Glen Moriston
Glen Moriston is a dramatic highland valley in the Scottish Highlands, cutting through the heart of Inverness-shire from the shores of Loch Ness westward toward the great Glen Shiel and beyond to the west coast. The glen follows the course of the River Moriston, a fast-flowing Highland river that tumbles through ancient woodland, past rocky gorges, and across sweeping open moorland before emptying into Loch Ness near the village of Invermoriston. It is a place of extraordinary natural beauty and deep historical resonance, beloved by hillwalkers, wildlife enthusiasts, fly fishermen, and those drawn to the quieter, less-visited corners of the Scottish Highlands.
The history of Glen Moriston is long and sometimes turbulent. The glen was for centuries the territory of Clan Grant, and the local population lived by farming, cattle droving, and fishing in a landscape shaped by Gaelic culture and tradition. The glen features prominently in the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie's flight after the disastrous Battle of Culloden in 1746. It was in the hills above Glen Moriston that a small band of loyal men, known to history as the Seven Men of Glen Moriston, sheltered and protected the fugitive prince for several weeks at enormous personal risk. Their story is one of fierce Highland loyalty and courage in the face of brutal government repression, and a cairn near the village of Invermoriston commemorates their memory. The Jacobite rising left its mark on the entire glen, as Hanoverian soldiers burned homes and drove off cattle in their campaigns of pacification following Culloden.
The River Moriston itself has attracted visitors and admirers for centuries. The Falls of Moriston at Invermoriston were praised by no less a traveller than Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, who passed through the glen in 1773 on their celebrated journey to the Hebrides. The old arched bridge at Invermoriston, built in 1813 to a design by Thomas Telford, still spans the river beside the modern road bridge and stands as a graceful reminder of the era when improved Highland communications were transforming this remote landscape. Telford's bridge is a scheduled monument and one of the most photographed structures in this part of the Highlands.
The physical character of Glen Moriston changes as you travel westward along its length. The lower glen, near Loch Ness and Invermoriston, is richly wooded, with ancient native oak and birch woodland clinging to steep rocky slopes above the river, alive with birdsong and the roar of the water. Moving west, the valley opens and the forestry plantations give way to vast tracts of open moorland and high ridges. The light in the glen shifts dramatically with the seasons and the weather, turning the hillsides from deep green to purple and bronze through autumn. In winter, snow caps the summits and frost crystallises the vegetation along the riverbanks, making for stark and memorable scenery. The air is clean and cool, often carrying the scent of heather and peat.
The surrounding landscape is among the most spectacular in the Scottish Highlands. To the north and south, long ridges of Munros and Corbetts — the high hills beloved of Scottish hillwalkers — offer serious mountaineering terrain. The Cluanie Inn at the western end of the glen is a well-known staging post for climbers tackling the South Glen Shiel Ridge, one of the finest ridge walks in Scotland. The glen sits within easy reach of Loch Ness to the east, with its own tourism and legend, and connects westward through Glen Shiel to the iconic Five Sisters of Kintail and the Kintail National Nature Reserve, part of the wider Beinn a' Ghlo and Affric wild lands.
Glen Moriston is home to significant populations of red deer, red squirrel, otter, and various raptors including osprey, which can sometimes be seen fishing the River Moriston. The river itself holds wild Atlantic salmon and brown trout, making it a noted destination for game fishing. The native woodland remnants in the lower glen are ecologically precious and form part of broader conservation efforts to restore Caledonian forest across the Scottish Highlands.
Visiting Glen Moriston is straightforward by car. The A887 road runs the length of the glen from the junction with the A82 at Invermoriston all the way west to Loch Cluanie and the Cluanie Inn. Invermoriston itself has parking, a small cluster of facilities, and access to the river and Telford's bridge. The glen is accessible year-round, though winter driving requires care on mountain roads. Summer and early autumn offer the best combination of weather, long daylight hours, and the colours of the Highland landscape. Midges can be troublesome between May and September, particularly in the wooded lower glen, so appropriate repellent is strongly recommended. There is limited accommodation within the glen itself, but Invermoriston, Drumnadrochit, and Inverness to the east provide a range of options.
One of the quieter secrets of Glen Moriston is the sense of genuine remoteness it offers despite being accessible from the main Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh road. Compared to the heavily visited Loch Ness corridor, the upper reaches of Glen Moriston see relatively few tourists and offer real solitude. The old military roads, wade roads, and drove roads that cross the high ground above the glen trace lines of movement through this landscape going back centuries, and walking them connects the visitor to layers of Highland history that are easy to feel and hard to forget.