Can na Laitire and Shieling hut, Abriachan Forest

Start : Abriachan Forest car park. Grid ref. NH 540 353.

(S/E) When you stand up with the toilets to your left-hand side, the playground area is ahead of you. Walk on the footpath that goes left to the playground entrance. At the junction carry straight on (do not go left to the gate and bike park). As you walk into the woods, you reach a boardwalk and a junction.

On our left, you can make a little detour to see a tree house past the wooden bridge over the stream.

Otherwise, turn right here and carry straight on the boardwalk. When you reach the end of the boardwalk, you reach a junction. '

(1) You can make another detour left here to see the birdwatching spot over Loch Laide. If you choose to make this detour, go left. When you encounter a junction, go straight ahead to walk on boardwalks again up to the observatory. When you are done, come back to the junction.

Otherwise, go right past a wooden bench on your left-hand side.

At the next path junction (where there is a pink sign "No poverty"), turn left. At the next junction, make a detour to a tree house.

(2) When you finish, with your back to the house entrance go straight to a path junction with a green sign where you go straight. At the next junction, go straight to reach a nice hut made of wood. You now have a campfire on your left hand. Go straight ahead through the hut. Then at the path junction, turn on your first left.

Walk straight and at the next junction, keep left. Carry straight on a single track where you normally walk up some steps. Keep an eye on your right as you can get views from rocks. Carry straight on, at the next path junction up hill keep the main path left.

(3) When you reach a junction with a wooden signpost, follow the path toward "Carn na Leitire" and "Balchraggan". At the next Y junction, keep straight and straight to the next two junctions too. At some stage, you will be able to spot the cairn located at "Carn na Leitire" summit. Keep your way towards it.

(4) After enjoying the view from the summit, go back down and at the junction, go down the hill on the single track. The path is going down hill for quite a while so enjoy the surroundings until you meet a junction with a carved wood with a dance man plaque on it.

(5) Walk straight past it on your right-hand side. Carry on and seek a great little hut/shelter "Shieling" on your right with some views of Loch Ness. After enjoying this discovery, carry down the hill being careful of the rocks and roots until you reach a T junction with a major wide track. Turn right towards the wooden signpost and keep up the hill on this wide path. At the next junction, keep the wide path ahead until you reach a path junction with a wooden signpost.

(6) Here you can make a detour left to Whisky still. If you do so, turn left down the hill for around 1Km, bear in mind that you will have to come back up here afterwards! This is a single track down hill and when you encounter the first junction, go left and sharp left to find Whisky still hidden hut/shelter.

Otherwise, go straight towards "Great Glen Way". At the next junction, with the information map "Abriachan Forest Trust" keep straight (right) on the Great Glen Way. This wide path is quite "boring" as you follow it for a few kilometers. On the way, you will see a pond on your left to distract you.

(7) At the next path junction, there is a wooden signpost hidden left in the trees, keep straight down the hill towards "Abriachan Forest Path" and "Inverness". To distract yourself at some stage you will pass an information board explaining about "Native cunning" on your left before going down through an iron gate and a building on your left.

At the junction with the building on your left, carry straight on the path parallel with electric pylons on your left hand. Stay alert, there are timber lorries in this area. When you see any side track, ignore them and always keep straight ahead on the main wide track following the Blue wooden signpost. This part is quite boring.

(8) To make the way back more enjoyable, at the next wooden signpost turn right towards "Abriachan Forest Path" or you still carry on straight on the boring path back to the car.

If you choose to turn right, ignore the two bike park paths going left and carry straight on with the green signpost with the footstep. When you find yourself back at the junction with the wooden hut left go left through the hut again and go downhill. At the next Y junction, this time, turn left. As you always go straight, you will encounter a bench, a labyrinth left, a wooden workshop right and an AFT forest classroom left to pass on your way.

(10) Go through the buildings and then get to the car park and turn right along the curve back to the toilets. (S/E)

Parking : Abriachan Forest car park. Grid ref. NH 540 353.
Facilities: toilets, BBQ and tables available
Food : Abriachan Eco-Campsite and café is hidden 1km by foot from the Forest trust entrance. Tel:01463 861462
Terrain: can be quite steep with rocks and roots. However, one part until the Shieling is really fun for kids!

• Carn na Leitire summit
• Shieling and Whisky still huts
• Great Glen Way
• Kids activities: more information at the Abriachian Forest Trust website here.