A long remote loch running down from Glenfinnan into wild country, with steep quiet hills rising straight from the water
Loch Shiel runs southwest from Glenfinnan for around seventeen miles, and for most of its length there is no road along it at all. That is part of the appeal. Steep, quiet hills drop straight into fresh water, and there is a real sense of getting away from things.
The area covers 130 km². The hills on either side are wild and little-visited — Sgurr Ghiubhsachain and Beinn Odhar Bheag above the loch, Carn na Nathrach back in the Ardgour hills. None of them come easily.
This is remote, largely pathless ground, a long way from help. The walking suits people happy with navigation and big days, and weather off the west coast can be wet and quick to change. For a gentler taste, the north end around Glenfinnan is easy to reach and worth the trip on its own.
