The Affric Kintail Way (AKW) is an official Scotland’s Long Distance Route. It’s 71 km (44 miles) long and split in 4 sections; you can find details of the route here http://affrickintailway.com and here https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochness/affric-kintail-way.shtml
Those websites are very clear and you can use them to organize your trip. The route is signed from time to time and you can’t get lost, but we recommend having the official map with you. Our aim here is to give you some advice based on our own experience.
What we did
- We split the walk in 4 days.
- We slept in Drumnadrochit the night before setting off.
- We then had three night out camping and came back to Drumnadrochit by bus for a good shower and a deserved rest.
- We took the CityLink from Ault-na-Chruinn (on A87) to Drumnadrochit at 19:03. There is no bus stop so wait along A87 at the crossing, on the grass in front of Jac-o-Bite pub and wave when you see the bus approaching from your right – click here for buying tickets.
Where we slept
In Drumnadrochit, we slept at Eastlea Guest House: perfect location, very clean and comfy (£40 per night).
In Cannich, we camped at Cannich Woodland Camping (£9 per night each)
In Loch Affric Circuit Car Park, we found a spot for the tent next to the bridge.
The third and last night we stopped at Camban Bothy (click here to find our more about bothies in Scotland) and place the tent next to it.
Day 1
You will walk from Drumnadrochit to Cannich. The path is wide and easy but, unfortunately, you will end up walking along the public road A831 for 7 km. This part is very boring and quite dangerous.
Day 2
You will walk from Cannich to Loch Affric Circuit Car Park. When you leave Cannich Woodland Camping, turn left towards the village and walk till the bridge, there you need to take the road in the middle which go uphill – if you turn left you’ll get to Spar supermarket and the only pub in the village.
Keep walking uphill till you find the AKW sign to turn left into the wood. This part of the path will lead you to Dog’d Falls car park; it’s going to take you about 2 hours. You’ll mainly walk on a large unpaved road and then take a little path on the left for the last half hour – it’s marked but you need to be careful to spot the AKW sign.
Once at Dog’s Falls car park, enjoy a break along the river and then continue after the bridge. Here you will walk for about 3 hours along the lake – Loch Beinn a’Mheadhoin. You won’t see the lake though because of the trees. You can just enjoy three viewpoints overall… we were a bit disappointed actually.
Day 3
You will first walk along Loch Affric; then keep your right along River Affric to continue in Glen Affric.
Where to stop will be up to you! We weren’t tired so we left Alltbeithe Hostel behind us and walked up till Camban Bothy. This third day was lovely! You are into the wild and can fully enjoy nature.
Day 4
You’ll wake up in the middle of nowhere ready to get to Morvich. This last day was the best in our opinion because of its remoteness and breathtaking landscape.
We stopped for lunch along the path in front of what on google maps are named Waterfall on Allt Grannda; such a gorgeous stop!
The path will then lead you down to Gleann Lichd and its River Croe. This last part will take you about 2 hours. Once in Morvich, walk for other 20 minutes to get to the A87 and catch the bus to Drumnadrochit.
Sections of AKW: one- or two-day trips
Is a 4-day trek too much? We recommend three alternatives:
- You can enjoy the beauty of Glen Affric doing only Day 3, having as starting and ending point Loch Affric Circuit Car Park.
- You can just do Day 4 from Morvich to Camban Bothy and then back.
- You can do Day 3 and Day 4 enjoying a night out camping staring either from Loch Affric Circuit Car Park or Morvich – but we are afraid you’ll need to retrace your steps as no public transport go to Loch Affric Circuit Car Park.
- Never hiked in Scotland? No problem, have a look at our article for some tips =)
