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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NJ3458 : A Heavy Snow Shower by Anne Burgess
A Heavy Snow Shower
Large snowflakes falling thick and fast.

NJ3755 : Snow-covered Trees by Anne Burgess
Snow-covered Trees
Trees beside the forest road on Whiteash Hill.

NJ3755 : Snow-covered Fields by Anne Burgess
Snow-covered Fields
Fields at Aulthash beside the A96 trunk road.

NJ3755 : Aulthash Cottage by Anne Burgess
Aulthash Cottage
The cottage has been abandoned for many years.

NJ3755 : Forest Gate by Anne Burgess
Forest Gate
This is one of the entrances to the forest on Whiteash Hill.

NJ3755 : Snow-covered Roadside by Anne Burgess
Snow-covered Roadside
Trees with a covering of snow beside the forest road into Whiteash Forest.

NJ3755 : Snowy Scrub by Anne Burgess
Snowy Scrub
For once, the temperature has been low enough for last night's snow to stay on the... more

NJ3755 : Forest Road in Snow by Anne Burgess
Forest Road in Snow
The road is one of the access routes into the forest on Whiteash Hill.

NJ3856 : Snowy Bank by Anne Burgess
Snowy Bank
An open area beside the forest road, covered in fresh snow.

NJ3756 : Old Military Road by Anne Burgess
Old Military Road
According to the map this is an old military road, and it follows the slope almost... more

NJ3756 : Old Military Road by Anne Burgess
Old Military Road
According to the map this is an old military road, and it follows the slope almost... more

NJ3756 : Delicate Shadows by Anne Burgess
Delicate Shadows
A few stiff rushes cast shadows across the snow.

NJ3756 : Fields at Aulthash by Anne Burgess
Fields at Aulthash
A 'panoramic' view of the fields above Aulthash, with views of more distant features.

NJ3756 : Felled Forest by Anne Burgess
Felled Forest
This part of the forest, closest to Aulthash, has been clear felled. The snow... more

NJ3756 : Forest Road by Anne Burgess
Forest Road
This is part of the old military road shown on the maps. Note the complete absence... more

NJ3756 : Snow on Sitka Spruce by Anne Burgess
Snow on Sitka Spruce
Sitkas Spruce twigs are quite strong, and able to support quite a lot of snow,... more

NJ3756 : Old Military Road by Anne Burgess
Old Military Road
The maps suggest that the forest road is the old military road almost all the way... more

NJ3756 : Snow in the Forest by Anne Burgess
Snow in the Forest
Last night's snow is still lying on the branches of young self seeded trees in a... more

NJ3756 : Scots Pines (Pinus sylvestris) by Anne Burgess
Scots Pines (Pinus sylvestris)
The tall pines have lost their cargo of snow to the warmth of the sun, though it... more

NJ3756 : Forest in Snow by Anne Burgess
Forest in Snow
A wintry scene in Whiteash Forest. Usually either the temperature isn't low... more

NJ3756 : Mountain Biker by Anne Burgess
Mountain Biker
I was being a little naughty by following a bike trail up the hill, on the basis... more

NJ3756 : Mountain Biker by Anne Burgess
Mountain Biker
This lad was struggling quite a bit with the snow on the bike trail, but evidently... more

NJ3756 : Middle Earth by Anne Burgess
Middle Earth
It was a great relief to reach the top of the mountain bike trail and emerge on to... more

NJ3756 : Snow-covered Trees by Anne Burgess
Snow-covered Trees
Conifers heavily laden with snow beside the forest road at Gallowhill in Whiteash Wood.

NJ3757 : Meikle Dramlach by Anne Burgess
Meikle Dramlach
Looking down the first part of the main gully of Meikle Dramlach.

NJ3757 : Meikle Dramlach by Anne Burgess
Meikle Dramlach
Looking uphill towards the headwater of Meikle Dramlach.

NJ3757 : Whiteash Wood by Anne Burgess
Whiteash Wood
The tall pines have lost their covering of snow, but the heat of the sun has not... more

NJ3757 : Fallen Giants by Anne Burgess
Fallen Giants
Judging by the size of the upturned roots, these two fallen trees must have been... more

NJ3657 : Log in a Clearing by Anne Burgess
Log in a Clearing
A fallen tree lies across a clearing beside the road through Whiteash Wood.

NJ3657 : Forest Road by Anne Burgess
Forest Road
One of the maze of forest roads on Whiteash Hill.

NJ3657 : Walking in Whiteash Forest by Anne Burgess
Walking in Whiteash Forest
In two hours walking in the forest, I had seen two other walkers and four cyclist... more

NJ3657 : Road Junction by Anne Burgess
Road Junction
Two forest roads meet on Whiteash Hill.

NJ3657 : Mountain Bike Trail by Anne Burgess
Mountain Bike Trail
This is part of the circuit of mountain bike trails on Whiteash Hill that make up... more

NJ3657 : Sunlight and Snow by Anne Burgess
Sunlight and Snow
Sunlight on the snow on Whiteash Hill.

NJ3657 : Forest Trail by Anne Burgess
Forest Trail
This bend is part of the bike trails that make up the Fochabers Ring on Whiteash Hill.

NJ3557 : Main Road Ahead by Anne Burgess
Main Road Ahead
The sign is to warn users of the bike trails that the trail is about to reach the... more

NJ3557 : Drainage Ditch by Anne Burgess
Drainage Ditch
The track to and from the A96 on the slope of Whiteash Hill crosses a deep... more

NJ3458 : Crazy Paving by Anne Burgess
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 external link.

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