Vanlife Road Trip - Part 10: Burghead and the Cairngorms
29 August - 10 September 2021
The drive from Glen Roy up to Burghead took in some spectacular scenery, including the mighty Cairngorm National Park and the busy town of Aviemore. I stuck to the minor roads and was rewarded with wildlife sightings, epic rivers, mountains, open moorland and forests, all within touching distance as I whizzed by. By Aviemore I was getting hungry but decided to just keep plodding on up to Burghead, as I knew a cuppa and snacks would be waiting when I arrived!
Mid afternoon I rolled in to Burghead, grabbed the dogs, my wash kit and a rather large load of laundry, and entered a house... a real shower, instant hot water, flushing toilet, washing machine and a full length bed awaited me. After we had all said hello to Heidi (well, the dogs ran around the house rolling and rubbing themselves on the carpet), the dogs were taken for immediate showers, before it was 'politely' suggested I may like one. Bit harsh; but fair... We did all stink!!
After cleaning the stagnant pong from the three of us and getting the washing machine working hard with the first load, Heidi and I headed out for a stroll... what a beautiful place. We walked down past the Maltings towards the North Shore, looking out across the Moray Firth to the north east coast and the infamous NC500. The sea was calm and gently lapped against the rocks and harbour wall; the clouds were low in the sky looking like a storm was brewing, yet the light shone through in the distance, creating the appearance of sparkling Mediterranean waters. We looked out across the bay in the hope of seeing my first northern seal or dolphin, but no joy today... I think they were on holiday like the red squirrels that I still hadn't seen. According to Heidi there were loads of seals, dolphins, red squirrels and deer up north; apparently she saw them daily... well I was very much doubting her at this time. We continued around past the harbour to the glorious sandy beach that stretches just over 5 miles to Findhorn. Wartime pillboxes peak from the sand, alongside the old wooden fishing posts, creating sharp stakes that could cause injury if you were to swim in to them. The remnants of concrete blocks and anti-aircraft stakes, placed in the sand to prevent planes or gliders landing at low tide, hark back to a very different time in history when the bay was protected against German invasion from Norway. Today, the beach is peaceful and the perfect spot for a swim, kayak, walk or picnic, but at high tide the beach vanishes, the sea butting up against the breath-taking backdrop of Roseisle Forest and signs of the cement defences and the fishing industry heritage, all but hidden by the deep blue waters of Burghead Bay.
Heidi and I spent the next few days working (her!) and writing (me!), with walks along the beach and through the woods with the spaniel gang. One super sunny afternoon, we grabbed Andy and the dogs and walked the coastal path along the old railway line, past the rugged cave strewn Colach Bay and An Rioghachd Aonaichte Beach ('wheelbarrow' - see later!!), to the West Beach Caravan Park and the fabulously quirky Bootleggers bar. Here we stopped for a cold beer (or two) under the glorious blue sky looking out to sea and just enjoyed watching the world go by... I had clearly lost my skill for mid day drinking and felt a little tipsy on the stroll back and needed to stop for a quick play on the kids slide near Colach Bay! This is a wonderful walk, suitable for all the family, and it would be great to walk or cycle the full Moray Coast Trail from Cullen Bay through to Forres. This 50 mile route takes in picturesque harbours and villages, epic rock formations, caves, sandy bays, museums, ice houses and even a Pictish fort. It's certainly a trip to add to your Scottish ventures; oh and there are a lot of amazing cafes, bistros, pubs and ice cream shops around too!
After a delicious meal at the local pub, we all slept well, and the next day I left everyone to crack on with work and set off on my bike for a little adventure in the woods... Don't ever let anyone tell you that riding on sand is easy or a sensible option for practicing jumps and drops; your front tyre just stops dead and you go head over your handlebars... but at least it's a soft landing! After falling off once or twice (ok maybe three times) I had thoroughly explored the sand dunes, forest paths and fun single track routes around Roseilse. The clouds were hovering overhead but it was hot and sticky, and after a few hours shredding through the woods, my battery was running low (mine and the bike's) so I headed back to the house.
