Drumnadrochit, around 13 miles from Inverness is a great place to take your granny.  There’s a fine castle, even if it’s a bit worse for wear after someone blew it up a few years ago.  Nice tea shop and if you can’t take some good photos there frankly you shouldn’t own a camera.

I’ve now been accused of Granny bashing since I started posting Granny walks.  Whilst I’m sure that there are a few grannies who could head off up a hill and leave yours truly puffing in their wake, after all there are some barely into their 30s, the majority might like to find some gentler walking so I hope I don’t outrage too many.

In one of my past jobs my task was to find easy walking in Forestry Commission land.  That’s a lot harder than it sounds as much of it is either balanced on a hill side or just serried ranks of conifers where no one would want to walk anyway.

Drumnadrochit offers particular challenges if you want to let the old dear off the leash.  The village occupies a small area of flat ground surrounded by hills on one side and Loch Ness on the other.  There used to be a nice walk to the lochside which crossed a splendid suspension bridge.  Unfortunately, a few years ago, the river took exception to the bridge and washed it away leaving that walk a little pointless.  I’ve  not visited that area for a while but as far as I know the bridge still remains suspended in mid-air leading nowhere.

A great place to walk near the village is to drive up the hill a few miles to the forest walks of Abriachan.  They have a network of walking routes at all grades with plenty of activities for kids, a bird hide, barbeque facilities and mountain bike trails.

Here’s the website http://www.abriachan.org.uk/

For those seeking low level walks Highland Council operates a Dial-a-bus service in certain areas which means you can call a bus, just like a taxi and get it to drop you off at the start of a walk or pick you up at the end. Alternatively you could slip the driver a fiver and see how far he’s willing to take the old lady, it could well take her a while to find her way home.

Cover is limited but check that out here.

http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/roadsandtransport/publictransport/subsidisedtaxis.htm