Trail of the Seven Lochs (50.86 miles 81.38 km ) Print

TRA7w01 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 1
The Trail of the Seven Lochs is a circular route so there is no designated starting point. The directions start at the Forestry Commission Exhibition Centre at Inverfarigaig as there is parking suitable for horse trailers by the phone box just past the junction with the B861 on the Dores to Foyers Road. For those who want to ride the full Trail with horses, you might think about riding it as two loops basing yourself at Drummond Farm. From the Forestry Visitor Centre head up the hill at the back of the building and follow the markers left, right and left again, then up the hill which will give you stunning views up Loch Ness. Carry on over the hill with a lovely loch on your left and down to the Glenlia road. Turn right and then left at the forestry way marker to cross the burn and then go up the narrow track bearing right. Follow this to the forest road and then go left and immediately right again onto another narrow path which i

TRA7w02 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 2
Turn left up the road and after about a kilometre, turn right at North Muirnich up the gravel road known as the Vennel. At the end you will come out onto a tarmac road. Turn left and follow the road past the Boleskine Church and on to the Garthbeg crossroads. Go straight over the road and follow to Garthbeg Farm.

TRA7w03 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 3
Go through the deer gate on the right of the steading and past the site office and then steeply up to the left passing the quarry and through the gate onto the hill track. Follow this track through two gates and when it peters out into a boggy area just before Migovie, bear right towards the stone wall and go through the galvanised gate and keep bearing right to pass on the south side of the house at Migovie and onto their drive. Follow the road over the cattle grid and on to Wester Aberchalder.

TRA7w04 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 4
Go over the bridge past the house. This has metal sheets on it and if you have a horse you may want to lead over it. Turn right after the bridge and over another cattle grid. At the rightangle bend in the road keep going straight on to Ballindalloch. Just before the house go through the gate on the left into the field and and follow the fence round the front of the house and through another gate onto a grassy track which takes you on in front of Farraline house and out to the tarmac drive. Turn left on the drive and carry on to the junction with the B862.

TRA7w05 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 5
Turn left and then take the next road junction on your right. Follow the road up the hill past Newlands and then take the next track on your right past Torshelly. Follow this track to the end and through several gates till you come back on to the tarmac road.

TRA7w06 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 6
Turn left and then go left in through the next forestry entrance. From this point it is not very suitable for cycles or unfit walkers as there is a lot of long heather. You would be better off using the road alternative until you get to Loch Duntelchaig. Turn immediately right and follow this track parallel to the road for about a kilometre. Turn right and come down onto the road. Turn left again and keep straight on through Torness and over the bridge on the road.

TRA7w07 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 7
Go through the cattle grid gate and then turn right on to the hill. Follow the markers to the new piece of track (yet to be made!) which goes through a gate in the fence and then up hill for about 100 m. Bear left and follow the faint track above Loch Ceo Glais to the end where you need to go through the gate and cross the burn. This will be marked with white plastic fence posts. After crossing the burn go about halfway up the hill (crossing some quite wet and boggy ground). Take your own line but I would suggest if you have a horse to get off and lead until you gain the harder ground. and then take a line of about 2 o’clock and follow the markers to the road at Loch Duntelchaig. PLEASE NOTE If you are there during the period of March 20 to May 20 you must now go through the gate on your left and straight up to the road through another gate in order to avoid the lambing/calving areas. It is very wet up to the road. Now turn right

TRA7w08 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 8
Turn right along the road and after the causeway turn right again onto a fairly rutted track. Go up here and, at the cattle feeding clearing, follow the line of an old stone wall over to the fence and then left along the fence and left again back to the track. Carry on through the new gate (yet to be made!) in the fence and follow track back to the road. Again in lambing/calving season this gate will be locked and you will have to use the road instead.

TRA7w09 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 9
Follow the road past Dalcrombie Farm and Ballachar and over three cattle grids and then take the forest road on the left into the Leiterchuillin Wood and up past Loch a’Choire. Keep left at the junction and go up and over the hill. It is a fair climb but well worth the views from the top. Carry on down the other side, passing Leitterchuillin House on your left and out past the Scottish Water Sluice at the end of the loch and onto the road.

