OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AROUND SHENVAL ORGANIC B&B 

In the Highlands of Scotland,  make Shenval organic Bed and Breakfast, near Loch Ness and Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, your holiday accommodation base for a wide variety of outdoor activities: walking, cycling, mountain biking, pony trekking, canoeing, golf, archery, fishing, bird and wildlife watching...
Green tourism motivates you? To be kept up to date with outdoor events in our area, click HERE

WALKING (From the Atlantic to the North Sea)

Trust us to advise you on walks best suited to your tastes and abilities: we have over 30 years of rambling and hillwalking experience in the Highlands of Scotland, from seashores to mountain tops. Our Ordnance Survey maps are freely available too. For the immediate area around Shenval: O.S. Landranger® Maps (1:50000) Nos 25 and 26.

For families: walking is available on numerous forest trails and footpaths, past your accommodation base at Shenval B&B in Glenurquhart and in Drumnadrochit, Abriachan and Fort Augustus, by Loch Ness and in Strathglass, Glen Affric, Glen Cannich, Strathfarrar and the Black Isle, including a wide choice of seaside, river, canal and lochside walks. See our Environment and Glen Affric pages for a taster. For the more energetic Long distance footpaths: Great Glen Way Inverness to Fort William via Loch Ness. Loch Ness to Isle of Skye via Glenurquhart, Strathglass and Glen Affric:  goes past the very doorstep of our Shenval Bed & Breakfast. Within 30 minutes drive of our Shenval bandb accommodation, there is an extensive choice of hillwalking in Glens Affric, Cannich and Strathfarrar, with no less than 17 Munros (hills over 3000ft-914m) and 5 Corbetts (hills between 2500ft -762m- and 3000ft.). Among these, the highest hills north of the Great Glen, Carn Eighe (1183m.) and Mam Sodhail (1180m.) rise above Loch Affric; from these summits, stunning coast to coast panoramic views can be had, from the Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebrides in the west to the Moray Firth in the east and from Torridon in the north to Ben Nevis to the south.   3-Day local mountain weather forecast available from our LINKS Guiding The Highland Council Countryside Ranger Service offers numerous guided walks throughout the year. See our outdoor events page for details. Mountain guiding services: see our links for Boots n Paddles. In early June, the now well established Glen Affric Walking Festival caters for all abilities and levels of fitness, for families and “Munro Baggers” alike. See our News page or Contact us for details

CYCLING & MOUNTAIN BIKING

Balnain Free Ride Park (3 miles/5kms away from our Shenval B&B) for those who like the challenges of balance, nerve ... Mountain bike hire available locally. Details on request. Major events: Glen Affric Duathlon in late April and the 3 Glens Challenge in early September. For more details, contact us

PONY TREKKING

Cougie: superb relaxed horse riding for adults and children in a wild and beautiful setting on the south boundary of Glen Affric National Nature Reserve. Details on request. Also horse riding centre in Drumnadrochit, by Loch Ness.

CANOEING

Water fun with experts. See our Links for Boots n Paddles 
Loch Insh Watersports

GOLF

Nearest golf course is at Aigas, in Strathglass, a 30 minutes’ drive away from Shenval B and B, with very flexible opening times and peaceful surroundings.  Further afield, within an hour’s drive: Muir of Ord, Strathpeffer, Inverness, Rosemarkie, Fort Augustus, Nairn.  Details on request.

ARCHERY

Boots n Paddles are on target to give you adequate practice ... See our Links for Boots n Paddles.

FISHING

There is an abundance of river and loch fishing to be enjoyed close to Shenval Bed and Breakfast. From neighbouring Loch Meiklie to numerous hill-lochs and salmon and trout fishing in the rivers Glass, Beauly, and Farrar, as well as in Loch Ness itself.  Details on request.

BIRD & WILDLIFE WATCHING

The area around Shenval B&B is a heaven for birds and wildlife with the RSPB's Corrimony Reserve within short walking distance. Glen Affric National Nature Reserve is only a 30 minutes' drive away while the RSPB's Loch Ruthven, near Loch Ness, is accessed by car in just over one hour. We are keen birdwatchers ourselves and can advise on when and where is best to observe some specific species.

• Golden eagle, osprey, red kite, peregrine falcon, black grouse, black-throated diver, puffin, Slavonian grebe, Scottish crossbill and crested tit are just a few of the most striking species seen by ourselves or our guests within a very short distance of Shenval bed and breakfast.
  

  We are the nearest B&B to Corrimony RSPB Reserve where the manager regularly organizes break-of-dawn outings to admire black grouse lek, mainly in April. See our News page for details.
  

  Around an hour’s drive takes you to the mudflats of Munlochy Bay, Udale Bay, Nigg Bay and Loch Fleet, teeming with migrating birds.  And another 3 RSPB Reserves (Loch Ruthven, Insh Marshes and Loch Garten) are just under 2 hours’ drive away.
• Strathglass and Glens Urquhart, Affric, Cannich and Strathfarrar are home to red and roe deer, wild goat, pine marten, red squirrel and otter. An early morning walk or after-dinner stroll in the forest at the back of our house is often rewarded with the sighting of hinds, stags, roe deer or hare.
• Dolphins, seals and harbour porpoises can be seen from the Moray Firth shoreline. We can advise about the best times and places. Dolphins and other cetaceans cruises: see our Links page