Glen Cannich

Glen Cannich lies deep in the Northwest Highlands, a long valley where the River Cannich flows east from Loch Mullardoch to join the River Affric. The glen is flanked by steep slopes and several lochs, including Loch a’ Bhana and Loch Sealbhanach, which the river passes through on its way downstream. Commercial forestry and deer stalking now cover much of the land, though the area was once home to a thriving community before the Highland Clearances. A minor road runs up from Cannich village as far as Mullardoch dam, offering the only public access into the glen. The river itself drops over two waterfalls, Eas Maol Mhairi and Eas an Fhithich, near the eastern end of the valley. The glen played a quiet but important part in Scotland’s Catholic history after the Reformation. Three outlawed Jesuit priests once lived in a hidden cave called Glaic na h’eirbhe, using it as a base for their mission while avoiding government patrols. Their work helped sustain a large Catholic population in the region despite official suppression. Later, after Catholic Emancipation, a church was built and completed in 1866, standing as a sign of the community’s resilience. The Clearances of the 19th century, led by landowners including Mrs William Chisholm, forced many families to leave, though some later resettled nearby under more favourable terms. Visitors today find a landscape of quiet lochs, rushing burns and dense forests, with the river tracing its way through the valley. The ruined chapel at Clachan Comar and the holy well of Sputan Bhàin mark an earlier Christian site linked to St Baithéne mac Brénaind. The folklore of the area includes tales like that of John Farquharson’s encounter with the Devil on Cannich Bridge. The glen remains largely undeveloped, its isolation preserving both natural beauty and traces of its layered past.