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A walk to the Coire Loch from Dog Falls
A walk · Glen Affric

Glen Affric – Dog Falls and the Coire Loch in the Old Pines

2¾ miles1½ to 2 hoursthere and back

paid parkingdogs welcometoilets

Directions
Dog Falls

Glen Affric is a glen of old Caledonian pinewood, lochs and rivers, and Dog Falls is the first place in it to stop, with the River Affric squeezing white through a rocky gorge.

From the same car park, the Coire Loch Trail climbs through granny pines, birch and lichen-hung oaks to a little lochan tucked away among the trees, with a viewpoint up the glen above it. Lunch is back down the road in Cannich.

Where it starts

Forestry and Land Scotland's Dog Falls car park, the first in Glen Affric; coins, card or RingGo; the ticket is valid at the other Glen Affric car parks.

Directions to the start

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Before you go

On the path

An hour and a half to two hours for the 4.5 km Coire Loch Trail; about half an hour to the Dog Falls viewpoint and back. Narrow, uneven path with tree roots, rocky sections, stone steps, a narrow bridge and steep slopes for 500 m. Open water by the gorge: keep children close; the path is rough and steep in places.

Good to know

The trails are open forest all year: go in daylight. The Bog Cotton Café from March to October, Thursday to Monday, 8am to 2pm. Dogs welcome on the trails; keep them close by the river. Public toilets at the Dog Falls car park all year. Forestry and Land Scotland posts any notices on its Dog Falls page. Little phone reception in the glen.

The walk

Park at Dog Falls, the first Forestry and Land Scotland car park up the single-track road into Glen Affric beyond Cannich. It costs £2 for up to an hour, £3 for up to three hours and £5 for the day, by coins, card or RingGo, and the ticket is good at the other Glen Affric car parks too. There are public toilets here all year, and picnic tables. The Coire Loch Trail is 4.5 km, or 2¾ miles, and takes an hour and a half to two hours.

It climbs through a patchwork of ancient Scots pines and birches to the Coire Loch, a small, still lochan covered in water lilies in summer, and a viewpoint above it, then comes back along a forest track. The path is narrow and uneven, with tree roots, rocky bits, stone steps, a narrow bridge and steep slopes for 500 metres, so wear boots; it's no walk for a pushchair. For the falls themselves, the Dog Falls Trail reaches the viewpoint over the gorge and back in about half an hour. Dogs are welcome on the trails, but keep children close by the river, and check for ticks afterwards.

There's little phone signal anywhere in the glen. The owners of Eagle Brae, the log cabins near Cannich, count Dog Falls and the Coire Loch among their favourite walks here.

If it rains

The pines give some shelter, but the roots, rocks and steps get slippery in the wet: wear boots with a good grip and take it slowly. On a really wild day, the short Dog Falls viewpoint and back is half an hour; the café is all under a roof.

Afterwards

  1. 12 min by car

    The Bog Cotton Café

    Lunch

    Lunch is 12 minutes' drive down the glen at the Bog Cotton Café, on the Cannich Woodland Camping and Caravan Park in the village. From March to October it opens 8am to 2pm, Thursday to Monday, and shuts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. After breakfast it does paninis, toasties, sandwiches and jacket potatoes, each with a side salad, and the Bog Cotton BLT, with coffee, tea and cake. Over Christmas and New Year, check before going. From November to February it's shut, so take a picnic to the tables at Dog Falls; the village has a grocery shop.

After the walk

Coffee and cake, and something to do with the rest of the day, nearest the end of the walk first.

Straight after

Deli counter staff behind glass cases of pastries, with Shore crisps in wicker baskets below30 min by roadA caféCorner on the SquareA licensed deli and eatery on the square in Beauly since 2003, with food made from scratch, cheeses and wines to take home, and a greengrocer next door.

With the rest of the day

Man with rucksack sits on tree stump beside a still loch2 min by roadThings to doGlen AffricA National Nature Reserve west of Cannich, with ancient Caledonian pinewood, lochs and four Forestry and Land Scotland sites on a single-track road.Over Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin in Glen Affric, its pine-covered islands and the mountains blue beyond on a bright summer day.5 min by roadThings to doLoch Beinn a' MheadhoinA long loch in the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, about eight miles up the glen road from Cannich.Standing stones and cairn at Balnuaran of Clava, framed by tree leaves13 min by roadThings to doCorrimony Chambered CairnA 4,000-year-old passage grave in Glen Urquhart, ringed by standing stones and remarkably well preserved, with much of its passage roof still in place.

Places to stay near the walk

Our places to stay nearest the start, by road.

An advert · Struy

Cinclus at Eagle Brae

A cedar log cabin for up to four on a steep south-facing slope at Eagle Brae in Strathglass, with a sauna and the River Glass below.

Sleeps 4 · 15 minutes by road

See Cinclus at Eagle Brae
Cinclus on its slope among spring birches, the hills of the glen behind under a blue sky.

More places to stay near the walk

From above, Aquila's turf-roofed log cabin and wrap-around deck on the edge of the ridge, the glen stretching away in autumn colour.An advert · StruyAquila at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 15 minutes by roadArdea through old birch trunks, its turf roof and railed deck mirrored in the pond below, ferns in front.An advert · StruyArdea at Eagle BraeSleeps 4 · 15 minutes by roadButeo, a long turf-roofed log cabin on level ground, a log picnic table in the grass before it and the hill behind.An advert · StruyButeo at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 15 minutes by roadCerthia on its ridge: a two-storey log cabin of great notched logs under a turf roof, steps up to the door.An advert · StruyCerthia at Eagle BraeSleeps 4 · 15 minutes by roadLog cabin porch with lantern-lit door, snow falling on the wooden walkwayAn advert · StruyEagle Brae15 minutes by roadLoxia beyond its pond among spring birches, the cabin mirrored in the water under a blue sky.An advert · StruyLoxia at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 15 minutes by roadParus on its slope at dusk above bluebells in the grass, its gable windows lit.An advert · StruyParus at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 15 minutes by roadStrix on its green slope in summer, the turf roof and deck among birch and oak, the hill behind.An advert · StruyStrix at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 15 minutes by roadSylvia in sunshine: a log cabin with a pale gable and oak door, whisky barrels along its gravel yard and a birch beside.An advert · StruySylvia at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 15 minutes by roadTringa's long turf-roofed log walls on the hill, foxgloves in flower in the grass below.An advert · StruyTringa at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 15 minutes by roadGlen Affric Estate, Inverness-shireAn advert · CannichGlen Affric EstateSleeps 24 · 17 minutes by road

More walks near here

Within a short drive of the start.

Plodda Falls8 min by roadA strollPlodda Falls1½ miles, about three hoursLoch Affric9 min by roadA long dayLoch Affric11 miles, four to six hours

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Photograph by Bina Soni via Google

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