Tour Scotland, Slioch

To the north-west of Kinlochewe is the splendid Loch Maree which runs up towards the great sea-loch of Loch Ewe, to which it is connected by the river Ewe.

Surrounded on all sides by magnificent mountains, Loch Maree is some twelve miles long and in places is over two miles in width. The loch is thought by some to have been at one time a continuation of Loch Ewe. It is studded
with more than twenty delightful little islands which add greatly to its charm. To the south is Ben Eighe while on its north-western shores is an area of outstanding scenic beauty which includes survivors of the great fir trees that were once such a feature of the old Caledonian
Forest. On the Isle Maree is a well once believed to have magical properties. Bulls were sacrificed on the island in an ancient Druid tradition until the seventeenth century, and to add to the tally there is a wishing tree, an ancient
dead oak, into which pilgrims drove coins as offerings in the past. The island takes its name from Saint Maelrubha
who crossed from Ulster to Scotland in 671, founded a church at Applecross and had a hermitage on the island.

Chief among the mountains which rise from the loch’s eastern shore is mighty Slioch. It stands in splendid isolation, thus emphasising its grandeur. It reaches up to a height of 3,217 feet. Down its colourful and stately slopes can be seen the scars and fissures through which
streams tumble and roar after each great storm. Slioch is an impressive sight at every season of the year.

Behind Slioch is Lochan Fada which nestles between this mountain and the heights of Sgurr Ban which rise up to
3,194 feet in rugged splendour. Poolewe stands on the narrow neck of land between Loch Maree and Loch Ewe and is well equipped as a tourist centre. Loch Ewe itself has excellent salmon and sea-trout fishing and during both World Wars was used as an alternative base for
the great fleets from Scapa Flow.

Cutting into the land to the west of Poolewe is Gair Loch and a road winds around its sides passing through the
hamlets of Badachro and Opinan to Red Point which marks the northern extremity of the mouth of Loch Torridon.

On the north side of Upper Loch Torridon the dominant feature is the splendid bulk of Ben Alligin. With a height of 3,232 feet Ben Alligin is formed not of sandstone, but of Hebridean gneiss, and from it descends a magnificent burn, dropping from Coire Mhic Nobuil in a series of waterfalls flanked by heather and pine, which make one of the most beautiful sights in the Highlands.

North of Gair Loch the peninsula thrusts up to terminate at Ruba Reidh and the high moorlands of An Cuaidh
(971 feet). Near Poolewe, at the head of Loch Ewe, are Inverewe Gardens, one of the most magnificent displays of flora in the Highlands.

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