Starting our walk from the car park at Laide Community Wood near Aultbea
This week my wife and I are staying in a holiday cottage overlooking Lock Ewe on the north western coast of Scotland. The scenery is wonderful with the shapes of the craggy mountains all around us. My daughter & son-in-law live nearby in Aultbea and we had arranged to meet them in the car park at Laide Wood map ref. NG 189 891. The woodland is owned and maintained by the local community (http://www.laidewood.org.uk/) Persistent rain was forecast for today and they were right. We met as planned in the car park and set off in quite heavy rain. |
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The track to Loch na Cathrach Duibhe
The track made a long bend to our right and then a similar long bend to our left to bring us to the edge of a very pretty loch after about 1km from the car park. |
From the car park we followed a track heading southwards and continued along the track as it bent to our left until it headed eastwards.
The track to Loch na Cathrach Duibhe
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Loch na Cathrach Duibhe
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Information board by Loch na Cathrach Duibhe
Loch na Cathrach Duibhe seen from the north end
Path heading eastwards to the second loch
After about 80m heading southeast along the shore of the loch we turned left and followed a track heading eastwards away from this loch for about 200m to a second loch called Loch na Creige. |
We walked along the edge of the loch heading north eastwards and continued along the track around the northern end of the loch. On my OS Explorer map the loch is named in Gaelic as Loch na Cathrach Duibhe.
Turning onto a narrow path round the northern end of the loch
Path round the edge of the loch
Fly Agaric fungus by the path
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The northern corner of Loch na Creige
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Path round the northern end of Loch na Creige
The southern end of Loch na Creige
Returning back round the loch
He managed to get a photo before the stag disappeared back into the trees. We retraced our steps back around this loch to its north west corner. |
We followed a track around this second loch and stopped at the eastern shore of the loch to look at the view. Here my son-in-law spotted a young red deer stag at the southern edge of the loch.
Burn tumbling down the hillside to Loch na Creige
A young red deer stag at the southern end of the loch
My son-in-law's photo
Returning back round the loch
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Wildlife viewing hide at the northern end of Loch na Creige
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Track heading back towards the car park
Track heading back towards the car park
Just over the bridge the track turned left. We walked along this track for about 450m gently climbing up the hillside. At the top of the slope we turned left and followed the track for about 50m back into the car park and the end of our walk. |
From the NW corner of the loch we kept straight on along the track for about 350m. Here we turned right along another well maintained track and crossed a footbridge over a burn. About 150m further on we cross another footbridge over another burn.
Track heading back towards the car park
Not far from the car park
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Heading back into the car park at the end of our walk
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