The best hiking routes in Glenmore National Nature Reserve

Glenmore National Nature Reserve sits in a glaciated basin, offering a transition from ancient Caledonian pine forest to open mountain slopes. Walkers here can choose between the sheltered, mossy forest floor and the exposed, gravelly tracks that climb toward the high granite plateau. The lower woods are dominated by Scots pine, blaeberry scrub, and boggy hollows, where the ground underfoot consists of soft peat, pine needles, and occasional wooden boardwalks. In contrast, the higher paths are firm, stony, and wind-swept, leading through dwarf shrub heath.

This reserve is not a place of jagged limestone peaks or deep limestone gorges; instead, it presents a landscape of rounded hills, glacial moraines, and the freshwater basin of Loch Morlich. The sandy beach of the loch provides flat, easy walking on coarse granite sand, while the surrounding forest tracks have gentle gradients suitable for steady pacing. The presence of deadwood and regenerating young pines shows a forest actively reshaping itself, a feature you will notice in the varying density of the canopy.

For a quieter walk, the trails leading east toward the Green Lochan (An Lochan Uaine) offer a narrower, more enclosed feel, where the scree slopes of Ryvoan Pass rise directly from the path. The main forest loops near the visitor centre are wide and well-surfaced, making them popular and easy to navigate, whereas the higher hill tracks require more careful footing on loose stones. In September, the purple heather on the open slopes contrasts sharply with the dark green of the pines below.