Morvich is a great base from where to start your adventure. There’s a small car park here and several options if you’re looking for a walk, run or mountain bike ride at Kintail. It’s a long and challenging walk of around 6 miles to the Falls of Glomach from Morvich (a 12-mile round trip) over a high mountain pass, the Bealach na Sroine. But the walk is worth the reward of seeing one of Scotland’s highest waterfalls, set in a spectacular gorge – please take great care when viewing the falls!
There are also less strenuous walks available from Morvich where you can simply relax and enjoy the wonderful Highland surroundings and its special nature. This includes a walk through the young native woods at Innis a’ Chrotha – look out for woodland birds, dippers in the nearby rivers and signs of pine martens. The track up Gleann Lichd, a classic example of a glaciated Scottish glen, leads between steep-sided slopes sweeping up from near sea level to over 1,000m on both sides. Please note that Innis a’ Chrotha and Gleann Lichd are crofting areas where cattle and sheep roam freely – all dogs must be kept under close control.
There are two magnificent cross-country routes into Glen Affric from Morvich, which can be linked as a circular route around Beinn Fhada. You can do it as one long, 18-mile day or over two days, overnighting at the Glen Affric Youth Hostel. For those keen on extreme mountain biking, this route has also become more popular in recent years. Please note that this route involves over 500m of ascent, the terrain is rough and there’s no path for a 500m section at the western end of Gleann Gniomhaidh.
The Affric–Kintail Way is a 44-mile long distance route between Drumnadrochit and Morvich for walkers, mountain bikers and pony trekkers. It’s possible to start from either end but most people tend to do it east to west and finish at Morvich. The Glen Affric Youth Hostel is on the West Affric estate and makes a very useful stopover point. With no phone reception and little in the way of electronic devices, staying at the hostel is like stepping back in time – a great place to enjoy a ‘digital detox’ and to have a break from the media!
For those driving to the Isle of Skye and with only time for a quick stop, there’s a short but very steep and rough walk at the site of the Jacobite Battle of Glenshiel, fought in 1719. The site is next to the A87 main road, and has a small information board with details of the battle. You can admire breathtaking views of Highland scenery from here; it’s arguably Scotland’s most beautiful battle site.
