Lael Forest Garden – Trees of the World and a Gorge
About a mile on foot.
Ten miles south of Ullapool, right beside the road, is a garden of trees from all over the world.
Lael Forest Garden is Forestry and Land Scotland's most northerly arboretum, and above it a waymarked trail climbs to a waterfall in a wooded gorge. The Gorge Trail is a mile long and takes about three quarters of an hour, so it's an easy one to fit in on the way to or from Ullapool.
- Time
- About three quarters of an hour by Forestry and Land Scotland's Gorge Trail, 1.6 km. A short, steep forest walk.
- The path
- The lower garden paths are firm gravel and mostly gentle; the Gorge Trail has long steep slopes, several sets of steps and an uneven earthy stretch with tree roots.
- Where to start
- The north car park on the A835, ten miles south of Ullapool, opposite the woodturning centre: free. IV23 2RS is the nearest postcode. A second car park is a quarter of a mile further south.
- When to go
- All year in daylight.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs close near the gorge.
- Children
- The garden paths are easy; the gorge has steps, steep slopes and water, so keep children close.
- Toilets
- The nearest are in Ullapool, ten miles away.
- Before you set out
- Open water in the gorge: watch children closely.
The walk
Lael Forest Garden is beside the A835, ten miles south of Ullapool on the way to Braemore Junction. Use the north car park, opposite the woodturning centre, which is free. IV23 2RS is the nearest postcode. This is Forestry and Land Scotland's most northerly arboretum and part of the National Tree Collection of Scotland, with trees from New Zealand, Australia, the Americas and Scandinavia growing among native ones. The lower paths through the garden are firm gravel and mostly gentle.
The waymarked Gorge Trail is a mile long, 1.6 km, and takes about three quarters of an hour. It climbs above the garden to the wooded gorge of the Allt na h-Ighine and its waterfall. It's graded strenuous: there are long steep slopes, several sets of steps and an earthy stretch crossed by tree roots. The trail ends at the garden's second car park, a quarter of a mile along the road, and you wander back to the first through the garden. Start from the north car park if the waterfall is all you want to see.
Hold on to children near the water. There are no toilets here: the nearest, with shops and places to eat, are in Ullapool. Buses between Inverness and Ullapool pass the forest.
If it rains
The trees keep off a shower and the garden paths are firm, so the lower garden is fine in light rain. The gorge steps and roots are slippery when wet, so take them slowly or leave them out.
Before you go
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Allan MacIver via Google