Plan to reopen Highland forest track will allow visitors to return to ‘hidden gem’ fairy bridge

By Rita Campbell

August 13 2022, 6:00 am

The Fairy Bridge of Glen Creran. Picture courtesy of Andrei Dumitriu.

Plans to re-open a popular forest track will also allow more adventurous visitors to return to a “hidden gem” fairy bridge.

The magical place in Glen Creran is off the beaten track. But it offers quite a spectacle for those willing to venture into a dense woodland.

Difficulty accessing this beauty spot, deep in the heart of a native Argyll forest, is perhaps a blessing for local residents. Some fear an influx of tourists could put pressure on their private water supply.

Would-be adventurers are also warned that there is a very deep drop quite close to the fairy bridge – making it potentially dangerous for the unwary.

The Fairy Bridge of Glen Creran. Picture supplied by Solway Tours.

Glen Creran is in the Appin area, north of Oban. The glen is deep in the hills at the top of Loch Creran, the opposite end of Glencoe.

Forestry and Land Scotland plans to re-open The Pine Marten Trail in this glen.

Although the fairy bridge is not part of the trail, the re-established route would make it easier for intrepid explorers to find.

The trail is teaming with wildlife, waterfalls and wonderful views.

It follows a spectacular gorge, with a powerful burn cascading below.

The Pine Marten Trail has been closed for three years

The trail crosses the Allt a Mhuilinn gorge and leads to an area of restored native woodland.

There are stunning views towards historic Glenure, once the home of the Red Fox, Colin Campbell, the victim of the notorious Appin murder of 1752.

But it has been out of action for the last three years after the existing footbridge was closed.

The Pine Marten Trail is currently closed.

The Pine Marten footbridge succumbed to rot in 2019 when the handrails and bridge deck became unsafe.

Now FLS has applied for planning permission to remove the damaged bridge. It will be replaced with a new one adjacent, on land north of Tigh Na Mhuillin at Fasnacloich, Appin.

If granted permission by Argyll and Bute Council, the new footbridge will allow access to the wider path network.

The current Pine Marten Bridge is closed because it is unsafe.

Joanne Maclean, FLS area visitor services manager, said: “The Pine Martin Trail is an enchanting spot and it’s great to sit and soak up the atmosphere and let your imagination get to work while in this tranquil native woodland.

“The trail has been closed off for some time because the main bridge that makes up part of the route has been closed because it had deteriorated quite badly and was not safe to use.

‘Replace it with something more sturdy’

“Once we replace it with something more sturdy visitors will once again be able to venture into Glen Creran and enjoy these fantastic woodlands.”

She added: “The fairy bridge is not part of the formal Pine Martin Trail because the path cannot be made accessible to a wide enough range of users.

“There are also concerns that visitors to the fairy bridge could have an impact on the private water supplies that this rural community draw upon.”

The fairy bridge dates from the late medieval period around the 1500s but no one has ever dated it exactly.

The historic fairy bridge was given its current name in the 1980s to fire the imagination of children.

Appin Historical Society said the bridge leads up to the upper part of Glen Creran.

Dr Iain MacNicol, chairman of AHS, said: “In the 1980s a local landowning family gave it the name ‘fairy bridge’ to fire the imagination of their children and that name has stuck.”

But the striking architecture with its shards of stone pointing upwards has fired the imagination of many more.

A travel writer from the USA has written about a magical experience there and one tour company has described it as one of Scotland’s “hidden gems.”

Travel writers from Edinburgh have also raved about the place.

While the origins of the bridge are unknown, respected local historian, Brigadier John MacFarlane of Taynuilt, has a possible theory.

The trail is near the start of a long distance footpath to Ballachulish.

A theory from a local historian

Brigadier MacFarlane said: “The one thing that does strike me is the path behind the fairy bridge.

“There was quite a large mixed population of Episcopalians and Presbyterians in Glen Lonan (not far from Glen Creran).

“The Episcopalians used to walk right over the hill to Ballachulish to take holy communion services.”

Part of a pilgrim route?

So it could be that the bridge was built for these pilgrims.

Mark Turner, owner of Solway Tours, based in Dumfries, said: “We have gone there a number of times pre-Covid. It is one of those hidden gems.

“We are based in the south but we bring a lot of tours to the Highlands and Islands.

“We haven’t taken anyone there since the path and footbridge were closed.

Mark Turner of Solway Tours at the fairy bridge.

“It is a stunning place. To me, it’s a hidden gem. Maybe not to locals, I’m sure it is very well-known by people who live in the area.

“The Pine Marten Trail is a nice walk and the fairy bridge is a stunning piece of architecture. It is beautiful in its design and sets off the waterfall and the stream beautifully.

“It is great news that the trail will reopen, because lots of people coming to Scotland want to go there.”