DINGWALL FIELD CLUB: Woodland walks lead to discovery of new attraction on Ross-shire outings
MEMBERS of a Ross-shire field club enjoyed two contrasting outings over the course of October and November with areas of woodland featuring in both.
The October morning walk was to Blackmuir Wood in Strathpeffer, starting from the car park beside the old Jubilee Pond. It is now silted up and no more the curling and skating pond for the village.
Members walked along the Jubilee Drive towards Knockfarrel, a road started and named in 1898 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
It was to enable coaches to take visitors who came to ‘take the waters’ to get up nearer the top of the hill. A new attraction, the Touchstone Maze – a labyrinth of Scottish stones taken from all over the country – was enjoyed along the way. It was a beautiful sunny day and members enjoyed the walk and autumnal views across the valley.
The latest Saturday walk started in drizzle. Billed as a woodland, river and seashore walk, members were sheltered as they made their way east among the woods beside the Balnagown River at Tarbat Estate, Kildary.
The autumn colours were glorious on the many deciduous trees. However, one large tree also stood out – a giant sequoia planted by Prince John of Glucksburg. The date is unknown as so many had rubbed the moss on the plaque to read the inscription that the date has been rubbed out. Nearby were graves of favourite horses (Corsican) and dogs (Russian Wolfhound) from the 1880s.
Over the years, this estate has changed hands many times from Rosses, Munros and MacKenzies. The big house that was Milntown Castle is now no more. The last main house, New Tarbat – a fine example of Georgian Architecture – is now, too, a ruin. The Munro family built a meal mill at what is now the village of Milton and round about it the houses needed to support it. The Drovers Inn lets us know that it was also a stopping point for Drovers from the north on their way to Muir of Ord and onwards to Crieff and Falkirk markets.
Being so damp we stopped when in sight of the sea and retraced our steps to the sheds built as part of the Milton Community Wood Complex and now the home of the Cromarty Firth Men’s Shed.
By this time the sun had come out members made use of the men’s craftmanship and sat at their lovingly crafted picnic tables to enjoy some lunch.
For more information about future walks, please phone 01349 864661 or check out the website.
