Tomich and Beinn Mhor

Distance	Approximate Time	Height Gain	OS Map
8 kms	03:00 (hrs:mins)	300 metres	Explorer 415: Glen Affric & Glen Moriston

Description

This walk is a visit to two monuments and two lochans up in the hills, reached by a forestry track. The gradients are mostly easy and the views stunning. The walk has a special significance for me as I did it as a memorial to my Scottish mother, Jane Inglis Shade, whose wish was to have her ashes scattered in Glen Affric, her favourite spot in the Highlands. The hills around the glen form the view from the top of Beinn Mhor and for me there are now three monuments in this spot.

Access Info

To reach Tomich you need first to go to Cannich on the A831 between Drumnadrochit and Beauly. Tomich is signposted from there. Drive through the village and on the outskirts, fork left at a signpost to Plodda Falls. 1km along this road look for a ruinous barn on the right, just past a bend to the right and before you cross a burn. There is plenty of room to park here.

Additional Info

The monument by the lochan is to Henry Waddell, the last owner of the Guisachan Estate before it was broken up. That on the summit, a huge cross with an iron fence around it, is to Lord and Lady Tweedmouth, who have another monument by the roadside in Tomich. They bought the estate from the Fraser clan and transformed it, moving the village from its sunny position where it spoiled their view, to its colder winter position, albeit with better houses and attractive street lighting. They built the hotel and also a brewery and encouraged other ways of making a living. Their country house, Guisachan, is in ruins and you can visit it. There is a board there recording the fact that the golden retriever was first bred here.