Walking

Dell Estate - whether you are planning a family gathering, a special occasion, a fishing or shooting party, or just a quiet time away in the Highlands - Dell is the perfect place for your Scottish holiday

Dell Estate
Walking

Dell is a beautiful place, described as a ‘jewel’ by Scotland’s main land agent. When you walk here, you’ll know why. Feel free to walk wherever you wish but please follow a few rules: go well-equipped (especially on the high ground), close all gates, keep your dog under close control and take your litter home with you. If you go alone, make sure someone knows where you are (especially if you attempt the high ground to the south of Whitebridge).

The choice is endless!
Suggested Walks

Walk 1: Around the policies (15 minutes - 1 hour)
Walk 2: Cluanie woods - Loch Lurin (1 hour)
Walk 3: Loch Kemp (40 minutes)
Walk 4: The Kemp Burn & Gorge (2.5 hours)
Walk 5: Loch Ness (1 hour from the parking place)
Walk 6: Loch Paiteag - extension: Torr Paiteag (1 hour)
Walk 7: Falls of Foyers - gorge extension (3 hours)
Walk 8: Breinag Gorge (2 hours from Ardochy)
Walk 9: Meall an Tarsaid (4 hours)
Walk 10: The Monadhliaths (2 hours plus)

Around the policies

The policies are the gardens of Scottish country houses. At Dell, a short walk takes you to the house lochan (at the rear of Garden Cottage), the rhododendron woods to the front of the house and, for good views, up the grassy bank to the west of the house. For a longer walk, take the main driveway towards the Fechlin river and loop back through the forestry by the entrance track. Otters are seen here.

Cluanie Woods

These are the woods beyond the shelter belt just to the north of the house. Take the main track towards Loch Kemp. Bear right towards the woods up the grassy bank by the partridge pen (Loch Cluanie will be on your left). Then either walk through the woods or on the higher ground to the north of the woods for the beautiful view over Loch Lurin. Turn right back through the woods and head back to the house.

Loch Kemp

You can drive to Loch Kemp, but why not walk? This is a fairly flat walk, taking in views of Loch Cluanie on the way, with a chance of Roe and Sika deer as well as numerous birds. Take time out to enjoy the view of our biggest loch, Kemp, at the fishing hut. Try for a fish yourself, or keep an eye out for Ospreys which hunt for trout here. You can walk right round the loch (1 hour, no track) for a chance of Otters and water birds, including Divers.

Kemp Burn & Gorge

Take the track from the fishing hut up the hill. When you get to the Kemp Burn ford, follow it all the way down to Loch Ness. The going gets steep in places, but the beautiful birch woods with their numerous birds make it very worthwhile. Leave enough time for the more strenuous return trip. The spur road off to the right above Loch Choin Ure takes you towards another superb view of the whole of Loch Ness.

Loch Ness

Take the track (steep in places, but OK for 4x4s if you go carefully) all the way to the far west end of the estate and park among the bracken near the deer high seat. Stop on the way for spectacular views over the estate and Loch Ness towards Invermoriston. Follow the path which tracks the burn all the way down to the ‘big loch’, where there is a small beach where you can spend time fishing, having a BBQ (please take care not to start an unwanted fire) or just chilling out. The extension 5a takes you up to the ‘Char Loch’ (Lochan Nan Nighean), where there are Arctic Char to catch. The two spurs off this track also have excellent views.

Loch Paiteag & Whitebridge Forest

It is easy to drive to Paiteag, but again, why not walk? There is a good circular route. Walk out of Dell House keeping the small lochan at the rear of the garden on your right. Head up the grassy hill towards the deer gate at Whitebridge Forest. Go through the gate, and turn right. Follow the forest track until the first main branch to the right. Turn right. At the next branch left (down the hill), follow that route. This will bring you out to the spectacular Loch Paiteag. There is a grassy bank for your picnic and boats for fishing (rainbow trout, fly only). Please use lifebelts if you go in the boats. For the more ambitious, either boat across or walk round, and climb up Torr Paiteag opposite for really wonderful panoramic views. Look out for Red Squirrels, Pine Martens, Crested Tits and Crossbills in the woods.

There are forest tracks all through the woods for further walks at your leisure, including a track down to Whitebridge for a pint in the Hotel and views of the General Wade bridge which gives Whitebridge its name. You can then take the main estate track back to the house.

Falls of Foyers (Gorge Extension)

This is quite a long walk, but is fairly flat and has the advantage of a truly spectacular conclusion – the famous 150-foot falls at Foyers, Take the track from the house which runs eastwards towards the farm (away from Whitebridge). Follow this all the way past the farm and towards the Fechlin river, with lovely views all the way. At the eastern end of the estate, be sure to follow the track towards the kissing gate through the Forestry Commission woods. Keep to the track all the way to Foyers village, where you turn left. Follow the signs to the falls. Retrace your steps for the return journey, or get someone to pick you up in the village if you’ve walked enough!

For views/fishing, try the short extension to the Fechlin Gorge by following the river all the way instead of the track. Be sure to go through the kissing gate when you get to the end of the estate at the Forestry Commission woods.

The Breinag Burn

Drive or walk to Ardochy (through Whitebridge in the Fort Augustus direction, turn first left after the village and first right, with the mountains on your left). Park on the left at the deer gate. Go through the gate and walk up the hill, following the track. When the cattle fence stops on your right, head right towards the hidden burn. Follow the burn (moderately hard going in places) up the hill for spectacular views down the small gorge, with waterfalls, deer and many birds all the way. Bear left up to the ‘double burns’, or at any time, bear left to re-join the track back down to the car. The turbine house of the Dell Hydro Scheme is at the foot of the Double Burns, with the dams some 200m above. This is a 350kW scheme, commissioned in December 2015.

Meall an Tarsaid

This mountain (pron. ‘male an tarshed’) is the rounded one that overlooks Whitebridge. You can climb this from either side (the Killin road side or the Ardochy side). It is moderately strenuous, but rewards you with wonderful views over Whitebridge down Stratherrick. Surrounding the hill are 450,000 trees planted in 2012-14, forming a new mixed forest with mostly native species, including a lot of broadleaves, plus a core of Sitka Spruce for timber.

The Monadhliaths

This is the mountain range between Loch Ness and the Grampian Mountains to the south. The estate’s hydro-electric scheme dams are on your right as you rise into Coire Dubh – this captures the water from the two small burns and channels them to the turbine 200m below in Glenbrein. Dell’s southern boundary is Carn Easgann (780m) for good views over the massive hydro scheme on neighbouring Glendoe estate. There are chances of Golden Eagles, Black and Red Grouse, Ptarmigan, Merlin and red deer all the way.

The walks here are almost endless. As with all high ground, be sure you are properly equipped, and that someone knows where you are.