After my little bike adventure in the woods, we packed the dogs in to the car and headed over to Lossiemouth and the North Sea. For me, Lossie has always been associated with the RAF and never as somewhere for stunning walks, long sandy beaches with great surf, a beautiful river, amazing bird life and the most delicious ice cream! The town is quaint and picturesque with a long fishing history, and offers plenty for the day visitor. We strolled from the carpark at Seatown, along the sandy estuary banks, taking in the peculiar sight of the animal cemetery that has sprung up around the foot of the sand dunes, with hundreds of memorials and graves commemorating the lives of local's beloved pets. From here the path takes you in to beautiful dense pine forests that stretch along the Moray Coast towards Spey Bay. We strolled through the woods to the estuary and followed the outgoing tide back to Lossiemouth for a well deserved ice cream on the harbour. A really lovely day and it would be great to go back once the old bridge is repaired to explore the East Beach fully.
After too much food, sun, great walks and no swimming; it was time to jump back in a cold waterfall! We drove up to Aberlour for an afternoon bimble up to Linn Falls on the Burn of Aberlour. From the River Spey, which offers a long distance walk along its banks, you join a short trail through the woods to the beautiful Linn Falls. The walk takes in tiny packhorse bridges, a tumbling weir, amazing forests, a pretty babbling burn and an epic waterfall. The walk is pretty short and after a few kilometres we were at Linn Falls. We carried on up their side to follow the burn for a while longer; the dogs splashing and playing in the river and me desperate to get in too! Once we reached a bit of a natural dead end near Cottartown, we retraced our steps to the falls for lunch and a swim... OK, I swam, the others observed! It was pretty nippy, but it felt great to be in the water, and after a few minutes splashing around, I got out and we headed back to the car and 'home' for dinner and an early night.
Now, being near the Cairngorms I was adamant that I would see some reindeer... I had seen hundreds of fellow vanlifers enjoying up close and personal encounters with these cute and quirky creatures; yet I'd still not seen one (just adding them to the long list of northern creatures not wanting to be seen by Emma!). So, off we ventured to Aviemore and the home of a herd of Santa's chums. We drove up towards Glen More, through the stunning Glenmore Forest and past the highest inland beach at Loch Morlich, and parked up near Glenmore lodge. It was really busy everywhere, with people out cycling, hiking, running and just enjoying another sunny Scottish day in the mountains. We headed up the Abhainn Ruigh-eunachan (also pronounced as 'wheelbarrow' - this is the word my mum and I use when we can't pronounce a name in a book!!), the dogs running in and out of the cool water, as we mooched up through the ancient Caledonian pine forest, full of amazing towering trees and beautiful open shrub land, bursting with life and colour.
As you round the corner of the path, in to a small clearing, you are rewarded by the site the Green Lochan; or to give it its full name, An Lochan Uaine (easier to pronounce than the river!). The Lochan's colourful water creates a picture postcard view and it reminds me of the Ink Pools I visited in the Canadian Rockies. It's clearly called the Green Lochan for an obvious reason, as its water is emerald green, said to be because of the local faeries who wash their clothes in it, giving it its magical colouring. You can well imagine this spot as a haunt for the faeries, the surrounding forests providing the perfect home for these magical creatures. In fact, it is believed that the faerie King resides in the area himself.
Unfortunately, we couldn't swim in the Lochan (another trip where I carried a heavy bag full of swim kit for no reason), as there was a sign warning of blue green algae; so we grabbed the dogs, took some pictures and headed back down the valley towards the lodge and the reindeer centre... I managed to glimpse a reindeer but unfortunately not a proper close up visit, so this is definitely on my list to revisit next time I'm up here. Apparently if you park up overnight in the carpark here, the reindeer farmer walks them in the morning and they come to the vans to say hello. So certainly one for the list...
