Loch Garten NR Highland
Highland Head to a placid Cairngorms loch flanked by towering pine trees to see an astonishing fish-hunting hawk.
Hidden within Abernethy Forest in the lowlands of the Cairngorms National Park is Loch Garten. With its ancient Caledonian pine forest, boggy woodland and rich waters, the reserve is an embodiment of the wild and compelling nature of the Scottish Highlands. May is an ideal time to visit, when the weather is warm but the swarms of midges are yet to descend. The herby scent of pine fills the air, birdlife is abundant as summer migrants such as redstarts and tree pipits arrive, and the ospreys should be hatching their chicks – it’s a unique chance to see these graceful fish-scooping predators in action.
1 WOODLAND BOG
From the car park at the turn off for the Osprey Centre, follow a path that runs parallel to the road along the north shore of Loch Garten. After half a mile, cross the road into a small parking area, signed ‘Loch Garten’ and ‘Loch Mallachie’.
The trail passes through trees, with occasional glimpses of the loch. Closer to shore, look out for bank voles, grazing roe deer, teetering common sandpiper and blinking frogs. Go right where the track splits, continuing south through the rare bog woodland, where the trees’ stunted size belies their age.
2 GOLDENEYE DANCE
As the track U-bends, an ideal vantage point opens over the rust-coloured waters of Loch Mallachie. There’s a nest box for goldeneye ducks on the nearest island – search for displaying males out on the water, vigorously throwing their heads back.
The path undulates back north through the Caledonian woods. Look out for red squirrels and listen for the trilling call of crested tits.
3 GRANNY PINES
Before you reunite with the path back to the car park, keep an eye out for the nests of wood ants. These huge pine-needle piles, often located at the base of decaying tree stumps, can serve as navigational aids – their southern side is flatter, which increases their surface area to absorb more heat.
4 WINGED WONDERS
Cross the Boat House car park and head up the linear Big Pines trail, guarded by the gigantic ‘granny’ Scots pines.
Your final destination is the Loch Garten Osprey Centre. The centre offers a chance to spot these mesmerising birds as they return to Scotland in spring and summer to breed. There are also opportunities for close encounters with siskins, chaffinches and great spotted woodpeckers, as well as the UK’s only endemic bird, the Scottish crossbill. Though hard to discern from the common crossbill, mating studies have proven that they are indeed a different species – it’s all in the size of the bill, apparently.