Lochindorb

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.

There's a dusting of snow here today and the lack of tracks on the road mean that I have the place to myself. That's Lochindorb castle in the background which was home to the infamous Wolf of Badenoch.

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.

Crossing Dava Moor on the B9007.

Very little of the landscape has been modified here at Lochindorb over the past years. In the distance you can see the dreaded windmills, the sinister castle ruins on the island and to the right you'll see Lochindorb lodge.

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

This is regarded as the Scottish national game bird and universally acknowledged as the king of game birds. Living in the uplands and surviving on a diet of heather, seeds, berries and insects it is reported that the pursuit of grouse brings in 150 million pounds per annum to the economy of the UK. Unlike that other game bird, the pheasant, the grouse is not hand reared but is nurtured through land management. In this picture note the burnt heather; this encourages the growth of new shoots which accounts for 50 per cent of the birds' diet. Capable of speeds of up to 70 mph, the grouse is a low flier, hugging the heather clad contours of the wilderness.

Looking south-westward.

Looking south-westward.

Looking north-eastward.

Looking south-westward.

Looking north-eastward.