Dingwall Field Club walkers witness spring awakening on delightful jaunt to Carbisdale Woods in Sutherland
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Dingwall Field Club’s first outing of the spring/summer season was a walk at Carbisdale Woods.
Thirteen members and a guest travelled over the Struie Hill on what turned out to be a bright spring day, enjoying the splendour of the surrounding mountain scenery and the glimmering blue Dornoch Firth far below.
After a brief stop beside the Clach Eitag (the stone which denoted market places in Kincardine Parish from the 18th century onwards) at Ardgay, the group went onwards to the car park beneath Carbisdale Castle and walked from there on an excellent path past the gatehouse and up the incline of the Creag a’ Choineachan towards the back of the castle where they stopped to admire the imposing structure which was built in 1907 for Caroline, Duchess of Sutherland, and was during WW2 used as a place of refuge for the Norwegian Royals,then as a youth hostel for many years before going back into private ownership.
Continuing up the hill, the path was dappled with sunshine filtering through the ancient conifer woods and en route a chaffinch and tadpole spawn – signs of spring awakening were observed.
At the top of the hill, the lochan with its mirror-like surface and islet planted with rhododendrons suddenly came into sight and provided the perfect spot for a picnic lunch.
The path downhill, for a time followed the course of the Culrain Burn where it cascades in a series of waterfalls towards the Kyle of Sutherland. After it was lost to sight, the village of Culrain, named such in the 17th century by Sir George Munro, after Coleraine in Northern Ireland of which he had been governor for a time, and the site of the Battle of Carbisdale between the Scottish Covenanters and the Royalists in 1650, came into view before the path dropped back again to the car park.
The next walk is at Kiltearn on Thursday, April 20 at 10am, meeting at the car park behind Boots.More info about this and other Field Club walks can be found at www.spanglefish.com/dingwallfieldclub or from Isabel Macmaster, secretary, on 01349 864661.
New members are very welcome.
Related: Indoor picnic after Ross-shire wander
Do you have a Ross-shire community event you would like to share with us? Email hector.mackenzie@hnmedia.co.uk