TRA7w10 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 10
Turn left on the road and then take the next forestry entrance on your right into Duntechaig wood. Head up the hill and the track narrows to a path. Horses please do not ride on this footpath but rather make your own track in the heather so that you don’t erode it. It is only a short distance to the top. Go through the gate and turn right at the t-junction onto the bigger track. Follow this down to the end and come out onto the tarmac road.

TRA7w11 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 11
Turn right on the road and go through the cattle grid gate. Take the next forestry entrance on the left into Tordarroch Woods and follow track to t-junction. Ignore the side track going off on your right. At the t-junction turn left and follow this track right around Loch Bunachton through three gates and out on to the road. Turn left on the road and then turn right onto track just past Mains of Bunachton. At y-junction at ruin keep right and carry on to gate into Loch Ashie Woods. Keep left at the first junction and after about 800m turn right and follow sandy track for a bit more than a kilometre, between a couple of large spooky rocks and then keep left to go round the side of a gate and left to the bridge over the water run-off from Loch Ashie. Turn right over the bridge and ride up the road past the Water Treatment Plant.

TRA7w12 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 12
Just before the gate onto the road turn right over the heather and through the double gates and out onto the moor . Bear left up towards the fence and then follow roughly inside the fence to the right and exit the moor through the gate opposite the drive down to Drumashie Farm. Turn right along the road and then take the second turning on your left down the forest road between the fields (do not go down the road to the farm). At the end of the fields, go through the double gates straight ahead into the wood.

TRA7w13 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 13
Follow the track down, ignoring the first and second tracks to your left. When you come to the t-junction at the bottom of the wood turn left and follow this main track all the way to the end. You come out of the wood and keep straight on where another track joins from the left. Cross the old bridge at the ruin (just a pile of stones now) and come out through a gate to the tarmac road.

TRA7w14 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 14
Cross over the road and follow this track through three gateways, though probably only one will be shut. At the t-junction with the forest road go left and then keep left at the y-junction and take the next turning right down the track with the electricity lines. . Go straight on to the end of this track and through the gate onto the moor. Follow the white stones at roughly 2 o’clock to track and gate on your left into farmyard. Watch out for flapping black plastic if you are riding! Go through the farmyard and out through the gate at the grid. Follow track to end and exit though gate to the right of the next grid at the road.

TRA7w15 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 15
Cross the road and ride past Drummond Farm. Follow the road past the cattle grid and through Erchite Farm. On a Sunday please respect the privacy of Erchite Farm and detour around the farm - if you are riding a horse it is possible to turn right past Drummond down into the woods and join the Trail again in the forestry. Follow the track past the farm and at the first bend in the track turn left up the hill and go through the tall gateposts (no gate) and follow sheep paths above and parallel to the old stone wall (watch out for loose bits of wire if you are riding). When you get to the burn, go through the small gate, cross the burn and then go through the other gate into the forestry. Ignore the track on the left and follow the main track to the t-junction. Turn left and follow main track without turning off till you pass above Whitefield (just the barn still standing).

TRA7w16 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 16
Keep left and after about 50m, you will come to a clearing with a grass track going off on the left parallel to the main track. Take this track and after about a kilometre you will come to the zigzags at the bottom of the Fair Haired Lad’s Pass. Climb the path (very steep at the beginning but the views at the top well reward the effort). Follow path over the top and down into the forestry again. At the beginning of the forestry section it is quite muddy so take care not to damage the path further. If you are riding make sure you walk.

TRA7w17 Trail of the Seven Lochs Waypoint 17
Come down the hill and at the junction turn right and exit the forestry at the pass gate onto the road. Cross over the road and over the cattle grid and into the wood opposite. Follow track to the end and then turn right and come back out of the forest at the gate at Balchraggan. Up to the road and turn left. Ride down this unfenced road and through gate and then cattle grid (the stunning Dun Dearduil on your left) and carry on down the corkscrew road to the forestry houses at Inverfarigaig. Turn left on the B861, cross the bridge and then first left to the Forestry Centre.