West Affric

West Affric is the wild upland at the western end of Glen Affric, bought by the National Trust for Scotland in 1993 and several hours' walk from the nearest road: peat bog, moorland and bare crags on the border with Kintail, threaded by the old drove road from Skye to Dingwall that is now the Affric Kintail Way. Trees for Life and the Trust are bringing back the native woodland, and birch and rowan are spreading; look for 4,000-year-old Scots pine stumps in the peat, black grouse, ptarmigan, mountain hares and golden eagles. There are no facilities; the Alltbeithe youth hostel and Camban bothy are the only shelter. Reviewers of the road-end car park say its waymarked river and viewpoint trails are a fine short taste, but the estate proper is a serious day on foot or by bike. Tips from visitors: the main paths cross burns that become impassable after heavy rain, midges and ticks peak in July and August, and there is no phone signal.