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A stone grotto arch thick with moss and hung with ferns beside a muddy woodland path in Reelig Glen.
Inverness-shire

Reelig Glen

A wooded gorge by Moniack, west of Inverness, where Douglas firs stand over 65 metres tall.

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Welcome

A walk among giant trees is one of the simplest pleasures there is, and Reelig Glen is a lovely place for one.

Firs, cedars and spruces rise high over the path, and no larch or lime anywhere in Britain grows taller than the ones here. The steep walls of the gorge keep the wind off them, while the Moniack Burn hurries along the bottom. The Fraser family held this land for more than five centuries, until 1949, and the biggest trees may go back to James Baillie Fraser, an explorer born in 1783. Travel shaped the glen in other ways too: the 19th-century stone bridge and grotto at the top of the Tall Trees Trail were modelled on sights its owner had admired in Europe. Wear good shoes, take it slowly on the way up, and pack a lunch to eat at the picnic area afterwards.

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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 short drive awayRocpool18 min by roadSee itRocpool
Before you go

Forestry and Land Scotland cares for the glen and lists any closures on its local alerts page.

Where
From Inverness, take the A862 for about 6½ miles, turn left for Moniack and Clunes, then left again at the fork after a long straight; the small car park is half a mile on.
Parking
Free.
Tall Trees Trail
1.7 km, about three-quarters of an hour, moderate: mostly firm, wide gravel with muddy patches, some steep slopes and steps, one narrow bridge and a short stretch of road.
Upper Reelig Trail
1.9 km, about an hour, strenuous: an earthy path with roots, rocky steps and long steep slopes, up through beech, pine and fir.
By bus
Buses to Moniack pass within half a mile.
Toilets and food
In Beauly.
Dogs
Kept under control, and on a short lead or close at heel in the woods from April to July, when birds are nesting.
Ticks
Check for them after your walk.

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Where it is

Off the A862 between Inverness and Beauly, IV5 7PR.

Close byKirkhill, Beauly and Muir of Ord.
  1. The Wardlaw Mausoleum at Kirkhill, a pale building with a belfry, among old headstones in the graveyard.Wardlaw MausoleumThe burial place of the Lovat Frasers at Kirkhill, west of Inverness, built in the 1630s, with a crypt of lead coffins and a tower raised by the Jacobite Lord Lovat.3 miles 7 min by road
  2. 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.5 miles 8 min by road
  3. 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.5 miles 9 min by road
  4. 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.5 miles 9 min by road
  5. Beauly PrioryBeauly PrioryThe ruined abbey church of a priory founded about 1230 for French Valliscaulian monks, in a wooded, riverside setting in Beauly.5 miles 10 min by road
  6. The Old School Beauly, a twin-gabled Victorian stone school on the High Street, under a bright blue sky.The Old School BeaulyA Victorian primary school on Beauly's High Street, its classrooms turned into separate shops for fashion, homewares, gifts, books, music and toys.5 miles 10 min by road
  7. 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.6 miles 11 min by road
  8. The Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of OrdThe Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery, Muir of OrdThe Singleton's distillery at Muir of Ord, west of Inverness, open all year for guided tours, tastings, and a bar and deli.8 miles 16 min by road
Directions
The ochre-harled old Kilmorack church, now Kilmorack Gallery, with its banner by the door, a giant metal spider sculpture on the gravel and a large metal lizard on the wall.AttractionsKilmorack Gallery5.1 miles
Bakery counter with pastries under glass and a chalkboard drinks menuCafeBad Girl Bakery7.3 miles
Kitchen Brasserie restaurant with orange awning and windbreak barriers on street cornerRestaurantsThe Kitchen9.2 miles
Corner entrance of Rocpool restaurant with black canopy and menus displayed outsideRestaurantsRocpool9.3 miles
The gilded pipes of the Willis organ and the carved wooden pulpit inside the Old High Church, Inverness.AttractionsOld High Church9.3 miles
Rows of coffee bags on a wooden dresser under a "Good Coffee Good Day" signCafeInverness Coffee Roasting Co9.3 miles
Spiral staircase links galleried floors of packed bookshelves in a domed bookshopAttractionsLeakey's Bookshop9.3 miles
Sliced bread in a wooden bowl beside butter and a gin glassRestaurantsMcBain's by the River9.4 miles
Wrought-iron bracket holds "The Walrus & Corkscrew" sign against a stone buildingRestaurantsThe Walrus & Corkscrew9.4 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

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

A white harled cottage with a slated roof and gabled porch sits behind a garden of wildflowers, a table and chairs on the patio.Garden Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Dores
  • 5 miles from Reelig Glen
Check datesA stone cottage with a slated roof and dormer windows sits behind a gravel drive, ivy covering one gable end.Ivy Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dores
  • 5 miles from Reelig Glen
Check datesA stone steading with green shutters and a slated roof sits beside a gravel drive, mature trees framing the entrance.South Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Inverness-shire
  • 5 miles from Reelig Glen
Check datesA pink harled house with turreted gables and stepped chimneys stands among pine trees behind a dry stone wall.Gatehouse Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dores
  • 5 miles from Reelig Glen
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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