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Inverness

Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin

A long loch in the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, about eight miles up the glen road from Cannich.

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Welcome

Seen from the air, Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin is a sweep of blue dotted with islands of Scots pine, and it's every bit as lovely from the shore.

Floating platforms out on the water rise and fall with the loch, giving black-throated divers a place to nest. The level shifts with the needs of Fasnakyle power station, down the glen, which the loch has fed since the 1950s. Water piped through from Glen Cannich meant the loch never had to be made bigger, sparing the glen's landscape, and the little dam is easy to miss. You park in the woods beside the loch, an easy place to stop for a picnic. For a view from higher up, walk a short way back towards Cannich, where a steep track climbs beside the Allt na Imrich. Bring binoculars and a flask, and take your time.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
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Before you go

The same parking ticket is good at Forestry and Land Scotland's other car parks in Glen Affric, so one fee covers a day in the glen.

Parking
£2 for up to an hour, £3 for up to three hours, £5 all day. Blue Badge holders park free; pay by card or RingGo. The car park is not suitable for coaches.
Satnav
IV4 7LN takes you to the middle of Cannich; from there follow the road signed for Glen Affric.
Paths
Small, unmarked paths follow the shore through the trees.
Toilets and food
The nearest public toilets are in the Dog Falls car park, open all year. For food, Cannich and Tomich have places to eat, and Cannich has a shop.
Phone signal
Little in the glen.
By bus
Buses run from Inverness to Cannich all year; Traveline Scotland has the times.
Dogs
Kept under control, and on a short lead or close at heel on the loch shore from April to July, when birds are nesting.
The name
Forestry and Land Scotland spells it Loch Beinn a' Mheadhain.

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Where it is

On the single-track road through Glen Affric, two miles short of River Affric at the end of the public road.

Close byGlen Affric, Tomich, Glen Urquhart, Glen Strathfarrar and Loch Ness.
  1. 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.4 miles 5 min by road
  2. Waterfall cutting through autumn forest, viewed from above with a footbridge crossing itPlodda FallsA waterfall of more than forty metres in a forest of Douglas firs above Tomich, with a viewing platform over the top and two waymarked trails.11 miles 31 min by road
  3. 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.14 miles 18 min by road
  4. 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.15 miles 19 min by road
  5. 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.Glen StrathfarrarA private glen running west from Struy into the hills, with a 17-mile road through native Scots pinewood.17 miles 23 min by road
  6. The Loch Ness Centre building, dated 1882, with twin gabled towers and window displaysThe Loch Ness ExperienceThe Loch Ness Experience in the old Drumnadrochit Hotel, where the monster story began in 1933, with a one-hour tour of the legend and the science.21 miles 28 min by road
  7. Ruined stone tower of Urquhart Castle seen through autumn foliage on Loch NessUrquhart CastleThe ruins of a castle that was once among Scotland's largest, on a headland over Loch Ness, with the Grant Tower to climb and a café on site.23 miles 34 min by road
Directions
Guisachan House from the air: the roofless grey stone mansion with its two tall chimneys and empty windows, fenced off in long grass, with parkland trees and forested hills beyond.AttractionsGuisachan House3.0 miles as the crow flies
Man with rucksack sits on tree stump beside a still lochAttractionsGlen Affric3.1 miles
Scots pine stands above woodland with snow-capped mountains behindAttractionsGlen Affric National Nature Reserve3.1 miles
Glen Affric Estate, Inverness-shireCannichGlen Affric EstateSleeps 24 · 3.8 miles
Salad plate, pint and menu on a pub table with tulipsRestaurantsThe Tomich Hotel8.2 miles
The RSPB's weathered wooden sign for Loch Comhnard at Corrimony, the loch beyond among young birches and moorland under a blue sky, with wind turbines on a far hill.WalksRSPB Corrimony13 miles
Log cabin porch with lantern-lit door, snow falling on the wooden walkwayStruyEagle BraePlace to stay · 14 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 · 14 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 · 14 miles

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Stay nearby

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

Glen Affric Estate, Inverness-shireGlen Affric Estate
  • Sleeps 24
  • In Cannich
  • 4 miles from Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin
Check datesLog cabin porch with lantern-lit door, snow falling on the wooden walkwayEagle Brae
  • To stay
  • In Struy
  • 12 miles from Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin
Check datesFrom 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
  • 12 miles from Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin
Check datesButeo, a long turf-roofed log cabin on level ground, a log picnic table in the grass before it and the hill behind.Buteo at Eagle Brae
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Struy
  • 12 miles from Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in InvernessAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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