Wednesday 19/05/2023 Clachan Trail – Allean Forest
Loch Tummel, SCOTLAND
Participants: Caroline Davies, Paul Davies, Peter Davies, Sophie Davies, Stephen Davies, Sue Davies
This was an exciting day as it was the first time in seven years since our last trip to Scotland that we had the chance to walk with my brother and his family. Although a very short, easy walk on wide open tracks today it offered pleasant, cool walking conditions through the forest.
Max elevation: 319 m
Total climbing: 412 m
Total descent: -416 m
Average speed: 5.01 km/h
Total time: 01:26:05
The reconstructed 300-year farming settlement offers an insight into farm life at the time. It certainly looked to be a difficult work life with harsh living conditions. There were great views across the Tummel Valley from nearby.
Paul and Sophie at reconstructed 300 year farmhouse in Allean Forest
On signs
Failte do Choille Aillein
Clachan Trail
Climb steadily through varied forest to discover a 300-year old farming settlement and some superb views across the Tummel Valley.d
Mostly wide, firm gravel surface. Uneven grassy section with some muddy patches. Includes some fairly steep slopes. Look out for vehicles along well-used forest roads.
The Ruins among the Trees Before this hillside was sown with conifers, it was home to generations of farmers.
You can explore the remains of the buildings they left behind, now hidden among the trees.
Climb a waymarked trail to the ruined township of Lairig a’ Chaisteil – the Clachan – and look inside a reconstructed cottage abandoned in the 1800s. There is also a substantial Pictish homestead – the Ring Fort – that is a thousand years older.
Capercaillie
Tree felling stops during the capercaillie mating season, between March and July. If you’re lucky, you might hear the remarkable noises produced by male birds during their courtship displays.
Planting by Numbers
Allean Forest is a masterpiece of the forester’s art. Each species of timber-producing conifer has been expertly matched to its ideal soil type.
Look for tell-tale changes in forest-floor flora that correspond to different trees – grass, for instance, reveals dry, fertile ground well suited to firs. Wood sorrel shows that trees have grown here for centuries.
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