Moray Way, Dava to Roseisle - Day 2
Distance 40.2km Climb 215m
Monday 26 May 2014
The weather had changed and it was a lot better today, cold but dry. Each morning we would hear oyster catchers flying around the Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park. It would start with one flying around, then two all the way up to at least five. There were always deer in the next field just passing through, it must have been a regular route for them. So after a quick breakfast Susan took us back to Dava the place we finished on Day 1. After a few photos we set off again.
The Way turns a little off the disused railway line, this was around the Old Dava Station which is now a private property and The Way moves around away from the line a little.
The Way moves through a small wood and it is not long before we were back walking in open countryside back on the disused railway. The sound of oyster catchers calling was all around us. It had been a little cold when we started but we soon warmed up.
It was along here we disturbed a number of geese who flew round and round the area. We reached the Half Way Hut and had a short stop. In the hut there is notices of interest and details of what the railway line would have looked like. It shows that from Half Way Hut there is a massive drop in height down to Forres.
Moving along I followed some geese just walking off the track, with some young just walking along. They were not bothered by my presence.
As we approached Bogeney (ruin) there was a little sign showing information on the area. Bogeney had been a farm where the last owner Mrs MacDonald used to order supplies from Forres or Granton and the train driver would blow his whistle and Mrs MacDonald would send her collie dog to collect the supplies from the line.
The next point of interest was the Divie Viaduct, where we stopped for a short rest. You could see from the different height of the walls at each end of the viaduct how much the railway line had dropped as it moved north to Forres.
We passed through Dunphail. As we moved along an open stretch of countryside we caught our first glimpse of the sea, far to the north. There were still a number of miles to go before we actually reached the coast, but we could see it.
After passing Clashdhu and crossing Scurrypool Bridge we had another short stop at Squirrelneuk Bridge.
The Way continues north east before turning westward to Radford Bridge, which was a crossroads of footpaths. It was around here we saw the first people since leaving the camp site.
On the edge of Forres we came across our first whiskey distillery, the Dallas Dhu, the sign showed this has been opened and closed a number of times over the years due to demand and necessity, it is currently closed as a distillery but is open as a museum under the care of Historic Scotland. This area of Scotland is world famous for its whiskey. This was also the start or end of the railway and from here we moved off the railway line into Forres.
In Forres we met up with Susan, who had had a look round the town and had found a few likely places to stop and have a bite to eat. We stopped in a little cafe on the main road. This part of the Moray Way, The Dava Way was very well measured and we could judge our distance and timed it almost to the minute how long it would take us to reach places. I supposed it was easy to record the exact distance on the Dava Way being an old railway line which would have been measured exact. On the next part our time and distance calculation would not be so easy.
After our lunch we set off again. The Way took us through the town and we passed Sueno's Stone. A massive carved stone in a glass case, preserving the stone against the elements. There are many carvings on the stone but to be honest I could not make many of them out, I could see the Celtic Cross though.
The Way took us across a footbridge over the busy A96. Our route took us up towards Kinloss, as we walked by the road Susan passed us in the car. Suddenly it started to rain.
It was a very strong rainfall and came across in waves, the rain stopped almost as suddenly as it started and cleared. We continued on the road north, passing to the west of Kinloss.
We could see across Findhorn Bay as we passed a set of bird/plane hides.
We passed the last RAF Nimrod that has been named The Duke of Edinburgh.
A few miles north and we reached Findhorn, this was where we met up with Susan again. We walked around the coast and stopped off at a little pub for a coffee.
After our break we set off again. We were now on The Moray Coastal Trail, the second walk that was part of The Moray Way. It was turning cold although bright as we walked across the sands.
We came across some old coastal defences.
We then twisted and turned over the sand dunes, away from the coast.
To the northern edge of RAF Kinloss, the path took us back to a track on the coast. The distances on the map were no longer as accurate as they had previously been. Our timings were out, yet we were walking the same but not meeting the time appreciation. I should add the map was not an OS Map but a printed picture drawing of the route.
We were now walking by the coast on one side with a forest on the other. You could see that this was a popular place on warm sunny days, as there were signs of beach parties and barbecues. The path then turns into the forest.
The path twisted and turned through the forest, heading eastwards. Again distances shown on the map did not relate to the distance on the ground we were walking.
Eventually we met up with Susan who had parked up at a car park shown on the map as Roseisle.
On our journey back to the Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park we stopped at Forres for our evening meal. Susan had spotted an Indian Restaurant on her way through. It had been a good day.
We had covered approx. 40.2km with 215m climb started at 08.30 finished 19.45
More to follow
Boz North
Details correct at time of walking.
If you have enjoyed reading my walk or found it useful you may also like to read other walks I have done on The Moray Way or other areas. Please check out the links on the right hand side.
Follow link to previous day, Day 1 Grantown-on-Spey to Dava
Follow link to next day, Day 3 Roseisle to Garmouth
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