Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EATING AND DRINKING
Benleva
Kilmore Rd, Kilmore
T
01456 450080.
One of
many hotels doing bar food,
Benleva
sets itself apart by
using local beer in some of its dishes, including the steak
and ale pie with chips and seasonal veg (£10.50).
Mon-
Thurs noon-midnight, Fri noon-1am, Sat noon-
11.45pm, Sun noon-11pm.
Fiddlers'
Just south of the village green on the A82
T
01456 450678,
W
fiddledrum.co.uk.
Busy, friendly bar
with plenty of outside seating and, it's claimed, more than five
hundred single malt whiskies. The mostly meaty menu has a
couple of veggie options too, including a falafel and spinach
burger (£7.95).
Daily 12.30-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm.
Glen Café
On the village green, just off the A82
T
01456
450282.
This inexpensive café does reasonable lunches and
snacks. A baked potato stuffed with chilli con carne costs
£5.50.
Mon-Sat 9am-6.30pm, Sun 10am-6.30pm.
Glen Affric
Due west of Drumnadrochit lies a vast area of high peaks, remote glens and few roads.
he reason most folk head this way is to explore the picturesque native forests and grand
mountains of
Glen Affric
, heaven for walkers, climbers and mountain bikers. Munro-
baggers (see p.10) are normally much in evidence, and it is possible to tramp 25 miles all
the way through Glen Affric to Shiel Bridge, on the west coast near Kyle of Lochalsh.
11
Cannich and Loch Affric
he main approach to Glen Affric is through the small settlement of
CANNICH
, thirteen
miles west of Drumnadrochit on the A831. Cannich is a quiet and uninspiring village,
but it has an excellent campsite where mountain bikes can be rented. From the car park
at the head of the single-track road along the glen, ten miles southwest of Cannich,
there's a selection of
walks
: the trip around
Loch Affric
will take you a good five hours
but allows you to appreciate the glen and its wildlife.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
GLEN AFFRIC
By bus
Ross's Minibuses (
T
01463 761250,
W
ross-
minibuses.co.uk) runs scheduled services to the car park at
Glen Affric (July-Sept, it's vehicles will also carry bikes if
given advance notice) from Cannich (4 on Mon, Wed & Fri;
30min); Drumnadrochit (3 on Mon, Wed & Fri; 1hr 35min)
and luvemess (2 on Mon, Wed & Fri; 2hr 10min)
INFORMATION AND ACTIVITIES
Tourist information
Notice boards are dotted around
the glen; the Forestry Commission website (
W
www.
forestry.gov.uk/glenaffric) includes an interactive map
showing where they're located.
Volunteering
For details of volunteer work in Glen Affric
helping with restoration of the woodland, get in touch with
Trees for Life (
W
treesforlife.org.uk).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Bog Cotton Café
At Cannich Camping & Caravan Park.
The best option for food in Cannich, this welcoming chalet-
like café has large windows overlooking the campsite.
Planning a hike? You can buy takeaway sandwiches here for
£3 too.
Daily 9am-5pm.
Cannich Camping & Caravan Park
In the centre of
Cannich
T
01456 415364,
W
highlandcamping.co.uk.
Mountain bikes can be rented (£17/day) at this pretty,
well-shaded campsite, which has good facilities, including
wi-fi and a TV room.
£7
/person
Glen Affric Youth Hostel
Allt Beithe, 20 miles
southwest of Cannich
T
08452 937373,
W
syha.org.uk.
Utterly remote, this SYHA hostel near the head of Glen
Affric makes a convenient if rudimentary stopover on the
25-mile hike through Glen Affric to Shiel Bridge. A wind
turbine and solar panels provide the hostel with electricity,
but
note th
at yo
u'll need to bring all your own food. Dorms
£22
; twins
£47
Inverness
Straddling a nexus of major road and rail routes,
INVERNESS
is the busy hub of the
Highlands, and an inevitable port of call if you're exploring the region by public
transport. Over a hundred miles from any other major settlement yet with a
