Glen Cannich Drove Road

Start location: Iron Lodge (NH 042 294)
End location: Liatrie (NH 252 327)
Geographical area: Ross and Cromarty
Path Type: Drove Road
Path distance: 23km
Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians

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Route Description

From Liatrie, head west along the public road to the Loch Mullardoch dam and follow the north shore of the loch. The path is intermittent and can in places be rough and difficult, especially between the Allt Mullardoch and the Allt Taige. There is no bridge over the River Taige, making it very difficult or impossible to cross when in spate. From there a well-defined track for the next 5km goes to the Allt Socrach which is bridged at a fank.
The route then heads south to round a spur about 90m above the loch and keep along the lochside to the Allt Coire Lungard and the start of a rough track leading to Iron Lodge.  Continue along this track past the mud-flats which disfigure the landscape when the water level of the loch is low, and go along the north side of the glen to the summit (330m) close to Loch an Droma.  Descend 1km to the bridge at Iron Lodge, from where a private road goes down Glen Elchaig to Killilan.

OS Landranger 25

Heritage Information

The route through Glen Cannich is mentioned as having been heavily used by drovers by Haldane in The Drove Roads of Scotland and the route also appears in old maps like the first edition OS 6 inch to the mile maps. The raising of the level of Loch Mullardoch as a result of the hydro development in the 1950s submerged most of the original path which had run in the main close to the lochshore. However, a new intermittent path has developed and so the general line of this historic route can still be followed today.

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