museum holds a collection illustrating the culture, history and nature of this area.

Further along the road, we reach Charlestown, where we turn towards the beach at the old Parish Church to walk along the sand by the golf course and up onto An Ard, a wooded ridge leading to An Dun Peninsula. This is an old, fortified area, and we can make out overgrown walls and a ditch; Clan Macbeath, then MacLeod, held this as a stronghold before they were ousted by the Mackenzies. We take in the great sea views before following the trail through the woods down into the Charlestown Harbour, still an active fishing station, as well as a mooring for yachts and leisure craft. We grab a bite from the cafe here and take a break at the ‘sitooterie’ alongside the Pier Road, an award-winning garden, seating and wildlife viewpoint.

We wander back along Pier Road, crossing the main road to enter Flowerdale Glen. The name Flowerdale came about in circa 1922, when tourists suggested that, with the profusion of wildflowers, the Glen should be called Flowerdale. Previously, it had always been known as An Baile Mor, and the house in the Glen, Tigh Dige, or Moat House, named as such due to its moat and drawbridge. When the MacKenzies settled here they built a new Tigh Dige near to the existing building in 1738, now called Flowerdale House, the seat of the MacKenzies of Gairloch. The MacKenzie construction was the first to have a slate roof and was called the Moat House of the Blue Slates. As Jacobite sympathisers, they hid Fraser of Foyers men fleeing post-Culloden in a secret recess. They also refused a ships’ captain’s invitation to board whilst at anchor, during his search for Bonnie Prince Charlie, resulting in cannon fire which hit the gable end of the house! Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, was staying here in 1921 when he learned that Ireland had severed the Union; this saw him call the Cabinet together in Inverness, the only time outside London.

Just before the coaching inn, Old Inn, we leave the footpath for a track that leads along the Flowerdale Glen, following the signs for the Waterfall Walk past Flowerdale House, a private residence. We follow the walk over bridges, past the hydroelectric station, keeping to our right with each turn of the trail to arrive at the falls. There are actually 2 of them, called Eas Dubh and the Easan Bana; they aren't particularly grand for Scotland but are an attractive visit. We follow the rougher track over the falls, crossing a few bridges, enjoying a beautiful view down to the sea through the Glen until we rejoin a track further down. There is the Blind Piper of Gairloch Memorial to the left for Iain Dall Mackay, who was born in 1656 at Talladale, Gairloch. Despite his loss of sight, he went to the MacCrimmons in Skye for tuition and went on to become a leading 17th-century pipe tune composer. We follow the remainder of the path around Cherry Tree Hill, back over the bridge past the Old Inn, to rejoin the main road and head south for Kerrysdale.

After Kerrysdale, the road splits, the A832 continues east whilst another minor route heads back along the coast down to Red Point. We aren’t going there today but it is another beautiful remote sand beach with high sand dunes. Continuing along the A832 we follow the River Kerry, past Kerry Falls Power Station and hydro-electric scheme established in 1952 to supply the local area with electricity. After a few kilometres, we turn off the road to walk a trail along the shore of Loch Maree before rejoining the main road at Slattadale. We enter a car park on our right to take a short walk through Slattadale Forest, cared for by the Forestry and Land Scotland, to see Victoria Falls. Named after Queen Victoria who visited them in 1877, they are only 2-5 metres high but are worth viewing as we are passing through the area. The water that flows over the falls starts its journey on Beinn Eighe, flowing down into Loch Garbhaig then into Abhainn Garbhaig River, then flowing over the falls into Loch Maree.

We return to the road, only to leave it again for a trail taking us along the shoreline once more. Loch Maree rivals Loch Lomond for its beauty and is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland. It was originally called Loch Ewe but was renamed in the 18th century. On its north side, a line of mountains mark the southern boundary of the ‘Great Wilderness’, which includes the Munro Slioch (981m), towards Kinlochewe, Meall Mheinnidh (722m), as well as Corbetts Beinn Airigh Charr (791m) and Beinn Lair (859m). Southwest of the loch are the Torridon Hills, which includes Liathach (1055m), Beinn Eighe (1010m), Beinn Alligin (922m) and Beinn Dearg (914m). It is an important area for wildlife and habitat and, as a result, is part of a number of conservation designations. The loch outflows into the River Ewe then into the sea at Poolewe, so salmon and sea trout are found in the waters along with Arctic Charr, which are enjoyed by the otters who call the loch home. It is also home to a more mystical character, a loch monster known as ‘muc-sheilch’.

On the loch are 5 large, wooded islands and over 60 smaller ones; the wooded islands are known for their native Caledonian pinewoods and are home to pine marten and white-tailed sea eagle. The largest island, Eilean Subhainn, features a loch which also has an island with a loch, a unique occurrence in the UK. On Isle St Maree, there are remains of an 8th-century hermitage chapel believed to be built by Saint Maol Rubha, after whom the loch is named. There is also a wish tree on the island, which Queen Victoria visited in 1877. The tree itself and others around it are covered with hammered-in coins near a healing well associated with the Saint, where offerings were made well into the 18th century; the wish tree has long since died from copper poisoning. It is believed that the island was used for pagan worship prior to the Saints’ arrival. 12 species of dragonfly have also been recorded here.

From the falls we follow the road for just over 15 kilometres until we reach the settlement of Taagan at the loch head. As we walk, we enter the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, covering 4,800 hectares, the first National Nature Reserve to be established in the UK in 1951 to protect the Caledonian pinewoods. There are a number of lovely walking trails in this area, and it stretches to Kinlochewe, called after the original name of the loch (Loch Ewe). We reach Kinlochewe which sits at a junction where the road turns off west to Loch Torridon. It's a stunning location with mountains to the north and south near the head of Loch Maree.

From Kinlochewe we follow the winding road through Glen Docherty, along the shore of Loch a’ Chroisg, in the shadow of Fionn Bheinn (933m) to the settlement of Achnasheen. Its name is from the Gaelic for ‘field of storms’, given it sits in the glen where there is very little shelter from stormy weather. A military road route had been planned by Major Caulfeild in the 1760s but was never built. However, a postal service ran from Inverness through to Strathcarron via Achnasheen, so there was a track of sorts to the area. The A832 and A890 from Garve to Loch Carron wasn't properly constructed until circa 1815 by Thomas Telford and the junction he built was in use until 1998! The railway also arrived here in 1870, a line running southwest from Dingwall and terminating in Kyle of Lochalsh.

From Achnasheen, we continue to journey east on the A832, which follows the River Bran flowing from Loch Achanalt into Loch a’Chroisg. Looking to the north here is the Fannich Range of which Sgurr Mor (1109m) is the highest of 9 Munros. We pass Loch Achanalt, which joins Loch a’ Chuillin before continuing on as the River Bran once more. We cross the bridge at Grudie and follow the river course to Loch Luichart. At Grudie is a hydroelectric power station, known as a run-of-river scheme, which takes water from a number of surrounding lochs. The outflow from the station flows into the River Grudie at the confluence of the River Bran. The River Bran, and lochs we have walked beside in this area, have weirs or are dammed at certain points to control the water.

From this area, we push on along Loch Luichart to Garve, where we turn left onto the A835 and take a route off the main road to visit Blackwater Falls on Black Water, with beautiful views to the Ben Wyvis Range behind. We then retrace our steps to walk along the A835 through Garve village then head alongside Loch Garve itself.