We crossed the road by the visitor centre and strolled down the river, stopping for lunch and for the dogs to swim, before we arrived on the shores of Loch Morlich. This fresh water Loch is quite stunning and looks massive, but in fact it's only just over 5km around and very shallow; perfect for a swim, SUP or paddle. On this occasion we just enjoyed the view under some shade and continued our walk through the woods back to the car. Of course our day didn't end there; there was ice cream to be eaten in Aviemore!
We woke to another cloudy but warm day and decided to take a walk along the Moray coast towards Findhorn. Being us, we of course didn't go straight! No that would be too easy... so we set off along the beach, the tide slowly pushing us up towards the dunes as our ankles started to twitch from the exertion of trekking through soft sand. The dogs were loving life running in and out of the sea chasing balls and stones, and we were content just strolling along enjoying the cool water on our toes and the sights and sounds of this glorious bay. By the time we got to the large concrete pillar box sinking in to the sand, we decided to pop our shoes back on and climb up in to the woods to continue our adventure.
In the woods we did some very strange weaving along questionable tracks, that Heidi insisted were going generally in the right direction (I'm not so sure!), I finally saw a red squirrel but alas it was no longer of this world (I did pop it on a tree branch so I could pretend it was still alive), and eventually popped out at Roseisle Forest carpark. From here we stuck to the actual path and continued through the woods to the Kinloss fence line, stopped for a sit down on a very tall bench, let the dogs have another swim, and then headed back to the carpark for a delicious currywurst and hot drink, before the final few miles home. Nom nom nom!
George arrived! We should have been on the NC500 by now, as she had finished her jaunt with friends; but my GoPro was taking its good old fashioned time to arrive, so it meant she could enjoy this awesome area for a few days as well... Fortunately, I hadn't been turfed out of the house yet, despite the many loads of washing, naughty dogs, much wine and milk consumption, and the tip tip tap of my fingers on my keyboard irritating Andy!
We spent the next two days bimbling around the beach and woods, enjoying the stunning weather, popped to Elgin for supplies, and I went for my first swim at Burghead since arriving. Oh, I even saw a seal (you can just see him in the pic below!)...He was just bobbing around the harbour doing his thing as the fishing boats went to and fro. It was great to see and I felt like Scotland was starting to deliver on its promise of animal sightings at last. The water was warm and it was wonderful to get in and just bob around for a while, and swim up and down the coast near the beach. The current is great here for a swim or paddle board but gets strong just beyond the harbour wall; so we chose to swim at high tide so it was easier to get in and out and avoided the possibility of stabbing ourselves on the debris I mentioned earlier.
It was a beautiful evening on the second day of George being in the area; she was heading off up the coast for a surf, and so, Heidi, Andy, the dogs and I all enjoyed a sunset stroll along the beach and a paddle in the water as the tide came in.
The light was amazing and really started to inspire me for paintings to come. I was falling in love with Burghead and was starting to wonder about whether this was the place for little Emma to finally settle... Was vanlife really the way forward?
The next day my long awaited parcel arrived, and it signalled my last day and evening in Burghead before I continued my road trip up in to the north and the NC500. To celebrate (I think that's the right term - certainly for my lovely friends who had put up with me for nearly two weeks!), we enjoyed a fabulous SUP and kayak around the bay searching for dolphins, before a wonderful BBQ on the beach. A cold bottle of bubbles was enjoyed as the sun set on my adventures around this absolutely spectacular slice of Scotland's coast and the nearby beauty of the magnificent Cairngorms.
Cheers...
Join me next time as I finally hit the NC500 and realise what I've been missing...
A huge thank you to Heidi, Andy and Kelpie, for putting up with the boys and me for so long; and apologies to your neighbours for having to look out on a giant yellow van for 12 days!!
Just to warn you; I will be back...
To see what George got up to during her time without me; check out her YouTube videos:
Surfing at the UKs most remote beach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhJ6If3pozo
Vanlife Park Ups (Burghead): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEtdeKPc-dU
Surfing Dunnet Bay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgX6NRRwBsg
Thank you for reading :-)
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