Glen Affric in the Western Highlands
Getting to Glen Affric
The Group and the Plan for Glen Affric
Starting the walk from Glen Shiel to Glen Affric
Splashing through the soggy section
An Irish apparition
Settling in to Glen Affric Hostel
Jill the warden, "Queen of the Glen"
Other visitors - and the Coast to Coast Challenge
Our culinary activities
Other climbs from Glen Affric hostel
The Wrecked Wellington Bomber
This glen in the West Highlands can be reached by a minor road from Cannich (on the A831 from Inverness or Drumnadrochit), which runs up alongside Loch Bein a'Mheadhoin to a car park at the eastern end of Loch Affric. The lower hillsides here are cloaked in forest, some of it being among the last remaining Ancient Caledonian Pine Forest. However from the western end of Loch Affric the glen is largely barren of trees, and the sides of the glen rise up to lofty summits over 1000m high. To reach this part of the glen, it's necessary to walk or cycle up from the car park or cross over from adjacent glens.
We chose to make the crossing from near the Cluanie Inn, in Glenshiel to the south, involving a hike of about 10km or 6 miles. Other longer trails lead over from the west, from Shiel Bridge, via a good stalker's track, and from Morvich at the head of Loch Duich. These are becoming more popular as increasing numbers of people attempt the "Coast to Coast" promoted by TGO magazine, hoping to finish up somewhere on the east coast around Montrose a couple of weeks later.
These routes all converge at the Alltbeithe youth hostel, reputedly Scotland's most remote hostel and one of those badged by the SYHA as "Rustic". This was where we were heading for.
The Group and the Plan for Glen Affric
Four of us set out from Dundee at 10.30 on a Sunday morning in mid-May, for the long drive via Dalwhinnie to Glen Shiel. Michael was driving his car, which was big enough for the four heavily loaded rucksacks. Alistair had instigated this expedition - he had 6 munros left to climb, and three of them were best reached from Glen Affric. Les had completed all the munros already, so his knowledge of the mountain tops was valuable. Neither Michael nor I had climbed any of the summits above Glen Affric before.
We'd decided on the walk-in from Glen Shiel, rather than the longer cycle ride up from the eastern end of Loch Affric, partly to avoid having to take two cars to carry the bikes. We weren't sure about the condition of the access track past the loch either. The Mountain Weather Information Service forecast was promising a window of fine calm weather at least for the first couple of days, then it became more uncertain.
Starting the crossing from Glen Shiel to Glen Affric
After a lunch stop at Spean Bridge, it was 2.30 by the time we arrived in Glen Shiel. The route starts as a landrover track rising up above the western end of Loch Cluanie. There's a parking layby beside a plantation of trees a few hundred metres west of this, and it was already full of cars on a Sunday afternoon. There's another car park opposite the Cluanie Inn, a kilometre further down the glen, which seemed a better bet if we were leaving the car for three nights. But first we dropped off Les and Alistair with all the rucksacks, so it was an easy walk back for Michael and me from the Cluanie Inn.
By the time we set out it was 3 pm. We all had rucksacks full of gear for the planned 3-day stay in the youth hostel, as well as plenty of food and a box of wine (we'd had a planning meeting a few days earlier to sort out who would take what). So we were all well-laden, and Michael couldn't quite squeeze everything into the rucksack so he had some provisions in a Morrison's supermarket bag! Apparently he had subjected a range of similar bags to strength testing, and the Morrison's version had come out as the best to survive a hiking trip!
It was a straightforward hike for the first couple of miles, climbing at first, then along an undulating landrover track with a few puddles to jump over. The grassy slopes rose up steeply on either side, straight up to the top of A' Chralaig on the right, and the Corbett of Am Bathach across the glen on the left. We passed a few groups of walkers heading in the other direction, in threes and fours, and the sun was shining. We could see the peaks above Glen Affric in the distance. It all seemed to be going well as we reached the end of the wide track after about an hour.
Splashing through the soggy section
At that point, facing the Bealach between Am Bathach and the next munro of Ciste Dhubh, the roadway split into two tracks, with one forking off left, down towards the floor of the glen. We kept to the upper track, but it very quickly deteriorated to a messy route across a long sloping hillside, crossing countless small burns and expanses of muddy peat and soggy grass. We thought maybe the lower track would be even worse, for the group of walkers who we'd seen descending the flank of A' Chralaig right down to the river.
