We’ve been incredibly busy over the last few months – so busy that one blog post a week hasn’t been enough to share everything that we’ve been up to! At the start of May we made the long drive up to Assynt in the North West Highlands. We’ve been up there a few times before and we always leave saying ‘we’ll have to come back soon’. It ended up being about two and a half years between visits this time, but it was still just as wild and ruggedly beautiful as we remembered. We were pretty lucky with the weather too: apart from a few drizzly days, we were able to spend nearly all of our time outside.
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Stac Pollaidh
Last time we were in this neck of the woods, Coal was still growing into his legs and we were limited to shorter, less strenuous walks. Stac Pollaidh was on my ‘would love to do it if we come back’ list, so on day one of our trip, with the weather vaguely-but-not-quite forecast to be dry, we pulled on our walking boots and set off to climb this small but dramatic hill. The route we followed was this circular of just under three miles from Walkhighlands, starting from the small free car park at the foot of the hill. When we arrived in late morning there were a few spaces but it was completely full by the time we got back – and I expect it fills up quickly in summer.
The route up Stac Pollaidh from the car park uses a good, easy to follow path. It’s a steady climb through a small wood and then open moor until you reach a fork, where you take the left hand branch to climb more steeply up to the summit ridge. There’s nothing too difficult about this, although we didn’t attempt to reach the true summit which definitely would have been a lot more technical!
Considering the forecast was looking a bit hit and miss when we set off, we were thrilled that it was clear enough to see the views on the way up. My favourite was the panorama across to Cul Mòr and Suilven – in fact, I probably spent more time stopped admiring this view than any other the whole week! Once we reached the top and took in the views from the summit, we returned down the way we’d come to the fork before turning left to continue around the mountain. It’s not long before the path changes, becoming grassier and boggier, and for this reason if I was to do the walk again I’d probably do it as a linear.
Dog friendly rating – 3.5/5. This is a great mountain dog walk if your dog isn’t up to a full day out in the hills, as you can get up and down in a few hours. There is no road walking, no stiles and we didn’t see any livestock (but that doesn’t mean that a sheep won’t appear at some point). We did keep ours on leads as there are some big drops once you get onto the summit ridge, and most of the other dog owners we saw seemed to have come to a similar conclusion.
Ben Hee
It was Sam’s turn to pick the next day, and not being one to go for the more popular walks he chose the nearby peak of Ben Hee. I’d never heard of this hill before, and as we set out from the parking area a kilometre from the start I had high hopes for a nice hill walk with a good track. We followed this seven mile circular route from Walkhighlands. As we picked up the path from the road, so far so good: however, soon we left this very nice track to start a grassy, boggy climb alongside a burn. It felt like this went on forever, and I was starting to get a bit sick of the unchanging sight of the burn and heather as we climbed steadily for what felt like hours. I was actually relieved when the terrain steepened and the path disappeared completely to be replaced by rocky scrub – at least I felt like we were getting nearer the target!
Not long after the path steepened, we started to be rewarded with some lovely views of the nearby hills. The only one we could name was Ben Stack, which we’d attempted to climb back in 2018 and then abandoned when the weather turned. Another long slog of a climb (I had to stop for a few snack breaks) and we finally reached the summit.
There’s a trig point at the top with a small windbreak, which we were incredibly grateful for as the wind was absolutely bloody freezing! We stopped here to eat our lunch and by the time we set off to make our descent I could barely move my fingers – a good reason to always make sure you’ve got gloves and a hat in your bag even in May.
Keep an eye out to the right as you begin your descent from Ben Hee for views over the Robber’s Pass – it’s possible to drop down in this direction and return along the track through this pass. However, we chose to stick to the Walkhighlands route which descends more directly in the direction of the start. In hindsight the Robber’s Pass, while a bit further, might have been a better route – the way we came down started out as rocky/heather, before turning into a steep heather/bog slope, all without a trace of a path. I spent a good hour picking bits of heather out of my boots that evening, which just goes to show the direct route isn’t always the easiest or the fastest.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. This walk was completely free of stiles and other dog obstacles, and it was just a short walk down a quiet road at the start and end of the walk. Following the burn for a long time means water is at hand, but once we left the burn we didn’t see any puddles. We also didn’t see any livestock so you could let your dog have a run off lead – just keep your eyes peeled for deer or any sheep who might’ve been lurking out of sight when we visited.
The Falls of Kirkaig
When I pick a walk from one of our Pocket Mountains guides, I know there’s a high chance that I’ll absolutely love the walk. This was definitely true of our walk to the Falls of Kirkaig, a linear walk of just over 4 miles altogether. The day dawned bright and sunny and it totally transformed the landscape: instead of bleak and rugged it was absolutely bursting with colour and life. I think this was my favourite walk of the entire week (although Sam was less bothered, not having any precipices to hang over).
Starting from the parking area at Inverkirkaig, the walk to the waterfall is an easy stroll along a good, clear track which is mostly flat. You walk through light woodland and above the river, before crossing open moorland to reach the top of the falls. We had the route totally to ourselves until we rounded the corner and found ourselves face to face with a red deer doe ambling along the path!
The guide book makes much of the climb down to the viewing point for the waterfall, and reading it before we set off worried me a little bit (doing anything attached to Merry, I always like to be able to have three points of contact if needed). To be honest though we didn’t think it was that bad, and if you’re used to Wainwright bagging in the Lake District there’s nothing on this path that would give you any cause for concern – it is very steep, but just pay attention to where you put your feet and go slowly if you need to. The best place to view the waterfall is about three quarters of the way down the path.
The Falls of Kirkaig themselves are wonderful – they were crashing down when we visited and we could feel the spray even from higher up the path. I’d say they are just as worth a visit as Wailing Widow Falls, but we only saw a few people making their way to the waterfall as we walked back. I think anything where you have to walk for more than 15 minutes from the car park does a sterling job at thinning out crowds!
