Wednesday 21st June 2023
Last night we left a car at Hopeman and so this morning we drove straight to Forres and resumed walking at about 8.30. We were keen to get going because the weather forecast last night suggested thunder storms in the afternoon.
Last night I had reviewed my proposed route because the first 2-3 miles would have been on dykes. In England dykes to stop flooding are usually well maintained and we have walked miles and miles on dykes especially in Lincolnshire and Essex. Often in summer the grass on dykes gets mown to keep it under control. The Environment Agency and the water companies generally do a good job. Yesterday I glimpsed the dykes we would be walking and was far from certain that they would we walkable in high summer. As a result we decide to follow the road past Netherton as the most sensible route closest to the sea.
As a result the first six miles to Findhorn were very easy.
Looking over at the dykes we had considered walking along, we knew we had taken a sensible decision; they were thick with vegetation including giant hogweed. Though this is a relative of the benign Cow Parsley, the sap of Giant Hogweed can cause severe skin burns. It is also an invasive species.
Our road route took us through the village of Kinloss, better known for its airbase.
There were three possible coffee stops in Findhorn and we opted for The Bakehouse. This barely counts as café because it appears to have no inside seating but it has some tables outside and it serves good coffee and has a wonderful selection cakes, biscuits and pastries. We both had a custard and crumble streusel which was a new one on me but we enjoyed them very much. Findhorn is quite a busy village popular with yachtsmen and tourists in general.
At Findhorn we were very close to where we had stopped for lunch yesterday and we could see very clearly how the removal of trees had resulted in the rapid erosion of the this little part of the coast.
After coffee we turned round the headland of Findhorn and onto the beach.
The Moray Coast Path goes through Roseisle Forest but we opted to walk the beach. The tide was on its way in but high tide was not until 14.35 and it was currently about 11.00. The beach is about six miles long and there were no obvious pinch points we could see but then we don’t see six miles very well.
The beach was a pleasure to walk after the tarmac for the first six miles to Findhorn. There were no obstructions other than for WWII tank traps and pill boxes which are gradually decaying and could not resist our invasion. Interestingly the WWII defences were obviously installed on dry land eighty years ago but now coastal erosion means that well before high tide they are nearly all in the water.
The beach was not busy but there were a few walkers and dog walkers. I kept a watchful eye for where the other walkers appeared from and disappeared to, hopefully none into the sea.
There was an obvious step in the beach level that ran for some distance – not a raised beach but an interesting feature.
As we approached Burghead I could see that the tide was in all along the harbour wall and lapping around the ramp off the beach. We made it in time and since there were still a couple of dog walkers coming on the beach by that route I imagine it would be accessible for at least another half hour.
We sat on a bench by the harbour to have our lunch and then set off around the Burghead headland where there was a Pictish Fort. On the far side of the headland is a maltings and just occasionally a gust of wind brought the lovely malty smell over the coast path. The walk to Hopeman was largely along the former railway line but just past Cummingstone we managed to walk along the shore.
We arrived at Hopeman at about 2.30 and so once we had retrieved the car from Forres we returned to the flat we are staying in in Lossiemouth and regrouped and had some tea and cake. We decided that, since the weather was so good and it is the longest day of the year, we would walk from Hopeman to Lossiemouth an extra six miles.
We drove back to Hopeman and started walking again. The first couple of miles were on a good path winding along the cliffs. There were lots of interesting cliffs and rock forms.
Thereafter we could get onto the beach. We were at least two hours after high tide and so there was plenty of damp sand which made for easy walking again. The view was dominated by the Covesea Lighthouse. This lighthouse was decommissioned in 2012 and is now owned by a community company. I am curious as to what makes a lighthouse redundant. Perhaps with satellite navigation none of them are really needed any longer.
Lossiemouth Air Base was busy with returning aircraft. We saw four fighter jets land and a couple of transport aircraft of some sort. As we approached Lossiemouth the beach became busier and busier.
The coast path goes right past a gate into the site of the flat where we are staying and so it was very efficient use of our time and we were back in the flat at 18.45.
Just Coasting 