Geo-Trips :: Military Remains in Lossie Forest
Moray
A walk from Inchbroom, Tue, 2 Feb 2021 by Anne Burgess
We set out from the small Forestry Commission car park near Inchbroom and followed the line of the World War II military defences to the shore. The wind was a bitterly cold lazy wind (too lazy to go round you so it goes straight through you) from the east, making it throughly unpleasant walking on the beach, so we turned back into the forest and made our way back via frozen ponds, past the sand and gravel works and then through pleasantly sunlit fields to return to the car. The defences are a Scheduled Monument. See Link for details.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
↓ Scroll down here ↓
Plastic Sacks
These were not lying here last time we passed by. Investigation reveals that each... more
Pumping Station
This is marked on the map as a pumping station. It stands at the junction of two... more
Innes Canal
The camera's 'panoramic' function makes it appear that there is a bend in the... more
Innes Canal
A more conventional view of the canal without the distortion in [[6746009]].
Ice Shelf
This doesn't look much, but it is really quite interesting. The shelf of ice must... more
Pillbox
This is one of the smaller, rectangular pillboxes that alternate with the larger,... more
Pillbox
This is one of the smaller, rectangular pillboxes that alternate with the larger,... more
Pillbox
This is one of the smaller, rectangular pillboxes that alternate with the larger,... more
Hexagonal Pillbox
This is one of the larger, hexagonal pillboxes in the Lossie Forest defences. It... more
Hexagonal Pillbox
This is one of the larger, hexagonal pillboxes in the Lossie Forest defences. It... more
Innes Canal
This is in fact a branch of the Innes Canal, which long pre-dates the military... more
Innes Canal
The frozen east branch of the Innes Canal.
Innes Canal
The frozen east branch of the Innes Canal.
Innes Canal
This is the last stretch of the east branch of the Innes Canal.
The End of the Innes Canal
The canal branch runs for a kilometre or so to the east, and then it just stops... more
Tank Traps and Log Piles
What came first? Well, I reckon it was the tank traps, then the trees, then the... more
Tank Traps and Trees
Part of the long line of tank traps built during the Second World War to guard... more
Rectangular Pillbox
One of several that now have a view only of trees.
Crumbling Pillbox
This is the pillbox on the corner where the defensive line turns north towards the sea.
Waymarker
It's the same distance to Lossiemouth whichever way you go. Or at least it... more
Tank Traps
This is the line of tank traps that runs north-east towards the sea. The expected... more
Tufa on a Tank Trap
Over time, water has got into the concrete and leached out the calcium carbonate,... more
Tank Traps and Pillbox
This pillbox is only about 70 metres from the previous one. Normally they are... more
Tank Traps
The line of tank traps marches through the forest towards the beach.
Felled Logs
The logs have been extracted by the harvesting machine and left where they can be... more
Path beside the Tank Traps
Looking inland along the path that has developed along the line of the tank traps.
Disappearing Tank Traps
At this point each of the concrete cubes is successively buried deeper than the... more
On the Beach
Or, rather, on the shingle banks that stretch from the dunes to the water's edge.... more
Fallen Tank Traps
This is the point where the line of tank traps appears to re-emerge from the... more
Forest Harvester
I would love to have gone closer to watch this machine at work, but I expect I... more
Forest Harvester
I would love to have gone closer to watch this machine at work, but I expect I... more
Faint Path
This path through the forest is evidently much used by cyclists. It's easy to spot... more
Fishing Station
When I saw this on the map, I was rather surprised because it is several hundred... more
Forest Pond
In the summer you are barely aware of this quite large pond, because most of it... more
Forest Path
We had followed a road because it was one we hadn't been on before and we didn't... more
Sand and Gravel Workings
We had obediently been following a narrow path that avoids going into the sand and... more
Forest Roads
This is about half way between Kingston and the car park at Inchbroom. To the... more
Marked Trees
Are the trees marked A in orange the next to be harvested, or the ones to be spared?
Forest Pond
The map shows a ride or firebreak here, but it looks more like an aspiring loch to me.
Forest Pond
This is one of a series of ponds in the low-lying parts of the accumulated... more
Boggy Path
The ponds on either side of the path are almost meeting, making it increasingly... more
Forest Pond
This is the east end of the pond west of the path. The line of ponds extends to... more
Road to Kingston
This is the furthest inland of the roads through the forest that ultimately all... more
Forest Road
The snow is only deep enough to hide the frozen puddles, but not to hide the deep... more
Muddy Road
For some reason the ice and snow on the road here have thawed, leaving a mess of... more
Ruin near Nether Unthank
Apart from the weather and the vegetation, nothing has changed since [[[4455581]]]... more
Footbridge
The footbridge and gate provide access across a drainage ditch to the field on the... more
Drainage Ditch
We folloed the path along the bank as far as we could, but it came up against a... more
Shelter Belt
We presumed that this row of trees is for shelter. There is a high seat at this... more
Animal Track
I thought this might be a track left by a Roe Deer, but on comparing it with... more
Field at Speyslaw
Looking back the way we had come along the field margin, with the Bin of Garmouth... more
Large Logs
Having got it into my head that you can tell Douglas Fir logs by the red... more
Near Speyslaw
If it were not for the dusting of snow, this could have been taken in spring, with... more
Marked Trees
Do the yellow ribbons indicate the trees to be felled? What about the A in green?
Car Park at Inchbroom
The small informal parking area accommodates about a dozen cars. When we arrived... more
Car Park and Forest Gate
When it's busy there's always a risk of cars blocking the access to the gate.
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a Creative Commons licence .