Dappled Glen and Loch Affric through the Silver Birches

Glen Affric is still home to one of the largest remnants of the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest that once covered much of the Highlands. This classical blend of natural forest, shimmering loch and rugged hill, has inspired many Victorian artists, and the ‘Monarch of the Glen’ painted by Landseer was set amidst this fine panorama. Often described as the most beautiful glen in Scotland, Glen Affric stretches for some 30 miles from Kintail in the west to within a couple of miles of Cannich in Strathglass. Glen Affric was part of the Chisholm Clan lands from the 15th to the mid 19th centuries. For centuries, timber had been extracted from Glen Affric for shipbuilding and also for fuelling the iron smelters of the Industrial Revolution – a sawmill was built in the Glen in 1750 by Roderick Chisholm reflecting the scale of the operation.

Recognising the importance of Glen Affric to the nation, the Forestry Commission purchased a large part of the Glen in 1951 – the remainder being part of a number of sporting estates or in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.