The ideal base for touring Skye, Lochalsh and the Western Highlands
The Glenshiel Area, Fly-fishing, Hill walking, Munros
Walking Holidays | Sports, Munros, Hillwalking in Scotland
A view of the Five Sisters of Kintail from
Mam Ratagan 
- The Five Sisters of Kintail, taken from the top of the road going over Mam Ratagan Pass to Glenelg.
- You can just see the wake of a local Prawn Creeler steaming across Loch Duich.
- Kintail Lodge Hotel is in the middle of the picture down on the far shore, indicated by white arrow (click on the picture to zoom in)
- On the left of the picture is the start of the 4-mile walk to the falls of Glomach.
- A few miles up the glen to the right of the picture is the site of the 1719 Battle of Glenshiel.
- Believe it or not, there was actually an eagle flying behind me, circling in the sky just out of shot when I took this photograph
Local Attractions & Places of Interest in the Area
Munros and Waterfalls...
Glen Shiel has some of the most rugged mountain scenery in the
Scottish Highlands and there are over 20 Munros within easy reach
of Kintail Lodge.
(For those who are not already 'in the know' a Munro is a hill in the
Scottish Highlands over 3000 ft (914.4 m) in height and which is deemed
to be a "separate mountain". Opinions are divided over the precise
number of Munros, with different sources quoting figures of between 277
and 285.)
See the bottom of this page for Munro
links.
The Saddle is one of the finest mountains in the area and its long ridge, known as the Forcan Ridge, must be one of the most exhilarating in the country. The North and the South Glen Shiel Ridges offer excellent, challenging days out for the experienced walker but most famous of them all is the Five Sisters of Kintail - a truly classic walk with picture postcard views and their western flanks that rise for over 1000m in one fell swoop.
For the less serious walker, the Falls of Glomach, one of the highest waterfalls in Britain at 310 ft, offers a nice day out with a good chance of seeing Golden Eagles and Deer.
These are just a few of the many high- and low-level walks in the area.
Brochs, Castles, Otters and Nessie...
At
Glenelg (10 miles) are two fine examples of Iron Age Brochs
(roughly 700BC - AD43) built by the Picts. These were built throughout
Scotland, generally near the coast, and acted as refuges during attack.
Eilean
Donan Castle (6 miles) is one of the most photogenic castles in Scotland.
Built in the 13th century as the principle seat of the MacKenzies of Kintail,
during the 1719 Jacobite rising the castle was battered to a ruin and
remained so for 300 years until Colonel MacRae-Gilstrap restored it around
100 years ago. More information
about Eilean Donan Castle...
General
Wade's Barracks, Glenelg, was built to house 300 soldiers. In 1724
General Wade reported to King George I that certain Highland Clans were
against him and advised the King on how to bring them into line. This
resulted in 'the clearances'. The ruins of General Wade's Barracks
can be seen to this day.
Author Gavin Maxwell has strong connections with Sandaig (12 miles). He wrote Ring of Bright Water, a story about an otter he called Mijbil. Towards the end of his life he lived on a small island - Eilean Ban - just off Kyleakin. This now has a visitors' centre and offers boat trips to see otters. Seals and other wild life can also be seen in the area.
Loch Ness with its world-famous monster, Nessie, is only a short drive away. The Exhibition Centre offers eye-witness accounts and photographs of the monster. Boat trips 'monster spotting' on the loch are also available. Visiting Urquhart Castle en route makes for a good day out.
 A view of Kintail Lodge Hotel on the shores of Loch Duich |
 The Black Cuillins from Elgol, Skye |
 Loch Alsh at twilight from above Eilean Donan Castle |
Sports in Scotland, Hill walking and Munro Links
We include here some links to web sites about sports in Scotland in general, hillwalking in Scotland and Munros in particular. Please note that these links are included for the convenience of visitors to this web site and we accept no responsibility for the content of any third-party web sites. Each link opens in a new browser window.
Munromagic - searchable database of Scottish peaks
Walkhighlands - an extensive range of route descriptions, with photos. Good for finding shorter walks.
Hillwalking
in Scotland - Connery's Scottish Walks
"Hillwalking throughout Scotland, the Connery way. From the Cairngorm
Mountains to Isle of Arran, from Pitlochry to Loch Lomond, from Greenock
to the Trossachs from Lochs to Glens."
This web site has a substantial walking section, concentrating on the munros with routes, maps etc..
