Up into the Mist

Loch Lunndaidh lies a couple of miles to the west of Golspie and can easily be accessed from Drummuie along one of the....

....estate tracks. The loch used to be one of our favourite walks - when we first came here we explored the ruins of the clachan at the western end of it - but reaching the loch now is increasingly challenging. However, today, with the rain stopped and the wind dropped, I set off to see how far I could get.

The walking was eerily pleasant, with the mist down over the hills but lifting occasionally to give....

....views down to Loch Fleet and beyond.

There are a couple of gates across the track but they offer pedestrian access. This one used to mark the end of the forestry so on the open muir beyond it we saw wildlife such as red deer and fox but about four years ago the land was fenced, planted mainly with conifers, and the deer culled.

I walked a little further, to the point where, in days gone by, two tracks crossed, a point marked by a signpost which, on a typical day, probably hardly sees a passer-by. 

I turned back there. The loch is another kilometre or so on and I didn't feel I had the energy to make it.

Perhaps I should have risen to the challenge. Perhaps, if I'd had others with me, I would have had the confidence to manage it. But we have always had the determination never to allow our enjoyment of walking Scotland's wilderness to cause problems for others.