UKC

Next month I'll be staying in Cannich for a week with my partner and our dog.

This will be our first time in this part of Scotland, very excited to see this area and have everything crossed for good weather.

We will definitely be hiking some of the Munros in the area which will form a decent template for exploring.

We'll primarily just be walking, might have an open canoe with us, but we won't be climbing. We don't usually seek out suggestions for things to do as we enjoy just opening a map and devising our own plans for days out.

With it being such a great area and us only having a week there, I'm keen to hear any ideas from people who know the area and can suggest things that showcase the area at its best.

Cheers

The Slaters Arms in Cannich can be "interesting" - I've personally never had a problem but have seen others have issues, guess its how you take/treat people

Hope the weather is kind, the midge's can be bothersome.

Enjoy your trip 

I've just done a walk on Arran which took me through a short stretch of dead bracken. It was seething with ticks. Never seen so many nor so early.

The Affric, Mullardoch and Strathfarrar Munros are all worthwhile with enjoyable ridge walking. The Mullardoch boat is hopefully running if you want to use it: https://www.facebook.com/p/Loch-Mullardoch-Ferry-Service-100042667760621/ and note the Strathfarrar road access arrangements https://www.mountaineering.scot/access/special-arrangements/strathfarrar 

For shorter days there are some good smaller hills: e.g. Sgorr na Diollaid, Beinn a' Bha'ach Ard and Meall Fuar-mhonaidh.

For cafes etc., Beauly is a better option than Drumnadrochit. 

I'm really not fussy but it was a bit weird when I was there to the extent that I probably wouldn't go back. One of the owners was absolutely blitzed behind the bar and him and a local made odd, homophobic comments to me and my mate. The sort of stuff you might (perhaps!) say in jest to someone you knew very well but that sounds super hostile from a stranger. Particularly odd as we were with our wives. We just ignored it. The other owner was nice but weirdly over familiar, brought our food then spent about half an hour rolling around on the floor with my mates' dogs while we ate.

Like you say, 'interesting'.

Plenty of hills to go at as mentioned above. 

For shorter or bad weather days, the nature trails round Dog Falls (Affric) and especially Plodda Falls (up glen from Cannich) are both really good. Plodda Falls are properly impressive, especially after rain, with an unusual overhanging viewing platform. There were path improvement works going on at Dog Falls but they'll probably be done by now.

Paddling wise, both Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a Mheadhoin offer great loch paddling. 
Affric means a carry or trolley along the track on the north side of the river for about 300m from the car park before you can easily get down to the shore, and you're then above the "flowy" bit of the river. Its surrounded by mountains and there is an interesting little river, a nice beach and a hidden loch at the far end to explore.
Loch B a M has a couple of obvious put ins. The first is at the dam, and offers more sheltered paddling in the eastern end of the loch, which is an interesting paddle in itself amongst rocky, tree-clad islets (did it in wet horizontal sleet last month). The second is at the halfway point on the north shore when you can do either the same sheltered eastern end, the more open western end, or a combination of both. 
The Affric lochs can be a little more sheltered than some of the other bigger lochs, but then again they can also be a wind tunnel if the direction is just right/wrong!

The River Glass offers grade 1ish paddling down from Fasnakyle power station to the Aigas dam (possible tree falls but looked pretty clear last month). A day or day and a bit paddle. The Aigas gorge is interesting, a flooded canyon, but has ospreys (hopefully!) and paddlers are asked (politely) not to go there during the potential nesting season. So Fasnakyle to somewhere near Struy might work (scout it, as I don't know the get out options there).

The Bog Cotton cafe by the camping and caravan park in Cannich is good. 

The walk around Loch Affric is worthwhile

I concur!  I had the worst coffee I've ever had anywhere at the purple cafe (Tea and Temptations) on the main road recently.  They've got a decent machine and from what I can see freshly ground coffee, but it was burnt, over-extracted and downright disgusting.  Surely Beauly can better that!

Corner on the Square in Beauly is a cracking deli. And great for lunch.

Both the Corner on the Square and Cafe Biagiotti in Beauly are worth a visit. There is also a branch of Harry Gows bakery. 

And the Friary at Beauly is possibly the best chipper in the area.

Cafe Biagiotti makes the best focaccia I've ever eaten. No wonder there's always a queue out the door 

Thanks for all the replies and info. The Slaters Arms certainly sounds interesting, will report back on how we find it!

Just back from there! +1 to the Friary chippy (I'm not going to divert to eat there, but it was perfectly good food, and I would go back). Also the cafe in the deli in Beauly is nice.

Munros - from the road end near Loch Affric the obvious two are "Tom and Toll" (Tom a' Choinnich and Toll Creagach) - there's even a sign on the road saying "Walkers' Car Park" for the correct parking spot! If you're interested in Mam Sodhail, Carn Eighe and Beinn Fhionnlaidh you'll want a bike for the track up the south shore of Loch Affric (it's 8km to Strawberry Cottage and a bit further to where you come off the track) and it is still a big day out (the alternative would be to go along the north shore of the Loch but I don't think you could cycle that). 

Note that the car park at the road end asks you to pay (and some of the others may too). You can feed the machine cash, or you can use the RingGo app - in a place where there is absolutely no mobile reception whatsoever. (Guess who has been banging her head off the desk trying to pay for parking ever since...)

I did a big round of all five Munros you mention. I can't recall where I parked, but looking at a map, it would have been either at Chisholme Bridge or at the car park between the two lochs. I took an anti-clockwise route, so Toll Creagach is the first Munro to be climbed. The ridge westwards as far as Carn Eighe was delightful. The diversion north to Beinn Fhionnlaidh was a slightly annoying out-and-back, but did give outstanding views of Loch Mullardoch. I returned via Mam Sodhail and along the ridge to Sgurr na Lapaich, and then picked a route down back to the loch. 

As you say, it's a long day out - about 20 miles - but a very satisfying day. 

Should also have said, any info in relation to where you're freely allowed to chuck a spinner into some water and stand a chance of catching something tasty is also welcome 😀 

Yes, once I'd posted, I did think that that round would be possible - especially coming off Sgurr Na Lapaich is a good shout!

It's a brilliant round. I'd not bother with adding Beinn Fhionnlaidh unless you're Munro bagging and don't think you'll be back soon. For what it's worth I think that hill is better done in a mega-loop from the Mullardoch side, no pesky backtracking. Here's a route description for the other four (to which it would be straightforward, just annoying, to add Fhionnlaidh):

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=1360