So with us stopping virtually on the doorstep of Loch Garten Osprey Center, it was logical that this would be the first port of call. Such an exorbitant price to get in....all of.....£3.00 each! Now that is what I call reasonable. The loos are a bit on the primitive side. Reminded me of New Zealand's 'long drops' toilets. No running water, didn't need to flush because of 'the long drop' and only hand gel to clean the hands. But this was to be expected seeing it's right in the middle of the forest. Anyway, the place was taken over by Spring Watch this year and Autumn watch is also to be aired from there in October. This is only a tiny, tiny part of the forest here in the ancient Caledonian pine forests, The public can only walk to the viewing area and no further but a vast amount of birds and other wildlife can be seen. From tomorrow the Osprey center will be closed as all the Ospreys have now flown back to Africa. Of course, this meant that the one bird I would have liked to see had gone but as far as my second on the wish list was concerned, Red Squirrels were in abundance and I even got to tick a Crested tit off my list as well.
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| The now-abandoned Osprey nest. |
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| Osprey Egg. We had been shown a film of the Ospreys breeding and raising chicks by Alex, a very knowledgable guide. |
We joined the RSPB. Such good work that we felt that paying £5 per month was for a worthy cause. During the stay of nearly two hours, the heavens opened and a deluge ensued. From that moment on it rained until we finally stopped for the night at 6 pm. The yellow warning of heavy rain and localised flooding had arrived.
So the train trip in the Strathspey railway was also a bit of a dismal affair. All the carriage windows steamed up and my idea of taking photos when it was moving went out the window. I did manage some pics though, mainly in the station and some when it uncoupled to start the journey back.
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| They did like venting steam |
Leaving the station another 3/4 hour drive took us toward Huntly Falconry centre. We found another park4night in a car park very near to the river. Gosh, it was flowing fast and the depth gauge showed three feet. Now whether that is normal for this river is only a guess but I feel sure it has risen by a considerable amount.
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| River Spey |
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| Victoria Bridge |
And the only other wildlife seen today....Red Deer! Another off the list.
6 comments:
We visited Loch Garten when we lived at RAF Kinloss in 1978. Our son, aged 2, (now an keen ornithologist and ecologist who runs his own ecology company) decided that the sound his new shoes made when he stamped up and down the ramp in the viewing area was a good noise! We did not stay long and have, sadly, never made it back again. I am really enjoying following your travels Irene. We had a fantastic 4 years up there, but with two very young children (our daughter was born up there) our travelling around was very limited and any leave we got was spent travelling south to see the family. Apart from a week with Sue and Ken when we hired a boat and travelled from Falkirk to Edinburgh, then Glasgow before returning to Falkirk we have never been back to Scotland.
There doesn't appear to be much clearance under the stone arch bridge on the way in! I imagine a few MH's have got that far and had to proceed VERY carefully (or not at all). What happened to advance warning signs? I trust you (or Ian) won't have too many "Wee Drams" at the nearby pub, or you won't be going anywhere tomorrow...
Hi Dave, The bridge arch is higher then you think. We had no problems going under so I don't suppose signs would be needed. No chance of going for a drink either, the rain kept us well and truly inside the Beast.
Hi Jennie, it was the first time we had returned for over 40 years. I love this part of the world, the views are wonderful even in the rain. We have talked of returning but NOT in midge season! Xx
Fabulous photos of wild life, especially the red squirrels.
Lisa
NB WaL
Thank you Lisa.
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