Donich Glen.
Start. Shore Road car park, Lochgoilhead.
Route. Shore Road - Hall Road - Arboretum - Cowal Way - Donich Falls - Inveronich - Hall Road - Shore Road.
Notes. Another wash out, another day of wind and rain, we found ourselves in Lochgoilhead cocooned between high mountains and low cloud. We'd scanned the map sheet, thumbed through the pages of our little guide book and come up with another wander through the woods. The words in the guide book rang in my ears as I tried to persuade myself this was a good idea, “although this is quite a short walk it gives a good introduction to the area”. So come lets get the introduction over with.
The rain was playing bongo's on my hood as we headed up Hall Road, through the Arboretum car park we wandered to enter conifer woodland, a way marked path guided us to a forest track, we turned right letting the track lead us out of the woodland. Through rain soaked spectacles a metal gate appeared at the top of a low rise, we turned left without passing through said gate, we now had the Cowal Way under foot, a 57 mile footpath starting at Portavadie near Cowal ending at Inveruglas on the shores of Loch Lomond. It guided us up hill back into the shelter of a pine plantation. Along forest tracks we walked the sound of water growing louder with every step, suddenly without warning we emerged at the confluence of two burns, a staggering waterfall plunged from the high fell side, the noise was deafening, any doubts from earlier completely washed away in an instance. Happy now we crossed the two foot bridges before ascending above the falls, at a path junction we turned left to start the long descent back to the glen floor. Gaps in the trees gifted us with misty views to the mountains above Lochgoilhead, too soon we found ourselves at Inveronich wandering round the farm buildings to join a way-marked path that would guide us back.
Rising from the western shore of Loch Goil, Cruach nam Miseag.
Seen from the car park Bealach an Lochain between the slopes of Cruach nam Miseag and Beinn Lochain.
Path through the Arboretum.
Views over Loch Goil.
Looking over Loch Goil from the Cowal Way.
Cruach nam Miseag is fast disappearing into the murk, we're about to vanish into the pine plantation....
.... to be greeted by this, Donich Falls, a noisy exhilarating corner of the forest..
The waters of Allt Airigh na Creige and Allt Coire Odhair meet at this spot to form the Donich Water.
The waters of the Allt Airigh na Creige.
Our way ahead, at least Sue thinks so.
A gap in the trees gifts us with views to The Steeple.
A glimpse of Loch Goil from the track guiding us off the hill.
Stob na Boine Druim-Fhinn as seen from near Inveronich.
From the lane leading to Inveronich views to Stob an Eas.
The Donich Water.