Geo-Trips :: The Old Military Road in Deep Snow
Moray
A walk from Aulthash, Mon, 8 Feb 2021 by Anne Burgess
Following a morning of heavy snow, the weather cleared to a beautiful afternoon. My neighbour dropped me at Aulthash and I walked back through Whiteash Hill Wood. To start with I followed the old military road, but that was not a good idea because the road degenerates into bog and of course I couldn't see the road surface because of about a foot of beautiful soft freshly fallen powder snow. After floundering along for some distance I reached one of the cycle trails, and walked up this to rescue myself from my self-inflicted predicament, then continued the walk on other parts of the forest road network before rejoining the military road for a final stretch before arriving back at the underpass into the village.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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A Heavy Snow Shower
Large snowflakes falling thick and fast.
Snow-covered Trees
Trees beside the forest road on Whiteash Hill.
Snow-covered Fields
Fields at Aulthash beside the A96 trunk road.
Aulthash Cottage
The cottage has been abandoned for many years.
Forest Gate
This is one of the entrances to the forest on Whiteash Hill.
Snow-covered Roadside
Trees with a covering of snow beside the forest road into Whiteash Forest.
Snowy Scrub
For once, the temperature has been low enough for last night's snow to stay on the... more
Forest Road in Snow
The road is one of the access routes into the forest on Whiteash Hill.
Snowy Bank
An open area beside the forest road, covered in fresh snow.
Old Military Road
According to the map this is an old military road, and it follows the slope almost... more
Old Military Road
According to the map this is an old military road, and it follows the slope almost... more
Delicate Shadows
A few stiff rushes cast shadows across the snow.
Fields at Aulthash
A 'panoramic' view of the fields above Aulthash, with views of more distant features.
Felled Forest
This part of the forest, closest to Aulthash, has been clear felled. The snow... more
Forest Road
This is part of the old military road shown on the maps. Note the complete absence... more
Snow on Sitka Spruce
Sitkas Spruce twigs are quite strong, and able to support quite a lot of snow,... more
Old Military Road
The maps suggest that the forest road is the old military road almost all the way... more
Snow in the Forest
Last night's snow is still lying on the branches of young self seeded trees in a... more
Scots Pines (Pinus sylvestris)
The tall pines have lost their cargo of snow to the warmth of the sun, though it... more
Forest in Snow
A wintry scene in Whiteash Forest. Usually either the temperature isn't low... more
Mountain Biker
I was being a little naughty by following a bike trail up the hill, on the basis... more
Mountain Biker
This lad was struggling quite a bit with the snow on the bike trail, but evidently... more
Middle Earth
It was a great relief to reach the top of the mountain bike trail and emerge on to... more
Snow-covered Trees
Conifers heavily laden with snow beside the forest road at Gallowhill in Whiteash Wood.
Meikle Dramlach
Looking down the first part of the main gully of Meikle Dramlach.
Meikle Dramlach
Looking uphill towards the headwater of Meikle Dramlach.
Whiteash Wood
The tall pines have lost their covering of snow, but the heat of the sun has not... more
Fallen Giants
Judging by the size of the upturned roots, these two fallen trees must have been... more
Log in a Clearing
A fallen tree lies across a clearing beside the road through Whiteash Wood.
Forest Road
One of the maze of forest roads on Whiteash Hill.
Walking in Whiteash Forest
In two hours walking in the forest, I had seen two other walkers and four cyclist... more
Road Junction
Two forest roads meet on Whiteash Hill.
Mountain Bike Trail
This is part of the circuit of mountain bike trails on Whiteash Hill that make up... more
Sunlight and Snow
Sunlight on the snow on Whiteash Hill.
Forest Trail
This bend is part of the bike trails that make up the Fochabers Ring on Whiteash Hill.
Main Road Ahead
The sign is to warn users of the bike trails that the trail is about to reach the... more
Drainage Ditch
The track to and from the A96 on the slope of Whiteash Hill crosses a deep... more
Crazy Paving
It's interesting to see that there must be quite a difference in the capacity of... more
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a Creative Commons licence .