The missus and I took a long weekend over this past Valentine's weekend and today I gave her the best present possible - a long lie in while I took the dog for a walk. I recently picked up a new 1:25000 map and poring over it I spotted a great big lump of woodland 30 minutes from Inverness - perfect!
I left Inverness a cold drizzly mess so imagine my surprise when I arrived to a crisp winter day in the woods!
![](http://i.imgur.com/lQva5Sql.jpg)
This woodland is managed by the Forestry Commission, so it didn't take long to find an FC classic - this stunner of a single tree in an area of previous clearcutting.
![](http://i.imgur.com/vEKLTjel.jpg)
A few hundred metres down the track and the pooch was itching to get off the lead for a run around.
![](http://i.imgur.com/ZYECvgCl.jpg)
Much better!
![](http://i.imgur.com/G4buKx9l.jpg)
In her element.
![](http://i.imgur.com/fdf3Nq0l.jpg)
No prizes for guessing whose tracks these are.
![](http://i.imgur.com/c1yl6Ewl.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/S1ivcENl.jpg)
A bit further along and there was a fallen tree where this branch was sitting about 5 feet above the ground. Is this a good example of deer stripping bark?
![](http://i.imgur.com/m14xBU8l.jpg)
It's hard to see here, but this is actually a natural spring right at the edge of the trail. It was pumping out about 1 litre of clear water a minute easily.
![](http://i.imgur.com/KhjaiC5l.jpg)
Quite a nice view over some more clearcut fields.
![](http://i.imgur.com/9ql9sj3l.jpg)
And the requisite FC lone tree.
![](http://i.imgur.com/O3RI0fNl.jpg)
Despite the snow and ice, this tree obviously reckons the winter's nearly over - trying to push it's buds through the fresh snow fall.
![](http://i.imgur.com/kB1QqE7l.jpg)
This fresh shoot thinks the winter's done too!
![](http://i.imgur.com/9L4Ep2tl.jpg)
A drop of melt-water hanging between two buds.
![](http://i.imgur.com/YfdBBLhl.jpg)
As I descended down towards the burn, the woods changed from commercial stocks to smaller, deciduous trees like these birches festooned with lichens.
![](http://i.imgur.com/euIopnAl.jpg)
In the soft ground near the burn there were several tracks like these, all about 1/2 an inch deep, but with indistinct marks in the bottom of the print. Deer perhaps?
![](http://i.imgur.com/hwskBEOl.jpg)
I decided to sit and make a hiking pole under the cover of the birches out of the snow to at least count some of this trip toward bushcrafting.
![](http://i.imgur.com/DVoMc1yl.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/8XhpQZrl.jpg)
Whilst I made the pole, the pooch took a paddle in the burn. Why she wanted to do this when this small pool 5 metres away was frozen solid is beyond me.
![](http://i.imgur.com/fWo0bmJl.jpg)
This is still an actively worked forest, with freshly felled logs stacked at the side of the tracks.
![](http://i.imgur.com/WhGV8C0l.jpg)
With that there are areas that are off limit. Unfortunately, this looks like the best track to get to a rather attractive waterfall so I'll have to trace out an alternative route bypassing this section of the woods when I come back next time.
![](http://i.imgur.com/OOXh8v8l.jpg)
With the weather setting in, it was definitely time to set off back home.
![](http://i.imgur.com/8TNWH0Sl.jpg)
All in all a cracking day out!
I left Inverness a cold drizzly mess so imagine my surprise when I arrived to a crisp winter day in the woods!
![](http://i.imgur.com/lQva5Sql.jpg)
This woodland is managed by the Forestry Commission, so it didn't take long to find an FC classic - this stunner of a single tree in an area of previous clearcutting.
![](http://i.imgur.com/vEKLTjel.jpg)
A few hundred metres down the track and the pooch was itching to get off the lead for a run around.
![](http://i.imgur.com/ZYECvgCl.jpg)
Much better!
![](http://i.imgur.com/G4buKx9l.jpg)
In her element.
![](http://i.imgur.com/fdf3Nq0l.jpg)
No prizes for guessing whose tracks these are.
![](http://i.imgur.com/c1yl6Ewl.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/S1ivcENl.jpg)
A bit further along and there was a fallen tree where this branch was sitting about 5 feet above the ground. Is this a good example of deer stripping bark?
![](http://i.imgur.com/m14xBU8l.jpg)
It's hard to see here, but this is actually a natural spring right at the edge of the trail. It was pumping out about 1 litre of clear water a minute easily.
![](http://i.imgur.com/KhjaiC5l.jpg)
Quite a nice view over some more clearcut fields.
![](http://i.imgur.com/9ql9sj3l.jpg)
And the requisite FC lone tree.
![](http://i.imgur.com/O3RI0fNl.jpg)
Despite the snow and ice, this tree obviously reckons the winter's nearly over - trying to push it's buds through the fresh snow fall.
![](http://i.imgur.com/kB1QqE7l.jpg)
This fresh shoot thinks the winter's done too!
![](http://i.imgur.com/9L4Ep2tl.jpg)
A drop of melt-water hanging between two buds.
![](http://i.imgur.com/YfdBBLhl.jpg)
As I descended down towards the burn, the woods changed from commercial stocks to smaller, deciduous trees like these birches festooned with lichens.
![](http://i.imgur.com/euIopnAl.jpg)
In the soft ground near the burn there were several tracks like these, all about 1/2 an inch deep, but with indistinct marks in the bottom of the print. Deer perhaps?
![](http://i.imgur.com/hwskBEOl.jpg)
I decided to sit and make a hiking pole under the cover of the birches out of the snow to at least count some of this trip toward bushcrafting.
![](http://i.imgur.com/DVoMc1yl.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/8XhpQZrl.jpg)
Whilst I made the pole, the pooch took a paddle in the burn. Why she wanted to do this when this small pool 5 metres away was frozen solid is beyond me.
![](http://i.imgur.com/fWo0bmJl.jpg)
This is still an actively worked forest, with freshly felled logs stacked at the side of the tracks.
![](http://i.imgur.com/WhGV8C0l.jpg)
With that there are areas that are off limit. Unfortunately, this looks like the best track to get to a rather attractive waterfall so I'll have to trace out an alternative route bypassing this section of the woods when I come back next time.
![](http://i.imgur.com/OOXh8v8l.jpg)
With the weather setting in, it was definitely time to set off back home.
![](http://i.imgur.com/8TNWH0Sl.jpg)
All in all a cracking day out!