It continued like this, with varying degrees of sogginess, over the highest point and beyond towards Glen Affric. As we gradually slithered downhill, we could see one fainter track leading off at a higher level, but we reckoned we needed to be close to the river as we approached the hostel. This was a mistake - on the return, 3 days later, we took the higher route and, although still wet, it was easier going on a more solid base. It's not marked on the OS map, so look out for it!
You can try to laugh at your misfortune, especially when it's self-inflicted, but after a while the joke wears off. Fortunately it was dry in an upwards direction: if it had been raining it would have been REALLY miserable!
As we approached the bend in the river, coming into Glen Affric, another walker caught up with us from behind - a wee Irish guy with a very small pack, wearing an office shirt and a pair of regular about-town trousers. At least he'd taken his tie off, otherwise he would have looked like he'd nipped out from his desk for a breath of fresh air. He told us he'd come up to Glen Shiel on the bus from Fort William and was making for the hostel. He was just the first of a number of interesting individuals we met during our trip.
Shortly afterwards another couple of walkers approached from the other direction and we found out we still had half an hour to go to the hostel, so when the "path" rose to a slightly higher and drier spot we stopped for a breather. For the first time we were really able to enjoy the view across the Glen and the spectacle of the mountains above it - Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan across the glen, and Beinn Fhada dominating the western end. These would be the two main peaks which we ended up climbing, although at that stage we were just committed to Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan and its two outlying munros. Ciste Dubh, which we had now walked past, was another possibility, and there was even a suggestion that we might climb it on our way back out on the Wednesday (not everyone was enthusiastic about this idea). (See the "Other Climbs in Glen Affric" section below).
Up the slope from our resting spot was a ruined shieling - we didn't realise at the time that this marked the location (above it) of a crashed Wellington bomber from World War Two, with the upper track passing close to the wreckage. We'd see this on our return trip.
It was time to get moving again, with a final splash close to the banks of the river, now with a view of the hostel on the other side: green walls and red roof. It didn't look particularly inviting, but at least it marked the journey's end. However, the suspension bridge which we needed to cross was a little downstream from the hostel, so we had some more marshy ground to splash through before we could cross. Then, on the other side as we made straight for the hostel, we found ourselves ankle deep in the peaty water of a reed bed! The driest line curves round to the left from the bridge, approaching the hostel in an arc.
Settling in to Glen Affric Hostel
We arrived at the back door of the hostel to be greeted by a young woman who directed us to the other building at the back for our dormitory. Although it didn't look much more than a timber shed, it housed two dorms each with a dozen bunk beds. It turned out there were other beds in the main building, but they were already full. Duvets or blankets and pillows were supplied, but we had to take sheet sleeping bags. And it was unheated, and apparently was left open in winter as an emergency shelter when the hostel was closed. Even in the summer some beds had to be left empty in case climbers had to be rescued.
The hostel itself is called Alltbeithe, and was built in 1870 as a gamekeeper's home, according to a fascinating file of historical material in the common room. It's owned by the National Trust for Scotland, along with a large part of the glen, and rented by the SYHA. As well as the hostellers inside, it's home to herds of red deer outside, and they wander up quite close in the evening.
Jill the warden, "Queen of the Glen"
The warden - Jill - checked us in and showed us the kitchen/dining room and the adjacent common room. Both had coal-burning stoves which we were warned not to interfere with! The other rule she emphasised was that we had to take all our rubbish out of the Glen with us, rather than trying to burn it or bury it! Although she was a bit of a disciplinarian, underneath the tough exterior was a considerate Aussie doing her best to ensure everyone got the most out of their stay! If you turn up during the day you're sure to be welcomed with a cup of tea (but take your boots off at the door!).
We heard about some of the difficulties involved in maintaining a hostel in such a remote location, complete with its wind-powered generator and water filtration equipment. If there are any tradespeople out there who are enthusiastic hostellers and hikers, Jill would appreciate a bit of help with joinery work and decorating at the end of the season in September! Get in touch with the SYHA to offer your services.
Despite periodic maintenance issues, the hostel has two loos and a hot shower, electric lights powered by the wind generator, as well as two gas cookers and various arrangements for hanging wet walking gear around the stoves! During our stay the hostel was busy every night and drying space was at a premium.
Other visitors - and the Coast to Coast Challenge
This was my first experience of "youth" hostelling for several decades, but I was soon reminded of the camaraderie and lively conversation I'd experienced as a student travelling round the highlands. There were individuals, couples, and small groups, either staying there for a few days to tackle some of the munros, or stopping off for one night on their way through from coast to coast.
