The Fairy Lochs are a small group of lochans approximately 2 miles (3 km) SE of the village of Badachro near Gairloch in Wester Ross, Scotland.
USAAF Liberator Crash
On June 13, 1945, a USAAF Liberator bomber (serial 42-95095) became lost while returning servicemen home to the USA at the end of World War II, and crashed here with loss of all those on board (9 crew and 6 passengers).
The area is classed as a war grave and visitors are expected not to disturb the remnants of the wreckage. A memorial plaque, listing those lost, has been erected by the families and friends of those killed.
Our first attempt to reach the crash site got stopped by an attack of "cleggs" (or horsefly which were far worse than midgies). I wasn't too bad but Skye and Kaitlyn were obviously quite tasty to them.
The next morning I managed to arrange some SE babysitting at the camp site for the girls and had some time to try it again myself. It can be a very boggy walk though it does follow a rough path. It had been reasonable dry for a good spell and there were only a few wet patches. Still plenty cleggs around but I kept up a fair pace and wasn’t too bothered with them.
Directions to the crash site
There is a fair sized parking area on the south side of the B8056 just west of the Shieldaig hotel. Walk east along the road, passing the hotel, before turning right onto a track - marked by a public footpath sign and mountainous country warning. Go along the track, and at the fork after the building veer left. Continue for another 100 metres to a cairn, where a path goes off left; turn up this path.
A short distance on, the path forks once more at another cairn; again veer left. This path heads up towards the birchwood and passes through part of it, continuing to climb uphill. The surface is rough, both rocky and boggy, and care is needed to stay on route especially where the path bears right across some wet ground - don't continue straight ahead to where the stream comes down. There are cairns at intervals along the way, which after the turn continues uphill to reach a high point at another cairn. There are good views back over Loch Gairloch, and from the highpoint, forward to Baosbheinn ('The Wizard's Mountain').
Beyond, the path descends towards one of the lochans. There is a pile of aircraft remains next to a rock, together with a nearby engine whilst a propeller sticks out of the loch. It is a dedicated war memorial and it is forbidden to move any of the wreckage.
The Commemorative Plaque
The Liberator's flightpath view
One of the propellors
The remains of one of the engines
more photos here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skyenet/se ... 898581605/