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. This is a great dog walk (although if you have a dog prone to randomly lunging in any given direction like Merry you’ll need to be careful on the path to the falls). There were no stiles, no road walking and the river was accessible in one place to enable the dogs to have a swim. There are signs up along the path asking for dogs to be kept on a lead, which we respected – I always think how would I like it if loads of strangers let their dogs run around my garden?
Achnahaird Coastal Circuit
The Wednesday of our trip dawned grey and blustery. Consulting the forecast for the day, nowhere looked particularly good, but the area around Achnahaird Bay had the longest dry window and therefore we set out on this circular walk of just over five miles from Walkhighlands. Parking was free in a large lay-by/small car park near the start, and we set out on a grassy field track towards the bay.
You don’t actually walk along Achnahaird Bay, being separated from it by water, instead heading up onto the headland for good views over the bay. Continuing along the coast, the views ranged from ‘meh’ to ‘ooh’, with some nice vistas towards the mountains of Assynt, but there was nothing truly mind blowing. That being said it was a bit of a miserable day which never shows things off to their true potential!
For an easier coastal walk, this was actually pretty tough. The path veers from indistinct to invisible, with steep sections where you have to haul yourself up or scramble down. A highlight of the walk was a stop at Garvie Bay, a small sandy beach which we had entirely to ourselves (not surprising seeing as it took us an hour of rough walking to get to it). After a while it started to rain so we continued on our way with one last stretch to go. Unfortunately, here the path disappeared completely – I’m not sure if we missed it or if it’s just non-existent, but either way we ended up tramping through tussocky, boggy grass for over a mile in the rain. We were all very glad to see the road and to walk along the final stretch on tarmac!
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. There are some steep drops along the way so care is needed, but there were no stiles or other dog obstacles, and ours loved the opportunity to have a run around on the beach. We didn’t see any livestock, but that doesn’t mean you won’t: you should always be prepared to call your dog back at any moment (and be confident it will listen).
Culag Woods
If the weather on the Wednesday was a bit wet in the afternoon, the weather on Thursday was a bit wet all day. We had a brief weather window in mid-morning, so we made a break for it and went for a walk around Culag Woods in Lochinver: the logic being that at least if we did get caught out by the rain, the trees would provide a bit of shelter. We followed this short walk from Walkhighlands.
We parked for free in Lochinver and walked up to the woods. This must be great to have as a local dog walk, with a series of interconnecting paths which present lots of opportunity for mixing up your daily dog walk a bit. The route we followed took us to the pebbly ‘White Shore’ beach, where Sam had a great time on the rope swing, before doubling back to climb up to a view point. I will say the view point is mainly a clearing with the top of Suilven visible over the tops of the trees, but it was good to feel like we’d climbed a bit!
The walk only took us an hour, leaving us with plenty of time to have a mooch around in Lochinver. We always stop off at the Lochinver Larder to pick up a few pies when we’re over this way: it’s a nice easy tea with very little washing up! The shop isn’t dog friendly but they do pies to take away.
Dog friendly rating: 5/5. A woodland walk is always a safe bet for somewhere your dog will love, as well as being able to spend plenty of time off the lead. There were no stiles on the walk, and ours loved having a beach to have a paddle on. A beach and a forest in one walk, what more could a dog ask for?
Knockan Crag
Before we knew it, it was our last day and we were packing up to head home. Over the course of the week, and during previous trips, we’d driven past Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve a number of times and I was intrigued to see what was there: it seemed like a popular spot, with the car in front of us at this point usually turning off here.
We followed the way marked nature reserve trail, also in our Pocket Mountains guide to Wester Ross and Lochalsh, for a quick walk which took us less than an hour. Despite being short in length there are a few climbs to get your blood pumping, and some nice views over towards Stac Pollaidh and the surrounding mountains. I thought the view from the main path was actually better than the one from the view point!
There are information boards scattered along the trail which tell you a little about the history of the area, as well as the geology of the landscape. Knockan Crag is a bit different to most places, in that the layers of rock don’t start with the oldest at the bottom and finish with the newest at the top – there’s a lot of older rock higher up than the new rock. If you want to find out why, you’ll have to read the boards…
Dog friendly rating: 3.5/5. While there are no stiles or road walking on this walk, I’ve knocked off a few points mainly as it was one of the busier places we visited and the paths are so narrow it can be awkward navigating around people with a dog. I imagine this is less of a problem for people who don’t have reactive dogs like Coal!
Where we stayed
We spent the week in Woodcutter’s Cabin, one of the cabins at Kylesku Lodges. The lodge was comfortable, spacious and had everything we needed (although the water pressure in the shower was very low, but I think most places in this area will have the same problem). What really sets Kylesku apart though is the fantastic view over looking Loch Glendhu. We spent hours sat on our balcony or simply gazing out of the floor to ceiling windows: it really was the best view we’ve ever had from an accommodation, and it’ll take some beating.
If you do decide to visit Kylesku, you’ll need to bring your own tea, coffee, olive oil etc. This was the first time I didn’t take our own tea and coffee and sod’s law, it was the first time there wasn’t any!
Dog friendly rating: 3/5. While dogs are welcome in some of the lodges and there was plenty of space for us all, there is no enclosed area to let them out for a wee and sheep roam the site. Additionally, and the reason this is a 3/5 and not a 4/5, there’s a charge of £30 per dog per week – which added £60 onto our bill. I am always happy to pay extra for the dogs to come, but usually most places charge between £10-20 per dog per week: this was a bit more than the average, with less of the dog friendly touches than we’ve found in other places that charge less (I’m looking at you, Mable’s Cottage).
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