Heritage Path of the Month.
Inverie to Glen Dessary Path is our Heritage Path of the Month for June 2025, click here to view the details
More about the Inverie to Glen Dessary Path:
Start from the end of the public road near Strathan. Go up the private road on the north side of Glen Dessary past Glendessary Lodge and Upper Glendessary. About 2km west of Upper Glendessary, take the path above the forest to cross the Allt Coire nan Uth (if in spate, use the bridge downstream, which is out of the sight of the path) and continue to the top of the pass, the Bealach an Lagain Duibh (310m), about 8km from Strathan. Continue west along a very rough path through the narrow defile of the Mam na Cloich’ Airde, then by a better path down to Sourlies bothy (MBA) at the head of Loch Nevis. Then go along the flat sandy shore at low tide, or over the headland at high tide, to reach the grassy flats at the outflow of the River Carnach, and cross the river by a bridge* near the ruins of Carnoch village. From Carnoch, climb steeply northwest on a good path to a high pass, the Mam Meadail (550m), then down Gleann Meadail to cross the Inverie River and join the Old Road to Kinloch Hourn, turning west along which leads down to Inverie.
OS Landranger 33 (Loch Alsh, Glen Shiel & Loch Hourn)
This old track appears in a number of old maps – the section from Loch Nevis to Loch Arkaig is depicted as a double lined road in John Thomson’s Atlas of Scotland (1832). The path descending to the head of Loch Nevis was well constructed and at one place was even paved. It is probable it was built at the time of the herring boom on the north-west coast when Loch Nevis was an important fishing ground, and the path was used by ponies carrying barrels of herring to the markets further south. The northern section of this route may have been used less, so may have not been in a good enough condition for Thomson to have included in his atlas.
*In 2019, a new bridge replaced the suspension footbridge (NM865964) over the River Carnach which following deterioration and damage had been closed and removed the previous year. The bridge was rebuilt by the Camusrory Estate with contributions from ScotWays, the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, Mountaineering Scotland, the Mountain Bothies Association, the Donald Bennet Memorial Fund and others.
More about Heritage Paths:
Learn about the history of some of the oldest transport routes in Scotland. Heritage Paths records the history of over 400 routes that criss-cross the Scottish landscape. From Roman Roads to Military Roads, find out how the route you are following came into being.
As well as historical information, you’ll find a modern-day route description along with start and finish details. Change the background mapping in our interactive viewer and time travel along your favourite Heritage Path from 1843 to today.