Millbuie Forest circuit

Resolis (Balblair, Jemimaville, Poyntzfield)

Distance: 12.2 km (7.6 miles)
Time: About 3 hours 30 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

The Millbuie Forest covers the high ground of the Black Isle, with a good network of all-weather forestry roads popular with walkers and cyclists.

This circuit starts where the forestry road meets the public road between Easter Brae and Agnes Hill (grid reference NH 6763 6361), where there is plenty of room to park. It passes two long cairns, mixes enclosed forest with cleared areas, and finishes along the edge of the forest with good views over to Easter Ross.

Route, GPS track and photographs: Julian Paren on Geograph.

Along the way

Photos and notes from the photographer’s trip on Geograph, numbered in walking order. Select a photo or number to find the spot on the map.

Agnes Hill South
Agnes Hill South is the address of this croft house. The house was built entirely by the crofter and has excellent stonework. The crofter has a fine reputation for his strawberries.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Minor forestry track from Agnes Hill into the Millbuie Forest
Marked as a track on OS Mapping, this is by contrast a delightful footpath which has not seen use by large forestry vehicles.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Looking along the footpath to Agneshill
This is the place where the delightful footpath (marked as a forestry track on OS mapping) meets the main access roads for forestry across the Millbuie Forest.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gorse, pine and deciduous trees beside a track in the Millbuie Forest
Although a sunny October day, little sunlight penetrated into the forest except along the forest tracks.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Marker post in the Millbuie Forest
Perhaps this is a long-forgotten sign indicating a footpath route. It is the only one I have seen traversing much of Millbuie Forest. Or is it giving you the direction to an Osprey nest?
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Glade in the Millbuie Forest
The Millbuie Forest has a number of open areas as part of the forestry cycle.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Forestry road through the Millbuie Forest
An excellent wide and well-surfaced forestry road that hardly bends as it traverses the forest.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Millbuie Forestry Road heading to Brae Farm
Heading out into a more open part of the forest.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Well maintained forestry road through the Millbuie Forest
A wide track and dry, and few hazards to contend with. The forestry roads are used for "The Snowman" Car Rally each winter, otherwise the gates into the forest roads are expected to be locked.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Floor of the Millbuie Forest
Each compartment of the wood has a different character. Just crossing the road can reveal new aspects to the ecology.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
A straight forestry road across the Millbuie Forest
Strangely there are signs in a number of places pointing into the forest with the word "Military Road". The spinal forestry track is known as "The Military Road" but the others were created when the Millbuie was forested. This road is straight enough to be thought of as a military road, but has nothing to do with General Wade who did give Scotland some of its notable roads.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
A compartment boundary in the Millbuie Forest
A wide boundary, devoid of trees, but not marked as any significant feature in OS mapping.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Minor forestry road across the Millbuie Forest
This track looked so much more enticing at its other end where it meets the Military Road seen on a previous visit. See [[[4146089]]]
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
By a boundary in the Millbuie Forest
Beyond the established Scots Pine is a compartment recently planted and allowing light to enter the more naturally shaded part of the forest.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Sign post for Long Cairn (presumably)
In a forest that contains a number of archaeological sites it was a surprise to find one sign at this junction suggesting a" find" was awaiting you along the track. It goes without saying that this was the first and last sign you see, and to find Long Cairn you use your GPS to pinpoint it and walk its perimeter, but no path of any description links you from the forest track to the site itself. One out of ten for trying.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Forestry track beside a cleared section of the Millbuie Forest
The segment of forest containing the Long Cairn of deep antiquity is now a mass of undergrowth from recent natural colonisation and expansion..
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
The axis of Woodhead III Long Cairn
An authority on this cairn, Anthony Woodham, wrote in his memoir Survey of Prehistoric Monuments Black Isle : At a height of 600ft. above O.D., in a shallow depression in the plateau above Woodhead farm, is a long cairn oriented E-W . The area has been planted and the cairn stands out as a treeless heather-covered stony mound, 130 ft. long and 42 ft. wide. The sides of the cairn have become somewhat scattered and the original width is impossible to estimate without excavation, but the width quoted is the average of a number of measurements, and is the same at both ends.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Track across an open section of Millbuie Forest
Heather at your feet and a few scattered pines beside the track.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Side of Wester Brae Long Cairn
These stones were the only hard evidence of any structure related to this mound – and they may have nothing to do with the original building.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Axis of Wester Brae Long Cairn
The memoir Survey of Prehistoric Monuments of the Black Isle states: Within the area of a field of small cairns and at a height of 550 ft above O.D. and little more than half a mile NNE of Woodend III Long Cairn is a second long cairn 85 ft. long by 40 ft. wide, oriented roughly E-W. This cairn too is in a fir plantation and presents as a treeless green turf-covered stony mound. It attains a height of 6 ft. near the W end and 5 ft. at the E end, while there is an appreciable depression about the centre suggesting an attempt at robbing. The ends, however, do appear to be intact.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Minor track through the Millbuie Forest
This track is not marked on OS 1:25,000, but is shown on the most detailed mapping available on the Geograph site for this Grid Square. The floor is full of heather with trees still in their infancy.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Productive farmland of Easter Ross
From the perimeter forestry road there are views over the Black Isle to the coastal farms of Easter Ross. The Cromarty Firth is hidden below the Black Isle. Ben Wyvis behind Dingwall dominates the skyline.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Access road to West Brae
This road provides the access for walkers heading for the Kingsley Wood Way – a major forestry road of the Millbuie Forest.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Rough grazing below the Millbuie Forest
The view enhanced by three trees that got away from the confines of a forestry plantation.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Redundant farm building
Belonging to the farm of Easter Brae, this structure could be excuse enough for Planning Permission for a modern building on this site.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0
Farmland of Springfield and Cullicudden
Good Black Isle farmland. The town of Alness is seen across the Cromarty Firth.
Photo © Julian Paren, CC BY-SA 2.0