free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Red weather warnings not to travel, schools closed, igloos built, drivers stuck on main roads in south of Scotland and much of England, villages cut off in Easter Ross.... but here in Inverness we barely had enough to make a snowman. Even higher up in Daviot woods there was only a skiff. To prove it here's a walk we did on 2nd March when the rest of the UK was still digging itself out of the chaos inflicted by the combined force of the Beast from the East and Storm Emma.
The idea was to do without the car. But to shorten our circuit Pete dropped us off at the top of Milton of Leys, where we started along the track over the moor and into Bogbain woods.
Track from Milton of Leys
At the first junction you take the path to the right. Left leads to the A9 and doesn't go anywhere further so you have to come back, as I once discovered.
Right at the fork
A bit to the right of the path is a small lochan, fed by a stream. My dogs, being labradors, always went in there. Without fail.
What snow there was on the track was well trodden and icy so we put on microspikes, which are ideal for conditions like these.
Donning the spikes
Three or four years ago there was a bush fire here that spread over quite a wide area. There's no sign of the damage now, showing how quickly nature recovers.
From Bogbain we followed the track southeast into Daviot woods, where there are waymarkers on paths radiating out from the visitor centre off the A9, a little north of Daviot.
Looking back there should have been a view north to Ben Wyvis but its snow-covered slopes were barely visible against the grey sky.
View north
The sign pointed along General Wade's road, which we didn't take
We ignored a couple of paths coming in from the left, although one of them would have taken us down to the village of Daviot more quickly than the one we took. Our route went round the quarry and we could hear the sound of machinery as our path descended to join a minor road where we turned left for Daviot. Only this part of our route was on part of the shorter circuit WH has given a description of.
On minor road leading to Daviot
We took a left turn through some houses and headed along the road to the church.
Daviot church
In the 1930s the author Alistair MacLean's father was the minister of this church. I only know this because Alistair MacLean was at school with my father and shared a desk with him in English - where my dad claimed he got better marks for his essays than Alistair did! Like my dad, MacLean served in the Royal Navy and his first book "HMS Ullyses" was based on his WW2 experiences which my dad said gave a more accurate picture of life on the N.Atlantic convoys than that portrayed in "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monsarrat. MacLean was a prolific writer with some of his books made into films and even now "Where Eagles Dare" and The Guns of Navarone" still occasionally appear on TV. But any thoughts my dad might have missed a chance there are tempered by knowing Alistair died an alcoholic in tax exile. Not everything is as it seems.
![IMG_5090-largec.JPG]()
From the church we walked past the new houses built in the dip beside the A9 and which from driving past I always think can't be a very peaceful place to live. But walking on the far side of them I wasn't too aware of traffic noise or even that the A9 was there. This road leads on to the A9 where we waited for a gap in the traffic to cross to the other side. We then walked along the grass verge to the junction with the B851 signed to Croy, where we turned right.
Hills south of Daviot from A9
A short distance along the B851 we came across a dead otter at the side of the road. Well I think it was an otter but being in a very deceased state I didn't want to examine it too closely. It looked like it had been hit by a car and was possibly twisted from the impact and was partially covered by snow. I've only ever seen otters in or at the water's edge and there wasn't any body of water here, but I gather they do move away from water too.
Sad casualty at side of road
We turned right off our road into The Dairy, which was once a working dairy farm and is now run as a restaurant and holiday apartments, where we had a bowl of soup, coffee and cake.
Pit stop for lunch
A little east of The Dairy this large house is a 5 star B & B which I'm sure is deluxe inside but there's a large pylon behind it and even looking out from the front doesn't have much of a view. Of course these things are relative. Have you noticed the way folk on programmes like 'Escape to the Country' rave about the wonderful view from the window and all you can see is a field of grass?
5 star B & B
The road passes a farm track to the left and then a road to the left, which is where we turned towards the hamlet of Nairnside.
Log house at Nairnside
No speed restriction here
Inverness and Beauly Firth
The day we did this walk was grey and overcast but yesterday I was up there again walking the dog and you can see the difference a blue sky and sunshine make.
Ben Wyvis and Meall Mor
At the junction with the road to the Culloden battlefield we crossed over and continued down an old road beside Brae Burn which is now blocked to traffic at the bottom, but it's fine if you're walking. I like finding the old roads that were used before all the new houses were built.
It's quite satisfying to get a decent walk without using the car (well hardly). Our round trip was 13.5km so next time we'll start at the house and see how much further it is without a lift to Milton of Leys!
