Fisherfield Forest The Dundonnell and Fisherfield Forest covers a large

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

ous area of

Wester Ross Wester Ross () is an area of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the council area of Highland. The area is loosely defined, and has never been used as a formal administrative region in its own right, but is generally regarded as lying to th ...

in the

Northwest Highlands The Northwest Highlands are located in the northern third of Scotland that is separated from the Grampian Mountains by the Great Glen (Glen More). The region comprises Wester Ross, Assynt, Sutherland and part of Caithness. The Caledonian Cana ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, lying between

Loch Maree Loch Maree () is a loch in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. At long and with a maximum width of , it is the fourth-largest freshwater loch in Scotland; it is the largest north of Loch Ness. Its surface area is . Loch Maree c ...

and

Little Loch Broom Loch Broom (, "loch of rain showers") is a sea loch located in northwestern Ross and Cromarty, in the former parish of Lochbroom, Highland, Lochbroom, on the west coast of Scotland. The small town of Ullapool lies on the eastern shore of the lo ...

. It is sometimes nicknamed ''The Great Wilderness'', as the area is entirely devoid of permanent settlements. Although termed a ''forest'' the area has very few trees. It is in fact a

deer forest The deer forest ( Gaelic: frìth) is a sporting estate which is kept and managed largely or solely for the purposes of maintaining a resident population of red deer for sporting ( deer stalking) purposes. It is an institution and phenomenon pecu ...

; an area maintained by the owners primarily for

deer stalking Deer stalking, or simply stalking, is a British term for the stealthy pursuit of deer on foot to hunt for venison, for leisure, as trophies, or to control their numbers as part of wildlife management, just as with rabbiting and boar hunting. D ...

. Three estates cover the principal area of the forest. Dundonnell Estate (134 km^{2) covers} the northwest part of the forest, including the northwestern flanks of

An Teallach An Teallach (Scottish Gaelic for 'the forge' or 'the anvil') is a mountain group in Wester Ross, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It lies west of Dundonnell Forest, north of Loch na Sealga, and south of Little Loch Broom. Its highest pe ...

, whilst Eilean Darach estate covers 262 km² in the northeast, including the northeast flank of An Teallach. The plurality of the area, including all the southern and central sections, forms the 323 km² Letterewe estate.

Mountains

Three of the most famous mountains in the area are

, which lies to the southwest of

Dundonnell Dundonnell (Gaelic: Achadh Dà Dhòmhnaill) is a village in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, on the south side of Little Loch Broom and at the foot of An Teallach, right at the north of the area commonly known as the " Great Wilderness". It is situa ...

, A' Mhaighdean, which rises northwest of Lochan Fada, and

Slioch Slioch () is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands situated in Wester Ross, eight kilometres north of the village of Kinlochewe. Slioch reaches an elevation of and towers above the southeastern end of Loch Maree to give one of the best known a ...

, which rises north of

, near

Kinlochewe Kinlochewe ( or ) is a village in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It is in the parish of Gairloch, the community of Torridon and Kinlochewe and the Highland council area. It lies near the head of Loch Maree in its magnifice ...

. There is a

bothy A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Sco ...

at Shenavall, and it is used occasionally by hill walkers crossing the area or to climb An Teallach.

Lochs and rivers

Fionn Loch is the largest in the forest proper. Other lochs include Loch na Sealga, Lochan Fada and Loch a' Bhraoin. Rivers in the forest include the Dundonnell River, Gruinard River, Little Gruinard River and Uisge Toll a' Mhadaidh.

References

Ross and Cromarty Forests and woodlands of Scotland {{RossCromarty-geo-stub

Mountains

Lochs and rivers

See also

References