One of the latter, John, was a former work colleague whom I'd not seen for a couple of years, so it was good to catch up with him. He'd done the TGO (The Great Outdoors magazine) coast-to-coast walk once before and was doing it again by a slightly different route with a small group. They had just set out from the west coast and it would take them a couple of weeks to get across to the east coast somewhere near Montrose. The "easy" coast to coast route, across to Beauly or Inverness, is much shorter but doesn't qualify for a TGO T-shirt! Read more on the official TGO Challenge coast to coast website.
Other walkers are always ready to share tips on their favourite (or feared) routes, a bit like the Walking Stories website! It's getting them to write their stories down that's difficult.
Among the others were a couple of young lads from Belgium who impressed us with the flatpacks which they used to compact their luggage to squeeze it tightly into their rucksacks. They'd walked through a rather scary gorge at the Falls of Glomach on the way to Glen Affric.
On the first night I had to sneak out at 4.20 a.m. for the loo, and bumped into the wee guy from Ireland! He had packed up his stuff in the dark and was setting out at first light to climb Beinn Fhionnlaidh and then continue further north.
The second night, we all had a disturbed sleep - two guys from Wales had arrived, and one of them was the world's worst snorer (surprisingly, the smaller of the two). They both apologised, but didn't go and sleep in the common room. They stayed on for our third night, and this time there were other new arrivals in our dorm who were on a C'N'Do guided group holiday. They too had to endure the penetrating sound of the guy on the bunk nearby.
Among the other visitors was a solo walker who had come in from Cluanie and walked across the river rather than walking down to the bridge - he then slipped on a pair of black leather shoes, and arrived at the hostel with his boots in a Morrison's bag! Obviously its THE supermarket bag to be seen walking with this year.
Another guy who stayed for a couple of nights had parked his car down beyond Loch Affric and walked up from there - he said it was a decent track up to the hostel, certainly not as bad as the wet marshland we'd come through, and it would have been fine with a bike. So, that's a useful tip for others.
Finally, I shouldn't forget to mention the two path builders who arrived on the Monday to get on with the task of constructing a more solid path up the hillside behind the hostel. We passed the construction site on our first climb on Monday morning and could see their Landrover arriving at the hostel. They mucked in with everyone else in the evenings, adding to the banter.
Our catering activities became quite a topic of conversation - after the three course meal of smoked salmon, risotto, cheese and outcakes plus wine on the first night, we had to work hard to maintain the standard for the next two nights. The biggest challenge was to eke out the box of wine over three nights, but we managed with two moderate sized glasses per person each evening. The culinary competition certainly added to the overall experience, but we weren't the only ones making an effort.
Other climbs from Glen Affric hostel
We knew we were going to climb Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan and Mullach na Dheiragain, along with An Socach, as Alistair needed to tick these off his short list of unconquered munros. We managed those on the first day, and deliberated which to do the next day, with tired legs. Eventually we decided on Beinn Fhada to the west, but climbing and returning via the eastern ridge rather than going the longer route up from the north-west.
Others that we considered were Mam Sodhail (Mam Soul) and Carn Eige to the east of An Sochach, maybe going as far as Beinn Fhionnlaidh, but that would involve a lengthy hike back. Apparently Beinn Fhionnlaidh can be climbed from the north after crossing Loch Mullardoch by boat from the eastern end in Glen Cannich.
Or we could have aimed for Ciste Dubh, south-west of the hostel overlooking the track from Glen Shiel. On the other side of the pass Mullach Fraoch-choire and A' Chralaig are two other peaks over 1100m linked by a narrow edge, and there are others to the east of these, all within reach from Glen Affric.
Links to the two Glen Affric walking stories:
An Socach (921m), Sgurranan Ceathreamhnan (1151m), and Mullach na Dheiragain (982m) - 14 May 2007 >
Beinn Fhada (1032m) - 15 May 2007 >
It was grey and drizzly for our walk back on the Wednesday - and the trudge back out took us two and a half hours again although we kept up a good pace. We took the higher path after crossing the footbridge, up towards the fenced-off area of hillside where young trees were emerging from the heather. This was stonier and less wet than the lower path we'd taken on the way into the glen, but we still ended up with a long wet walk after the paths re-joined.
However there was one point of interest, when we came across the wreckage of a World War II Wellington bomber that had crashed in the glen on 13 February 1942, just above the older wreckage of a stone shieling. Various bits of bent aluminium were scattered about, and the trench carved in the hillside by the crashlanding was still bare of vegetation.
A Gallery will be added with photos of the wreckage, and other pictures from the Glen.
Contributed by Andrew Llanwarne
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