Loch Moy Loop

[prophetofdom]

A trip to Loch Moy

Have long tried to see Loch Moy, which is barely visible from the A9 and, incredibly, even less so from the minor road that leads to Moy itself. This time we planned to walk in a loop above the loch but in the end elected to circumvent the entire loch itself.

We drove out of Inverness and took the B road to Moy and turned through what looks like an estate entrance and followed a long straight road up to Moy Hall gates. Here we parked and walked to the end of the road, past some charming abandoned buildings with stone steps leading to wooden porches.

Crossing through a gate we headed down a grass track, which soon became an established forest vehicle track littered with bright orange shards of shattered clay pigeons looking like pumpkins from a distance. Indeed as we progress further and saw two steel battered targets shaped like deer we wandered if we were in a shooting range but no guns could be heard.

A wee kissing gate lead to a peaceful spot by the Loch and then we returned to the forest track which lead up through cleared woodland, with only granny pines left to stand, and alternately into sections thick with spruce and Sitka trees. All this changing of landscape density provided enormous variety to the walk and we soon reached the head of the loch were a wee road led across the burn leading from the loch and then joined onto a path that whiled its way gently around the loch shore past the littered remains of careless camp fires.

The noise of the A9 vanished away and a peaceful forest surrounded us populated by old, stunted and tremendously shaped and warty birch trees. Old women in the woods. A really enjoyable little section this, and peaceably quiet. Eventually, towards a house, the track petered out and led to the old road, slowly being reclaimed by foliage, and from there to the new road which we had to follow for 1km before heading in along the road to Moy Hall and snaking our way over a score of tiny bridges to Moy Hall itself, a large circle of huge Beech trees and back to were we started from under a sky being filled with wondrous colours of purples, oranges and red for a stunning sunset.

[Lastofthesummerwine]

We've done this one as well on folding bikes. Last time we were staying at the caravan site with the camper just down the road. If I remember there is a ruin on the Island with some connection to the Wolf of Badenoch. I remember the jackdaws or crows circling around it, very spooky it was. This is a nice spot to take a break if you're driving a long way on the A9.

[RHUNTER30]

Total fail today, just couldn’t find the forestry track. I think our first mistake was trying to start the walk at a different spot to the author as we did not feel comfortable parking on the Moy estate.

[RHUNTER30]

fabulous walk today! The car parking bay just past the old school house was full (about 7 vehicles), so we parked out on the main road. We avoided the section along the loch on the Moy village side and headed straight down the main track toward the big White House. There are a number of benches at lovely view points along the forestry track. Really enjoyed our walk and we’re home before the rain.