Glen Affric – Dog Falls and the Coire Loch in the Old Pines
About 2.8 miles on foot.
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.
- Time
- 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.
- The path
- Narrow, uneven path with tree roots, rocky sections, stone steps, a narrow bridge and steep slopes for 500 m.
- Where to start
- 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.
- When to go
- 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.
- Children
- Open water by the gorge: keep children close; the path is rough and steep in places.
- Toilets
- Public toilets at the Dog Falls car park all year.
- Before you set out
- 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
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.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Make it a weekend
More days out near Inverness.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Bina Soni via Google