Overview

This is a lovely accessible canal walk; it really is a fantastic feeling to be able to enjoy the gorgeous scenery surrounded by trees, wild flowers, the River Oich and the hills without having to worry about access. Everything is so diverse and natural; there are lots of wildflowers and trees and you can hear the noise of the river rushing alongside the canal. It feels really peaceful and unspoilt and this is a great place to escape to if you want to clear your head; you really feel like you're out in the wilderness the further up the path you go. The path is compacted ground with a gravel dusting and it is lovely and flat, free from potholes etc. It was great to drive a powerchair on and it was wide enough to maintain social distancing but I actually passed few people on a late Sunday afternoon. There were a few benches every so often, ideally placed for taking in the view and also picnic tables and benches up at the the lock. I wheeled two and a half miles up the canal but apparently you can go another two and a half miles up to Loch Oich but as I didn't go up that far, I can't say if the path is as accessible all the way up but it looked as if it would be. The village has lovely cafes and gift shops that are worth visiting but it can get a bit crowded so I didn't visit this time. I would have given this walk a much higher score if there had been any accessible toilets around (see below).

Transport & Parking

There is only a bus service to the village so you'd have to drive or get the bus. There is a car park in the centre of the village with two disabled spaces in it. As the car park was busy with tourists, neither were available to use but I still managed to park there after a short wait. The car park surface was flat and even.

Access

The main bridge in the village centre is narrow and social distancing is difficult here but once you get through the village, tha actual path is very accessible and wide.

Toilets

The only available accessible toilet I could find outside of cafes etc. was in the village itself and whilst the other public toilets right next to it were open, the only accessible one was locked and did not have any instruction as to how to access a key for it. The only toilet by one of the locks was 'out of commission' and wasn't accessible anyway; this is unacceptable two and a half miles into the walk! We saw toilet paper in the bushes and with wild toileting being an issue in the Highlands, this needs urgent attention, but even the bushes aren't an option for most physically disabled people. What a shame in such a beautiful place.

Staff

The lock-keeper we met was helpful and gave us information about the area, the toilets being out of commission etc.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I'd definitely recommend this walk; it's well worth a visit. As it's often difficult for me to access the countryside in an immersive way, I loved this as I felt I was right in amongst nature. I'd give the walk itself a 5 and the lock-keeper did say that there are plans to redevelop the locks with more toilets etc but he didn't know if those plans included disabled facilities and the upgrading wasn't thought to be in the short-term. I'll keep you updated with any developments but in the meantime, I'll definitely make a return visit as it's just such a magical place.

Photos