Brian, Simon,

Try going by Loch Riabhachan. The old path from Clachan Comair is fading through lack of use but wasn't too hard to follow when I used it a few years back. It hardly existed within the trees but the direction was clear enough. The loch is a lovely spot, full of reeds and water birds and with delightful woodland on the eastern side. The crossing south at the loch outlet looks unpromising and marshy, but can be done dryshod if it hasn't been too wet in the preceding days. Once through the woodland, there's a short stretch of heather moor, then you're into the plantation above Corrimony. In fine weather, I'd recommend this route very highly.

Colin

Some pointers regarding the Cannich to Drum. "shortcut"!

We walked out of Cannich on the AKW and over the bridge to join the AKW route up hill (NE) from the bridge. After approx 500m there is a forest road, on the right, which doubles back uphill through the forest. We followed this road until it reached the Kerrow Burn. Turned off the forest track and followed the right bank (south side of the burn) Kerrow Burn to NH347312 (ish). Headed ESE to NH 365303 (corner of the Beckry Wood) where we met a landrover track. Some slightly boggy sections, but nothing serious. Followed the LRT ENE into the woods and out near NH374304. We visited Mony's Stone and Corrimony Chambered Cairn, before continuing to White Bridge to pick up the remaining section of the AKW.

It is a bit of a circuitous route, but you get there in the end. The power line tracks shown on aerial view (Bing and OS Maps) are no longer there. Either removed or, allowed to revert to nature - this made the navigation "interesting". We had a couple of fences to cross, but none to difficult. When entering Beckry Wood at NH 365303 the track was a delight to walk - soft green grass all the way to NH374304. Some tree harvesting had started, so I don't know what it will be like next year.