A Walk Through Milton Wood

A Walk Through Milton Wood

Wendy

Well, hello there! How are you? Bet you thought I had disappeared. I assure you, friends, I haven’t. The last six weeks have just been completely, utterly, absolutely, and positively BONKERS. Unfortunately, blogging has taken a back seat. But here I am, back with you today and ready to take you on a walk through beautiful Milton Wood. Grab your backpacks – don’t forget to take some water – and let’s be off.

Gorse at the entrance to Milton Wood.
Gorse in full bloom at the entrance to Milton Wood
Walking path in Milton Wood.
Into the woods

Milton Wood lies at the west end of the village of Farr, in the Strathnairn region of the Scottish Highlands. (Farr is the quiet little village where, in 2019, Mr. C and I rented the Larch Cabin for two weeks.) The lovely wood, which the Strathnairn community purchased from the Forestry Commission in 2003, occupies about 28 hectares (69 acres) of land along the River Nairn.

River Nairn framed by foliage.
River Nairn
Man with a camera by a river.
Mr. C on the bank of the river. Still cute after all these years. 🙂

When you arrive at the wood, you will find a map posted at the entrance that shows the different trails and approximate walking times for each. Of course, if you are like us, it will take double that amount of time because of all the photo-taking and scenery admiring.

Map of walking trails in Milton Wood.
A walking path and a farmer's gate.
Along one of the well-maintained footpaths
A path and a pine covered hill.
Following the footpath

Milton Wood is a habitat for a number of animals, including Scotland’s adorable red squirrels, badgers, foxes, woodpeckers, and bats. Most surprisingly, Mr. C and I discovered on our hike that this section of the river is also home to a colony of Mandarin ducks. Seriously! (click on any of the blue links throughout to read my previous posts on those subjects)

Mandarin ducks swimming on a river.
Mandarin ducks on the River Nairn
Mandarin ducks on a river.

The wood, which is a conservation area managed by the local residents, is also home to a large variety of trees, mosses, lichen, fungi, and other plants.

Moss covered tree branches.
Moss covered tree
Lichen and moss covered tree
An upward view into trees.

Milton Wood is a delightfully peaceful place that I would dare to say is mainly visited by local residents or by vacationers staying in the area. On our walk, we encountered only a few others, including a nice, older retired couple who had moved to Scotland from England, and a few shy fairies who fled back into their homes when they saw us.

Moss covered hills in a wood.
Parts of Milton Wood look like a quintessential fairy forest
Trees, large rocks, and moss covered hills.

I have heard that if you visit the forest at night, especially around the boggy areas, you might even spot a will-o’-the-wisp or two!

A boggy, mossy forest floor.
A boggy area with a dock over the water in Milton Wood.

All joking aside, Milton Wood was a nice discovery. I’m happy that Mr. C and I had an opportunity to experience it.

Tall trees on the side of a hill.

That’s it for today, friends. It is so good to be back with you. Have a fantastic day!

Cheers,

18 thoughts on “A Walk Through Milton Wood”

Leave a Reply