Glen
Glen Cannich
A hydro-dammed glen west of Cannich — Loch Mullardoch fills its head, and the Munro ridge above the north shore remains remote and rarely crowded.
- Munros
- 6
- Highest peak
- Sgurr na Lapaich (1151.9m)
Glen Cannich runs west from the village of Cannich along the River Cannich to Loch Mullardoch — a long reservoir held back by the Mullardoch dam, completed in 1951 as part of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board's post-war expansion. The dam raised the natural loch at the head of the glen; the lower glen, between Cannich and the dam, is still river and woodland.
Above the reservoir's north shore, the Mullardoch Munro ridge is one of the longest and most committing in the northern Highlands — Carn nan Gobhar, Sgurr na Lapaich, An Riabhachan and An Socach make a long, committing round with little in the way of low-level escape once you are on it. The ridge demands a long summer day and confident navigation — it is not a place to be caught in deteriorating weather.
The glen road is single-track for around 12km from Cannich to the dam. The landscape has a particular character: the industrial concrete of the dam and the flat reservoir surface sit against the scale of the hills above in a way that feels neither wild nor domesticated. Most visitors pass through quickly. Those who stay have the Munro ridge largely to themselves.
The road in
Single-track road etiquette
Pull into passing places to let oncoming vehicles pass. Don't park in passing places. If a faster vehicle is behind you, pull over and let them past. Do not reverse at speed — wait in a passing place.
End of road
The road ends at the Mullardoch dam, around 12km west of Cannich village. Beyond the dam the reservoir shore is foot access only. The dam is the last point for vehicles.
Parking1 spot
Mullardoch dam car park
15 cars
Charge not published — check on site
Rough track end. Gravel surface. The last point vehicle access is possible before the reservoir shore.
Hills from Glen Cannich6 Munros
What's in the glen
Loch Mullardoch
Loch Mullardoch is a long reservoir at the head of the glen, formed by the Mullardoch dam (1951) as part of the Affric-Beauly hydroelectric scheme.
Mullardoch Munro ridge
The four Munros above the north shore of Loch Mullardoch — Carn nan Gobhar, Sgurr na Lapaich, An Riabhachan and An Socach — make one of the longest single-day Munro rounds in Scotland, with little easy escape once committed. It is very rarely crowded. The ridge gives exceptional views west toward Knoydart and north toward Strathfarrar.
River Cannich
Our take
Glen Cannich is not a consolation prize for people who couldn't get a parking spot at Glen Affric. It is a harder, more committing day with a different character — the reservoir shore has a bleakness that Affric's pinewoods don't. If you want four Munros in the northern Highlands with genuine solitude and no one else on the ridge, Mullardoch delivers that reliably. Just plan for a full long day — this ridge is further and more sustained than it looks on the map, and turning back halfway is not a simple option.
History
The Mullardoch dam was completed in 1951 as part of the Affric-Beauly hydroelectric scheme — one of the most ambitious post-war infrastructure projects in the Highlands. The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, established in 1943 with an explicit mandate to develop Highland water power for the benefit of Scotland as a whole, constructed a series of dams across the northern glens in the 1940s and 1950s. Glen Cannich was one of several glens transformed by this programme; nearby Glen Affric's Loch Benevean was raised by the same scheme.
The dam raised the level of the original Loch Mullardoch at the head of the glen, enlarging it into the reservoir seen today.
Practical
- Mobile signal
- Signal in Cannich village. None beyond the first few kilometres of the glen road.
- Midges
- High(4/5)
- Public transport
- Buses run from Inverness to Cannich — check Traveline Scotland for the current service. No public transport beyond the village.
- Dogs
- On lead — livestock or ground-nesting birds present.
Map
Hills (green), bothies (brown), parking (blue), wild swimming (light blue).
Nearby glens
Scotland outdoor updates
Route guides, condition reports and seasonal picks — once a month, no noise.
Glen Cannich — common questions
- How's the drive into Glen Cannich?
- Single-track with passing places. The road ends at the Mullardoch dam, around 12km west of Cannich village. Beyond the dam the reservoir shore is foot access only. The dam is the last point for vehicles.
- Can you drive a campervan into Glen Cannich?
- Possible, with care. The glen road is 12km of single-track with limited passing places. Turning space at the dam is very restricted — large motorhomes should not attempt beyond the first 3–4km from Cannich. The narrow road and infrequent passing places make passing difficult.
- Will midges be a problem in Glen Cannich?
- We rate Glen Cannich 4/5 for midges — severe between late May and September. Still, humid evenings are peak biting time; wind and height are your friends. Pack Smidge and a head net from May.
- Is it legal to wild camp in Glen Cannich?
- Yes. Under the Land Reform Act 2003 you can wild camp on most unenclosed land in Scotland, provided you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code — keep off enclosed farmland, camp in small groups, and leave no trace. Glen Cannich sits outside the Loch Lomond and Trossachs Camping Management Zones, so the March-September permit restrictions there don't apply here.
- How do I reach Glen Cannich by public transport?
- Buses run from Inverness to Cannich — check Traveline Scotland for the current service. No public transport beyond the village.