A View From The Freagairt Beat

Some Trout From Mnatha

A View Across Some Typical Hill Lochs

A Well Marked Brown Trout

The Main Loch On The Mrs Little's Beat

A Good Catch Of Trout From The Hills

Beat 1 - Scourie Lochs

This set of lochs lies closest to the hotel although this does not make it an easier walk than other beats. They are best fished earlier in the season as they tend to become weedy later.

Beat 2 - Peter's Loch

Next door to Scourie Lochs and the same rule follows that they should be fished early in the season because of weed.

Beat 3 - Freagairt

In Gaelic Freagairt means "echo" and the main loch in the Freagairt beat lives up to the name. If you call out in front of the rock wall then you will hear the echo. A fish of over 5lbs has come from this beat in the 1990's. It is best reached using the rough path from a roadside loch just after the hill out of Scourie.

Beat 4 - Mnatha

Mnatha means either "mother" or "woman" depending on the context used and this beat is connected to the Mhuirt story (see below). Good fish came from here in June 1998 and the beat is a joy to fish. Can be reached through Freagairt or via the Gorm track.

Beat 5 - Mhuirt

"The Murder Loch". The Story is that in the days of Lord Reay a couple lived on the island in Mhuirt. Lord Reay had the husband murdered in order to win the woman - hence the name of the loch. Full story available from the Boardmaster !

Beat 6 - Gorm

Gorm means "blue" in Gaelic and in certain lights it is easy to see what they were getting at. There is a boat on the main loch but don't forget to fish the small lochs around it - they could surprise you !

Beat 7 - Hutchison's

A beat (named after a past Scourie fisher) the lochs lie to the south of the Gorm track. There are good lochs throughout the beat.

Beat 8 - Mid Chain

A straggle of lochs above Nan Uidh (see below) which lie in the same loch/burn system. A lot of the lochs in this beat are individually named such as Canal and Black Beetle making it an interesting fishing experience. It can be reached from the Gorm track or through Nan Uidh.

Beat 9 - Nan Uidh

To reach Nan Uidh, the angler should park by the bothy at Geisgil and follow the Boardmaster's instructions carefully - the way to the beat is not as well defined as some ! In Gaelic Nan Uidh means "of the stream" and the loch, and others in the beat, are connected via burns. Large fish come from this beat (hence the loch known as Grandad's !) - see also the report from June 1998.

Beat 10 - Clar Loch Mor

The beat is dominated by Clar Loch Mor itself which can yield good fish. Fish of over 4 pounds have been taken from this beat on a dry fly.

Beat 11 - Airigh Na Beinne

The beat adjacent to Clar Loch Mor which can reached by a similar route.

Beat 12 - Top Chain

The angler should be prepared for a long walk to get to this beat although the rewards can be worth it as it is known to harbour very good fish. It can be best reached from the Eileanach track (see below) and is part of the same system as Mid Chain and Nan Uidh.

Beat 13 - Doimhan

Doimhan is a long loch with many interesting arms and features. The surrounding lochs are also good. The beat can be reached by walking further along the Gorm track.

Beat 14 - Eileanach

Getting to Eileanach involves an initially steep walk along the stalker's track up the side of Ben Stack. This is well worth it but the beat is for the reasonably fit only and should not be taken lightly. The six fish in glass cases which surround the hotel entrance were all taken from the main loch and good fish are still there to be taken in reasonable numbers (See June 1998). The loch itself is dotted with islands (hence the name) and on a clear day the views over the loch and from the top of the stalker's path are magnificent.

Beat 15 - Boot

Boot lies slightly to the north and east from Gorm and again contains many good lochs. The beat can also be approached via the valley to the side of Badnabay although this should be checked with the Boardmaster before setting out.

Beat 16 - Badnabay

Now back on the hotel rosta, Badnabay offers a shortish walk from the parking place and the chance of a Sea Trout if there has been water in weeks prior to your visit.

Beat 17 - Mrs Little's

A set of lochs which lie on the plateau above Clasfearn. A good beat to fish if you do not want to walk far - try both arms of the main loch.

Beat 18 - Clashfearn

Clashfearn used to contain a good head of Salmon and Sea Trout. The runs seem to have stopped when the new road was built and prevented easy access to Clar Loch further up the valley. However, the burn to the sea has now been fully cleared and it is intended to try and revive the migratory runs. It is an ideal beat to fish for beginners (or anyone who wants an 'easy' day) for Brown Trout as it is by the road, has a boat and contains a large head of free rising fish.