Flowerdale.
Start. Charlestown.
Route. Charlestown - Flowerdale - Flowerdale House - Flowerdale Waterfall - Old Road - Old Bridge - Charlestown.
Notes. Come take a short walk with us through a delightful sheltered glen, we'll let way-marked paths guide us to a splendid Highland waterfall before picking our way back through chest high vegetation to join the old road from the south. Occupants of Flowerdale House since 1738 the Mackenzies of Gairloch christened the glen Flowerdale because of the vast amount of flora adorning the valley.
Our day started in the car park at the entrance to the glen, the tarmac lane soon gave way to well maintained foot paths. Passed a large pond we wandered, then Flowerdale House, red way-marks and the odd sign directed us to Flowerdale Waterfall. Once at this small (by highland standards) but spectacular cascade the path got rougher, we climbed above the fall to access a foot-bridge before descending the opposite bank of the burn. With good paths under foot and spectacular views over Loch Gairloch we descended to a forest track, turned left to make the short ascent to a small bridge and foot-path marked with blue way-marks. We descended through chest high bracken, or in Sues case head high, a faint path under foot and every so often blue way-marks to re-assure us we were still on track, what seemed like miles passed but can have only been half a mile before we stepped onto the old road leading from the south to Gairloch. This track redundant since the 19th century guided us via the Old Inn back to our starting point.
The Old Inn, Charlestown, with the cliffs of Sithean Mor rising behind.
The pond passed en route.
View taken up Flowerdale.
Flowerdale Waterfall, not so spectacular by Highland standards.
From the north bank of the burn super views over Loch Gairloch.
We've crossed the burn, here is another view over Loch Gairloch.
Our route down the glen.
Spot the blue way-marker, no we couldn't find it either, what we can see are the cliffs of Meall Achadh Deisteil, we plunged on down the hill regardless.
Sue's not posing for the picture, she's standing on a sizable rock to see over the bracken.
Views from the valley floor, low cloud kisses the summit of An Groban with Sithean Mor to the right.
Under cloud An Groban, look closely you can just make out Flowerdale Waterfall.
The Old Road, until the 19th century the main route from the south.