04 Oct Local Walks
The area is truly a walker’s paradise, not just because of the many famous Munros on our doorstep, but also because of the wonderful coastal walks and woodland trails available nearby. Below you’ll find links to everything in the area from shorter local rambles to full mountain traverses. There really is something for everyone in this area. Obviously you can only do a tiny selection of what is on offer during the course of one week, but if this is your first time in the area, it is well worth trying to fit in a trip to Skye (a surprisingly large and diverse island), a trip north to dramatic Torridon, potentially taking in the legendary Bealach na Ba road to the Applecross peninsula, and there are also fantastic walks all around the Kintail, Glen Shiel and Glenelg areas which are very close by. Finally, there are some wonderful walks you can do right from our doorstep, not least heading over the road and up through the magical wood of Coille Mhor, our local piece of Celtic rainforest.
Oh, and did we mention that at the top of that mountain opposite the house we have our very own infinity pool? www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oBRgcYGWqE
The Balmacara Estate website sums up the special character of the local area very well:
“Balmacara Estate, a finalist in the Conservation Award category is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland. It is described as “an outstanding example of a Highland crofting estate” with the flower rich meadows of Duirinish and Kirkton, the oaks and birch woodlands of the Celtic rainforest at Coille Mhòr and the crannog on the dragonfly laden Loch Achaidh na h-Inich. The landscape supports a rich range of habitats and species including migrant birds, otters off the coastline, pine martens, red squirrels, 300 types of moth and butterflies.
Scotland’s rainforest is a rare and endangered habitat. It’s as important as tropical rainforest, but even rarer. The conditions to support this coastal temperate rainforest occur on less than 1% of the globe’s surface. Scotland’s rainforest, also known as Atlantic woodland and Celtic rainforest, is a special kind of woodland, containing trees dripping with lichens and rocks clad with abundant mosses. These native woodlands are found on our west coast where there are high levels of rainfall and relatively mild, year-round temperatures… The Coille Mhòr (Big Wood) above Balmacara Square is one example of these diverse ancient woodlands. The mosaic of habitats has been influenced by generations of crofters as they grazed their animals in the woods. These predominantly oak and birch woodlands have a magical feel, with thick carpets of mosses, colourful fungi and glorious ferns.
The Coille Mhòr is both an SAC (Special Area of Conservation) and a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) for its oakwoods and the internationally important rare lichens it contains. These lichens include the interestingly named Norwegian specklebelly (Pseudocyphellaria norvegica) and abundant old man’s beard (Usnea sp.), which is an indicator of good air quality.”
Walks from the Doorstep:
Coille Mhor: www.plantlife.org.uk/application/files/5515/2156/3032/Collie_Mhor_A4webPDF.pdf
Loch Achaidh na h-Inich www.walkhighlands.co.uk/kintail/lochachaidhnahinich.shtml
Balmacara to Kyle: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/kintail/Kylebalmacara.shtml
Balmacara-Reraig circuit: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/kintail/Balmacara.shtml
Lochalsh Woodland Walk: https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/balmacara-woods
Walks in the Surrounding Area:
Duirinish and Drumbuie: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/kintail/Duirinish.shtml
Plockton Coral Beach: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/kintail/plockton-coral-beach.shtml
Forests of Lochalsh: https://forestryandland.gov.scot/images/pdf/rec_pdfs/Forests-of-Lochalsh-guidemap.pdf
Stromeferry: www.walkhighlands.co.uk/kintail/stromeferry.shtml