The Great Glen - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 197

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

500 single malt whiskies. The mostly meaty menu has a
couple of veggie options, 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. The 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.40) 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.

3

Cannich and Loch Affric
The 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, its wildlife and Caledonian pine and birch woods
in all their remote splendour.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION 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; its 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 Inverness (2 on Mon, Wed & Fri; 2hr 10min).
Tourist information Notice boards are dotted around

the glen; the Forestry Commission website ( W forestry.gov
.uk/glenaffric) includes an interactive map showing where
they're located.
Volunteering For details of volunteer work in Glen Affric
helping with the 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 0845 293 7373, 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