Fisherfield Forest
The Dundonnell and Fisherfield Forest covers a large
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
ous area of
Wester Ross in the
Northwest Highlands of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, lying between
Loch Maree and
Little Loch Broom
Loch Broom ( gd, Lochbraon, "loch of rain showers") is a sea loch located in northwestern Ross and Cromarty, in the former parish of Lochbroom, on the west coast of Scotland. The small town of Ullapool lies on the eastern shore of the loch.
Li ...
. It is sometimes nicknamed ''The Great Wilderness'', as the area is entirely devoid of permanent settlements.
Although termed a ''forest'' the area has very few trees. It is in fact a
deer forest; an area maintained by the owners primarily for
deer stalking. Three estates cover the principal area of the forest. Dundonnell Estate (134 km
2) covers the northwest part of the forest, including the northwestern flanks of
An Teallach
An Teallach (Scottish Gaelic for 'the forge' or 'the anvil') is a mountain group in Wester Ross, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It lies west of Dundonnell Forest, north of Loch na Sealga, and south of Little Loch Broom. Its highest peak ...
, whilst Eilean Darach estate covers 262 km
2 in the northeast, including the northeast flank of An Teallach. The majority of the area, including all the southern and central sections, forms the 323 km
2 Letterewe
Letterewe is a large estate of several tens of thousands of acres on the north-eastern shore of Loch Maree, South-East of Poolewe, in Wester Ross, Scotland. It is one of the wildest, most remote and least populated areas in the United Kingdom.
Th ...
estate.
Mountains
Three of the most famous mountains in the area are
An Teallach
An Teallach (Scottish Gaelic for 'the forge' or 'the anvil') is a mountain group in Wester Ross, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It lies west of Dundonnell Forest, north of Loch na Sealga, and south of Little Loch Broom. Its highest peak ...
, which lies to the southwest of
Dundonnell
Dundonnell (Gaelic: Achadh Dà Dhòmhnaill) is a village in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, on the south side of Little Loch Broom and at the foot of An Teallach, right at the north of the area commonly known as the " Great Wilderness". It is situat ...
,
A' Mhaighdean
A' Mhaighdean is one of the least accessible of the munros in northern Scotland. It is north of Kinlochewe but most easily accessible from Poolewe, taking a private road South East (pedestrian & bicycle access only) to Kernsary. A good track the ...
, which rises northwest of
Lochan Fada, and
Slioch, which rises north of
Loch Maree, near
Kinlochewe. There is a
bothy
A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Sco ...
at Shenavall, and it is used occasionally by
hill walkers crossing the area or to climb An Teallach.
Lochs and rivers
Fionn Loch
Fionn (, ) is a masculine given name in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. In English, it is pronounced "Finn" ( ) or "Fee-on" ( ). It is derived from a byname meaning "white" or "fair-haired". It is the modern variant of Old and Middle Irish: Find and Fin ...
is the largest in the forest proper. Other lochs include Loch na Sealga, Lochan Fada and Loch a' Bhraoin.
Rivers in the forest include the
Dundonnell River
The Dundonnell River is a river in Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands.
The river rises in a lochan on the slopes of Meall Dubh, before flowing north into the Dundonnell Forest. The A832 road follows its course roughly NNW, before the ...
, Gruinard River, Little Gruinard River and Uisge Toll a' Mhadaidh.
See also
*
Little Gruinard
The Little Gruinard is a river in Wester Ross, Scotland which runs from the Fionn Loch into Gruinard Bay (famed for Gruinard Island). It lies within the Letterewe Estate, previously owned by Paul Fentener van Vlissingen, a Dutch businessman. It ...
References
{{Highland-geo-stub
