Autumn Backpacking in Glen Affric

Mists, clouds, colours

Glen Affric in autumn is glorious. Actually, Glen Affric is always glorious, but it’s especially so in autumn due to the colours of the trees and grasses. Mists often drift round the peaks and the sun is lower than in summer, giving wonderful side lighting.

View along Glen Affric at the start

This year my autumn visit was a three-night trip in the company of Tony Hobbs and his dog Bella. Starting late one afternoon we walked along the Affric Kintail Way for a few kilometres until we found a grassy spot to camp just as it grew dark. The sky was overcast but the colours of the birches were deep and rich.

Tony in the undergrowth

The sky was still cloudy at dawn but there were hints of blue and bursts of sunshine as we started up the steep narrow overgrown path beside the rushing waters of the Allt Garbh. At times the dense undergrowth of bracken, heather and saplings gave the ascent a jungle-like feel.

Out in the open

The sky began to clear as we climbed out of the trees and the views opened up. The light was lovely. It didn’t last though and the sky was overcast again as we turned into the upper glen. Our intended hill for the day, Aonach Shasuinn, was shrouded in dark cloud and the steep climb into the clag didn’t look appealing. Staying in the light seemed more attractive so we continued up the glen, hoping to find somewhere to camp at its head.

Bursts of sunshine

We didn’t get that far. The path became an estate track, the estate track disintegrated into a boggy mess. Somewhere I tweaked a calf muscle and was limping painfully so when Tony pointed to a large flat grassy area down by the river and thought we should camp there I didn’t disagree and we were soon pitching our tents.

Relaxing in camp

There was no wind and it wasn’t very cold so we sat outside watching the clouds and the hills and listening to stags roaring on the hillsides, the sound of autumn. The night was chilly though, the temperature falling to just below freezing, as it had the night before.

Red sky in the morning

Dawn came with a fiery sky but by the time we were packing up it was overcast again, the tops hidden. Rather than continue up to the head of the glen we decided to make a rising traverse to the low point on the ridge that lay above our camp. The way up was rough, steep, and boggy, and not good for my sore calf so I was glad when we reached the top. It was enough climbing for me for the day.

Bella & Tony on the tough ascent

A cold breeze swept the ridge so we dropped down a little way searching for somewhere calm and not too boggy to sit for a while, eventually settling on a lovely, dry, gently sloping, striped rock. The view out over Glen Affric to the big hills on the far side was spectacular even though the clouds remained down on the tops. 

We recorded a little video chat while we were there.

Not far from our rock we picked up a steep path that led down into Glen Affric. This path was ingeniously designed, zigzagging across the slope, and curving round little cliffs, to take the sting out of what could be a challenging descent. I love paths like this! They feel almost a natural part of the landscape, fitting into its shape and contours. They’re hard to see from any distance and leave as little mark as it’s possible for a path to do.

Tony on the path down

My delight in the path distracted me from my sore calf and as we descended further distraction came from the skies clearing to cast a wonderful light over the mountains, the glen, and the lochs. It was magnificent.  

Clearing skies, glowing landscape

The lower section of the path was muddy and slippery and I had to concentrate or my feet rather than the views. Even so without my trekking poles I’d have been on my backside a few times. Once we reached the wide track of the Affric Kintail Way the tough walking was over and we could admire the autumn colours.

Glen Affric from the lower part of the descent

We had hoped to camp soon after reaching the glen but found nowhere suitable until we were back where we’d been two nights before. It was a good site so we were happy to stay here again.

Last morning

Overnight the weather changed, a change we knew was forecast. I was woken in the dark by rain rattling on the tent. It was still coming down at dawn. The pressure had fallen 10mb since the previous morning. The temperature had been 1°C at 1.30 a.m. An hour later it was 4°, by dawn 7°.  A rapid change.

Packing up in the rain

We packed up and walked back to the car in the rain. The colours of the woods were still wonderful, the clouds wreathing the summits mysterious. We hadn’t climbed the hills we had intended but that wasn’t the real reason we were there. Immersing ourselves in nature and experiencing the beauty of Glen Affric in autumn was what mattered and we had done that.