Carn a' Cheathraimh Mhòir

Improved pasture on the edge of Dava Moor.

A Mallard and her baker's dozen take to the waters of Lochindorb. I wish them well and wonder how many will reach maturity. Their chances of survival are slim under constant predation by the otter, the gull, the heron, and the lurking pike, a recent and most unwise introduction to the loch.

I've fished for Brown trout on this loch for over thirty years and have caught literally hundreds here. They are abundant here but rarely gained over eleven inches in length. Then it happened. A trout was caught weighing just under four pounds about two years ago and then another and then another. This was a strange occurrence for this venue and it wasn't until 2014 that an Elgin angler, Fraser Kelman reported catching a pike here. He was spot on and in the interim period a lot of pike have been caught at Lochindorb. That's right, someone has slipped this alien species into this historic loch and although I forecast a record pike being taken from here someday I feel that there will be a price to pay for this interference with Mother Nature.

The sun is fast sinking in the west and the temperature plummets here at Lochindorb which lies 1000 feet above sea level.

Here once dwelt The Wolf of Badenoch who seen fit to burn Elgin cathedral to the ground. The loch is generally quite shallow but there are two small areas were a depth of up to 30 feet are found. The loch is home to the brown trout and more recently the pike.

The remains of the 13th century Lochindorb Castle is now overlooked by the turbines of the Tom nan Clach Wind Farm, seven miles away on the horizon

Looking south-westward.

Looking north-westward.

Looking south-westward.

The southerly wind has herded sheets of ice up to the northern shore. There's not a soul to be seen and I don't suppose the scene has changed much since time immemorial.

Can you see the castle remains on the distant island? Oh what stories this little corner of the globe can tell!

What a harsh climate we have at Lochindorb!

View from inside Lochindorb Castle