On a visit to Colette’s mum in Beauly, we were looking for a chance to get away for a nice wee cycle ride. On the Friday, it was Colette’s mum’s weekly outing for physio and other pampering, with her return due about 3pm. So off we went, heading for Glen Strathfarrar with some decent weather (mostly cloudy and a little cool, but at least it was dry!).
We headed west up the A831, past Aigas on the road to Glen Affric. But before the turnoff for Glen Strathfarrar, we were on the lookout for a particular set of gates on the right, as Colette wanted to investigate something there.
After a good few miles, we reached the attractive white painted gates, which have an early 1900s vibe (to my eye, but what do I know about these things?!!). Colette has admired the gates in the past but she has since been told that it was worth going through and seeing what lay beyond. So we did. On the other side, there was a path that spiralled round and up a small hillock. At the top we came out next to a large ewe tree overlooking a small graveyard with impressively decorated headstones. Beneath these lay deceased members of the Chisholm clan, who are the ancestral custodians of Glen Affric and the surrouding area that we were about to explore.
Resting place of the Chisholms
Carrying on, we reached the right turn for Glen Strathfarrar. Fairly soon we came to a locked gate, which is used to regulate vehicular access to the glen. There are strict opening hours and a limit to the number of cars per day allowed onto the single track road up the glen. You need to ask at the adjoining cottage to get let through. However, for walkers and cyclists, all you need to do is squeeze through a narrow gap alongside the gate. It occurred to me that anyone riding a trike would be effectively limited to the normal vehicular opening hours.
The other thing I noticed was a sign saying “Beware Potholes!”. That is definitely to be recommended as you progress along this route.
The road follows the River Farrar most of the way up the glen, running through woods for the first few miles. It is pretty easy riding with only very gentle undulations for the most part, but most of all the lack of other traffic made it very quiet and peaceful. After a while, the woods were replaced by more open countryside and we got more of an impression of the surrounding hills.
Loch a’Mhuilliadh
We passed a couple of lochs, stopping at the second one to refuel on sausage rolls that we picked up from Gows in Beauly earlier and which were still quite warm. On the second loch we could see a heavily wooded island in the middle, which is apparently a rare remnant of the Caledonian Forest that at one time covered much of the land in this area. We pondered the proper use of this land: whether it should be allowed to regenerate as natural forest or whether “natural” now means maintaining it as heather moorland for the sport of shooting. Discuss…
As we continued, we gradually started climbing a bit more noticeably. We stopped a cyclist coming towards us and asked how far to the top of the glen. He said it was another half hour’s ride, which was going to put us in danger of getting back home too late. Well it was if we were still going to fit in a cafe stop on the way back! As a compromise, we went on for another mile or so to a point where we could see the road going right up to the dam at the head of the glen. I remembered driving up there a few years ago, and the scenery was spectacular. However, that would have to be for another time.
Ever get the feeling you’re being watched?
We turned back and made very fast progress downhill till Colette stopped at the side of the road and got out her camera. There was a large herd of red deer to our left. That’s why she hadn’t seen any deer yet – they were all hanging out together in a big herd rather than scattered in small groups. They seemed quite interested in us, or at least concerned by our presence, so after a few snaps we left them in peace and continued on our way.
After leaving the glen behind, it wasn’t long before we reached the Cnoc Hotel, which had a sign advertising cream teas. The place seemed deserted, but we had no trouble in getting our tea and fruit scones, which we piled high with well-deserved cream and jam. Great scones, and just what we needed to power us back to Beauly.
As it happened, we got back with over half an hour to spare, so maybe we should have carried all the way up to the dam earlier. But that leaves us with a great reason for going back and doing it “properly” next time…