Walks | North-West
Loch Tollaidh - Slattadale
Start: Tollaidh Farm, 2 miles North of Poolewe
Description: Walk across hills above Loch Maree
OS Map: #19, Gairloch & Ullapool
Multimap: Online Map
This path starts on the road between Gairloch and Poolewe, the A832, just to the Poolewe side of Loch Tollaidh as the road begins to drop down. The path is well made, and clearly visible from the road. There is a large opening at the opposite side of the road, but be careful not to block it as it is used for army exercises. The walk is 5 miles each way, and it is possible to leave a car at each end to shorten the walk.
From the road, you get a glimpse of the Western end of Loch Maree, but much better views unfold as you follow the path. The path drops down from the road, across a burn, then gently climbs up, through a gate - remember to secure it behind you - and then follows another small stream up into the hills, past a number of fairly small lochans. This area is currently being replanted with native trees, Scot's Pine etc, with around 4.5 million trees being planted in summer 2003!
A short section of the path near the top of the climb is a bit rocky, and the path seems to disappear, but keep going over the rock in the general direction of the path, and it appears again. From here the views along Loch Maree begin to appear, stopping here can take some time to get going again....To the south, over the nearby hills you can make out the tops of Beinn Eighe, Baosbheinn, and over the loch, Slioch. At the far end of the loch Glen Docherty climbs up from Kinlochewe.
From this high viewpoint, the path drops right down to the lochside, and winds through conifers towards the car park at Slattadale, near Victoria Falls. A couple of sandy coves here make for good swimming or lunch breaks. It's worth considering that it's a much bigger climb if you intend to walk all the way back again from here!