Glen Urquhart

Glen Urquhart is a long valley running west from Loch Ness near Drumnadrochit in the Scottish Highlands. The River Enrick flows through it, passing through Loch Meiklie on its way. The glen’s slopes hold both planted conifer forests and native broadleaf woods. On the south side commercial forestry stands managed by the Forestry Commission. The opposite slopes mix deciduous woodland, farmland and more commercial forestry. The glen has been home to notable figures such as Fr. Alexander MacDonnell, the first post-Reformation Catholic military chaplain in Britain. The Rev. Ewen MacRury served as minister here and later became Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland. Allan Wilson led the Shangani Patrol and died fighting in the First Matabele War, becoming a national hero in Britain and Southern Rhodesia. Visitors find waymarked walks in Craigmonie woodland at the glen’s foot. A Bronze Age chambered cairn at Corrimony belongs to the Clava group of burial monuments. Deer stalking draws international visitors, while the local shinty team is Glenurquhart Shinty Club. Forest roads allow walking, cycling and horse-riding along the length of the glen.