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Loch Monar at the head of Glen Strathfarrar, with a small island of pines, the curved Monar dam and its intake tower, and heather hills under broken cloud.
Inverness-shire

Glen Strathfarrar

A private glen running west from Struy into the hills, with a 17-mile road through native Scots pinewood.

Welcome

There's something special about a glen you can only drive into once a gatekeeper lets you through, and Glen Strathfarrar is one of the loveliest in the Highlands.

Past the gate, the tarmac winds on through old Scots pines, and nowhere in the UK do pinewoods matter more for lichens than here and in neighbouring Glen Affric. Hillwalkers come for the glen's Munros, Sgurr na Ruaidhe, Carn nan Gobhar, Sgurr a' Choire Ghlais and Sgurr Fhuar-thuill, and far up the glen a great curved dam holds back Loch Monar. You don't need a car at all: on foot or by bike you can go in at any hour of the day or night, and camp wild well away from the road and the buildings. Pack a picnic and your boots, give yourself the whole day, and check the gate's hours before you set off.

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Arrives at 5am every day.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A little further outBad Girl Bakery20 min by roadSee itBad Girl Bakery
Before you go

Mountaineering Scotland keeps the gate's arrangements up to date on its Strathfarrar page.

Cars
From April to October, up to 25 cars a day: 9am to 6pm in April and October, to 7pm in May and September, and to 8pm from June to August. The last car goes in an hour before the gate shuts. No cars on Tuesdays, or on Wednesdays before 1.30pm, and none left overnight.
Parking
Cars can be parked at Mhullie Greens, just past Deanie power station.
Winter
Closed to public cars from about 1 November to 31 March. Last winter, Mountaineering Scotland members could book hill days by car; check their page before planning a winter visit.
Phone signal
Limited or none in the glen.
Dogs
Kept under control, and on a short lead or close at heel on moorland and in the woods from April to July, when birds are nesting.

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Where it is

The gate is at the foot of the glen by Struy, on the A831 between Beauly and Cannich.

Close byBeauly, Glen Affric and Glen Urquhart.
  1. A wild bridal bouquet of pale dahlias, grasses, daisies and berries by Wild Gorse Studio.Wild Gorse StudioA fine-art florist and flower school in the farm steadings of the Belladrum estate near Beauly, with workshops, a shop and a café among the flowers.10 miles 16 min by road
  2. Deli counter staff behind glass cases of pastries, with Shore crisps in wicker baskets belowCorner 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.11 miles 15 min by road
  3. Beauly PrioryBeauly PrioryThe ruined abbey church of a priory founded about 1230 for French Valliscaulian monks, in a wooded, riverside setting in Beauly.11 miles 16 min by road
  4. Café interior with green banquette seating, wooden tables and wildflowers in vasesCafe BiagiottiAn Italian pasticceria and coffee bar on the square in Beauly, with bread, pastries, cakes, salads and soup all made in house, and Tuscan coffee.11 miles 15 min by road
  5. Robertson's Speciality Farm Shop near Beauly, a whitewashed building with a blue sign and a Farm Shop Open board on a barrel.Robertson's Farm ShopA family farm shop at Tomich near Beauly, full of local produce, with Highland cows and alpacas in the field beside it.11 miles 17 min by road
  6. Standing stones and cairn at Balnuaran of Clava, framed by tree leavesCorrimony 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.12 miles 16 min by road
  7. Golden Labrador sits among heather with a loch and hills behindDog FallsRapids and dark pools in a rocky gorge in Glen Affric, the start of three waymarked trails through ancient pinewood to Coire Loch and a viewpoint.13 miles 17 min by road
  8. Oil burner and dried petals beside "Grounded" book on a windowsill tableMade in the GlenA shop in Glen Urquhart near Loch Ness run by three sisters, selling their own natural soaps, skincare, watercolours, wooden bowls and Highland gifts.13 miles 18 min by road
Directions
Tringa's long turf-roofed log walls on the hill, foxgloves in flower in the grass below.StruyTringa at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 3.0 miles
Sylvia in sunshine: a log cabin with a pale gable and oak door, whisky barrels along its gravel yard and a birch beside.StruySylvia at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 3.0 miles
Strix on its green slope in summer, the turf roof and deck among birch and oak, the hill behind.StruyStrix at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 3.0 miles
Parus on its slope at dusk above bluebells in the grass, its gable windows lit.StruyParus at Eagle BraeSleeps 2 · 3.0 miles
Log cabin porch with lantern-lit door, snow falling on the wooden walkwayStruyEagle BraePlace to stay · 3.0 miles
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.StruyAquila at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 3.0 miles
Buteo, a long turf-roofed log cabin on level ground, a log picnic table in the grass before it and the hill behind.StruyButeo at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 3.0 miles
Loxia beyond its pond among spring birches, the cabin mirrored in the water under a blue sky.StruyLoxia at Eagle BraeSleeps 6 · 3.0 miles
Ardea through old birch trunks, its turf roof and railed deck mirrored in the pond below, ferns in front.StruyArdea at Eagle BraeSleeps 4 · 3.0 miles

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Stay nearby

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

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.Aquila at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Struy
  • 2 miles from Glen Strathfarrar
Check datesTringa's long turf-roofed log walls on the hill, foxgloves in flower in the grass below.Tringa at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Struy
  • 2 miles from Glen Strathfarrar
Check datesSylvia in sunshine: a log cabin with a pale gable and oak door, whisky barrels along its gravel yard and a birch beside.Sylvia at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Struy
  • 2 miles from Glen Strathfarrar
Check datesStrix on its green slope in summer, the turf roof and deck among birch and oak, the hill behind.Strix at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Struy
  • 2 miles from Glen Strathfarrar
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Inverness-shireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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