Standing at the Dores end of Loch Ness, you can’t see the other end of the water, and that feels magical to me. It seems to go on and on, with the hills and forests rising on either side. Here are some suggestions for exploring those hills and forests, and getting more of a sense…
Farigaig Forest is on the south side of Loch Ness, near Foyers. In all honesty, this was one of the less inspiring walks of those we have done around Loch Ness. The upper reaches of the forest have recently been felled, and the landscape is rather desolate. There is one viewpoint over Loch Ness, and…
Loch Moy is one of the larger freshwater lochs near Inverness, but it is pretty much invisible from nearby roads. The start and end of this circular walk are rather dull, along the roadside pavement in Moy, but the spectacular walk along the far side of Loch Moy more than makes up for this. Distance:…
Allt Na Criche is a burn running up into the hills above Fort Augustus. The name means ‘the boundary stream’. The surrounding forest is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, and there are a number of paths to explore. The Great Glen Way also passes through here. From the upper part of the walk you…
Waterproof footwear for pre-walkers: there aren’t many options out there! What should you put on your baby’s feet in the winter in the baby carrier? How about if they want to crawl or cruise outside when it is wet? In this post I’m going to be reviewing the various baby winter footwear options that we…
Finding good children’s winter gloves is surprisingly hard. They need to be warm and dry, they need to stay on for as long as possible, they need to be easy to put on again when they inevitably fall off or are pulled off. And ideally, they would let kids retain some use of their hands…
This walk takes in the iconic view from Dores Beach, and then continues around the shore of Loch Ness to reach Aldourie Castle, a 17th century laird’s house. Distance: We walked about 4.2 miles / 6.8km but it is possible to do much shorter walks, or indeed longer walks if you prefer. There are several…
Outdoor nursery is an appealing prospect in the summer, but in the winter it can be rather daunting! Keeping warm and dry makes all the difference. I’ve been doing outdoor playgroups or had children in outdoor nursery for five winters, so as a family we’ve had a lot of practice at layering up for winter…
Culloden Wood is a popular walking area a little to the west of the battlefield site. There are some interesting sites to visit in the woods, including a ‘Clootie Well’ and the prisoners stone, where Jacobite prisoners from the battle of Culloden may have been executed. Culloden is a bit higher up than Inverness and…
Our family loves to walk! I do find that a proper walking shoe really helps my children to enjoy our hikes. I am mostly looking for grippy soles to give kids good traction in the wet and muddy conditions we have in Scotland. I also want shoes that are robust and durable so that they…
