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A gravel path through the Ariundle oakwood in sunshine, old oaks on either side and thick moss over the roots and boulders.
Ardnamurchan

Ariundle Oakwood

An ancient Atlantic oakwood and National Nature Reserve in the glen of the Strontian River, just north of Strontian in Sunart.

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Welcome

Ariundle is the kind of wood that makes you slow right down.

The soft, damp air off the coast keeps its old oaks and the rocks beneath them green with moss, lichen and fern, and its Gaelic name means the shieling of the white meadow. A waymarked trail loops through the trees with the river rushing beside it, over bridges and a long boardwalk. Walk it anticlockwise for the views up the glen to Sgùrr Dhòmhnuill. Spring brings bluebells and primroses, early summer the dragonflies and butterflies, the rare chequered skipper among them, and autumn some glorious colour. Watch the sky for golden eagles. Here and there among the trees are the old charcoal burners' platforms, a trace of the people who once lived and worked in the wood. Then head back down to Strontian, the village that gave its name to the element strontium.

A short drive awayCafe SunartThe village café in the centre of Strontian, at the head of Loch Sunart, open every day for breakfast and lunch.4 min by roadSee itA toasted sandwich at Cafe Sunart, with green salad, red cabbage slaw and crisps on a white plate.
Before you go

The trail starts at Forestry and Land Scotland's car park, by the entrance to the reserve.

Getting there
Take the minor road out of Strontian towards Polloch, and a mile along turn right where the signs point to the car park.
Parking
£1 for up to an hour or £3 for the day, by card or RingGo. Blue Badge holders park free.
The trail
4.5 km; allow an hour and a half. Forestry and Land Scotland rates it moderate. The gravel path is rough underfoot and grassy in parts, it narrows and turns rocky or muddy in places, and there are a few short climbs that are fairly steep.
Food and toilets
There are refreshments at the Ariundle Centre, and public toilets, shops and places to eat down in Strontian.
By bus
Buses link Fort William and Strontian from Monday to Saturday.
Dogs
Keep them under control, as the Scottish Outdoor Access Code asks.

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Where it is

A mile and a half by road from the village centre at Strontian.

Close byStrontian, Sunart and Loch Sunart.
  1. Visitor looks through binoculars inside a timber-framed wildlife hide overlooking the lochGarbh Eilean Wildlife HideA wooden wildlife hide on the shore of Loch Sunart, looking out to islands where common seals bask and herons nest.7 miles 12 min by road
  2. Loch ShielLoch ShielA narrow freshwater loch running 17 miles from Glenfinnan, where the monument stands, to Acharacle, with ancient woodland along its shore.7 miles 25 min by road
  3. Resipole Studios, LochaberResipole StudiosAn award-winning gallery of contemporary Scottish art on the shore of Loch Sunart, with four exhibition spaces and changing shows.9 miles 15 min by road
  4. Castle TioramCastle TioramA ruined castle of the Clanranald on a tidal island in Loch Moidart, reached across a sandy causeway, with the interior closed as unsafe.16 miles 26 min by road
  5. Copper pot still and oak barrel beside a window overlooking a lochArdnamurchan DistilleryA small, modern whisky distillery at Glenbeg on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, with tours, a visitor centre and peated and unpeated single malts.20 miles 30 min by road
  6. Ardtornish House in its gardens from the air, lawns and flowering shrubs round the pink sandstone mansion and its tower, woods all round and the Morvern hills beyond under summer cloud.Ardtornish GardensA Victorian garden of lawns, rockeries and woods round Ardtornish House, at the head of Loch Aline in Morvern.20 miles 31 min by road
Directions
A toasted sandwich at Cafe Sunart, with green salad, red cabbage slaw and crisps on a white plate.CafeCafe Sunart1.5 miles
Glenhurich Lodge, white-harled with dormer windows, at the end of its track behind a beech hedge, snow on the hills beyond.GlenhurichGlenhurich LodgeSleeps 11 · 6.9 miles

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The Daily for 24 October, from Scotland with love. a stone arch bridge crossing a rushing gorge below a moss-covered cliffside building, autumn trees on both banks

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near Ariundle, and when each is next free.

Glenhurich Lodge, white-harled with dormer windows, at the end of its track behind a beech hedge, snow on the hills beyond.Glenhurich Lodge
  • Sleeps 11
  • In Glenhurich
  • 4 miles from Ariundle
Check datesA white cottage with a grey slate roof stands behind a stone wall among trees on a hillside.The Old School
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Kingairloch
  • 6 miles from Ariundle
Check datesCurlew Cottage, ArdnamurchanCurlew Cottage
  • Sleeps 5
  • In Kingairloch
  • 6 miles from Ariundle
Check datesAn aerial view shows a white cottage and stone bothy beside a road running along a wooded glen and river.Elastic Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Kingairloch
  • 6 miles from Ariundle
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in ArdnamurchanAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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