Loch Kinord

I think the day at Dinnet was the one I enjoyed most, but was also the day I suffered most!  I got bitten not only by midges but by clegs as well.  (You maybe know clegs better as horseflies.) Beasties of this sort seem to love my blood, and as I have said before, I come up in large red itchy hot lumps especially when clegs have had their fill!

Remember I paddled in the burn last time, with trouser legs turned up…..?  Well, I should have turned them back down again – AND I should have put more anti midge cream on my arms, before we headed off on the other path.  However, hindsight is wonderful!

We set off down the path, through the same kind of growth as before – Colin always far further on down the track of course - heather and bracken, grasses and wild flowers always the ground cover beside the path.  

 

We were following the Celtic trail which would pass by Old Kinord where there are remains of ancient stone huts, and on to Loch Kinord.  We actually made a detour and missed out the Old Kinord part - though I took a photo in that direction (left) – instead carrying straight on to the loch.   The loch finally comes into view , but before we reach its edge, a fenced off piece of ground contains a piece of granite with carved Celtic cross on one side.  Apparently it was dug up around the same spot in the 1880s and removed to a village further along the road.  It was not returned here till the 1950s.  It is about 1200 years old, and is thought to have come from perhaps an ancient chapel or even a monastery that might have stood nearby.  By its shape I’d say it looks more like the top of a stone coffin – but I’m no expert! 

The loch is only a few yards away, and from its banks you can see a couple of islands.  Around 1000 years ago there was a tower standing on the one straight in front of us.  Malcolm Canmore, King of Scots, had a wooden “castle” built here so he could spend time hunting in the old forest.  In time a stone tower replaced the wooden one and access to the island was by a causeway.  Now both are gone, and only wildlife inhabits Castle Island.       

Away to our left, was a much smaller island known as Crannog Island.  A crannog was a dwelling built on stilts out in a loch or maybe on an island in ancient times.  Click here to find out a bit about them.  We stayed here for a little while, me looking for artistic looking views for photos, of course!

I think this was one of my favourites!

This one too!  However if you click it to enlarge it you may see up in the blue sky a glider being towed by a small plane.  The plane is actually very well disguised in the photo as a  bit of branch just to the right of the bottom of the blue bit of sky! 

 

 

Eventually we retraced our steps to the cross and on to the tree behind it where there was a bench to sit on and admire the view.   However, we had to walk back the rest of the way back to the car, and my hip and knee were beginning to bother me.  But I made it!  Colin said I must have walked about three miles that day!  I can live with that!!!

Talk again soon.