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Brecklet Trail

  • Great views of Loch Leven
  • The start of the Brecklet Trail in Ballachuish Quarry
  • The well defined path near start of the walk
  • One of the quarry lochans
  • Quarry face and lochan
  • The slate path heading into the hills
  • The path skirting a larch plantation
  • Rowan berries- a good food source for blackbirds, redwings and fieldfares
  • Slate picnic bench at viewpoint
  • The path heads into dense plantation
  • One of the deserted houses now home to ferns, mosses and lichens
  • The tarmac track in Brecklet

Details

A lovely walk, mainly through plantation, on a well defined path, with some stunning views of the surrounding hills and of Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe.  The route starts at the former Ballachulish Slate Quarry and returns through the lovely village of Ballachulish.

The walk passes initially through a section of gorse scrub, with Calluna vulgaris–Erica cinerea heath, and rough pasture/meadow.    The latter is variously hued with yellows, whites, pinks, blues and purples of creeping buttercup, primrose, wild strawberry, cranesbills, lady smock, vetches, bluebell, self heal and knapweed, to mention but a few, according to season.

The walk then passes through some lovely sections of larch and spruce plantation, whose trunks and branches strewn are with Parmelion and Usneion assemblages of lichens.  The ground flora nearer the edges consists of a lovely mix of male, butler and shield ferns (Dryopteris and Polystichum spp), tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa), wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), wood sage (Teucrium scorodonia) and hard fern (Blechnun spicant), together with a rich moss flora of Tamarisk-moss(Thuidium tamariscinum), Dicranum, Sphagnum, Hypnum and  Polytrichum species.

The walk passes by a small abandoned settlement, whose roofless, mass masonry building are now only home to maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes), wall rue (A. ruta muraria), Hart’s tongue (A. scolopendrium) and wall pennywort (Umbilicus rupestris), with patches of opposite-leaved golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium and male ferns (Dryopteris spp) in the wetter microclimates.

Look out for raptors, heathland birds and woodland birds including ‘conifer specialists’ such as siskin, coal tit, redpoll and gold crest.

A very pleasant and interesting walk.

Route Details

1. Park at the Tourist Information Centre car park and walk by the toilets to the loop road.  Cross the road to a wooden gate with a wooden obelisk and two interpretation boards, sited at the old Ballachulish Quarry.  Pass through gate and follow the sighs to the Brecklet Trail (2miles). 

2. Take the route as signposted ascending gradually along a slate track, lined with alder (Alnus glutinosa), grey alder (Alnus incana), birch, willow, ash and rowan.   The path emerges onto gorse scrub with Calluna vulgaris–Erica cinerea heath and rough meadow. 

At this stage good views are afforded of the slate quarry and its steep sided deep blue green lochans on the left, with and the village of Ballachulish, Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe against a mountainous backdrop to the right.

3. Pass through a deer gate to skirt a larch plantation, passing by a slate picnic bench on the left; the latter affording lovely views of Ballachulish, Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe.  The path now heads into spruce plantations whose trunks and branches are variously strewn with lichens, bryophytes and epiphytic ferns according to light and moisture levels.  This is a lovely enchanted section of the walk, with several small ascents and descents on route.

4. The path veers left by an old stone wall (dyke), where there is a welcome bench, ascending slightly. The path soon begins to descend gently again through the plantation and crosses a small stream before passing by a small abandoned settlement and then back into dense plantation.  There are several small stream crossing on route before the track eventually emerges from the plantation, to a small open area, dominated by grassy heath, skirting plantation on the right and a deciduous woodland fringe and stream on left side. 

5. Turn right when you reach a T-junction with a forest track and descend along the track to the Brecklet and Ballachulish.

6. Pass through a metal gate onto a tarmac track passing by some houses and St Munda’s Church (Glencoe) and St Mun’s Church in Brecklet.

7. Turn right where the tarmac track reaches the road. At the end of the road, turn right again and head back to the Tourist Information Centre.

 

Location

starting grid ref: 

NN084584

Links to useful information

  • Ballachulish Slate Quarry
  • Church of St Munda CANMORE
  • Church of St Munda British Listed Buildings

grade: 

  • easy

terrain: 

path and road

length: 

2.9km (1.8 miles)

Type: 

  • circular

Map: 

OS Explorer 384 - Glen Coe

OS Map

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Google Map

Safety

Route details and information are provided in good faith.  All walking is potentially dangerous and it is your responsibility to ensure that you are properly dressed and equipped, have a map and compass, have checked and planned your route in advance and are able to navigate effectively.  Maps displayed on these walking pages are intended as an overview of the walk and are NOT suitable for navigation.  Please follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and respect landowners and residents' privacy.  Always check the weather forecast and let others know if you are walking in the hills.

Walking

  • Walking Overview
  • Map of All Walks
  • Ardnamurchan and Moidart
  • Arisaig, Mallaig and Glenfinnan
  • Fort William and Glen Nevis
  • Glencoe, Loch Leven & Argyll
Booking.com
Booking.com

Holiday Cottages in Fort William and Lochaber

The Loch Shiel Hotel
The Loch Shiel Hotel

The Loch Shiel Hotel is located in centre of the village of Acharacle, just over an hours drive away from Fort william and well situated to explore Ardnamurchan, Mull, The Small Isles and Lochaber.

Glencoe Walking Pages

  • An Torr and Signal Rock
  • Brecklet Trail
  • Glasdrum Oakwoods
  • Glen Creran Pine Marten Trail
  • Glen Righ and Inchree Falls
  • Glencoe Lochans
  • Glencoe Woodland Walk
  • Jubilee Bridge
  • Port Appin and Clach Thoull
  • Shian Wood SWT Reserve Walk

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Glencoe and Loch Leven

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Wildlife

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Activities

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Road to The Isles

The Road to The Isles

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Day Trips

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