Geo-Trips :: Tomlachlan, Dulsie and Ardclach
County of Nairn
A walk from Burnside, Wed, 22 Oct 2025 by Anne Burgess
Having discovered that a friend's ancestors once lived at Tomlachlan, we decided to go and visit the ruins. We left the car near Dunearn Lodge and plodded though a couple of hundred metres of rank heather and rushy bog to reach the estate track to the ruins along the left bank of the Tomlachlan Burn.
After examining Tomlachlan we decided to go on to Lynemore, but before we got there we were diverted by the prospect of viewing waterfalls in the gorge of the Leonach Burn.
At the top of the gorge we discovered a stout new bridge where our paper map shows a ford. We were thus able to cross the burn and add another grid square before turning back to the gorge itself.
Disappointingly, in spite of various attempts to get through the heather to the edge of the gorge, and even with the grid references of the earlier photographer locations, we were unable to re-create any of the waterfall views already on Geograph, because the trees have grown in the interim and now obscure the earlier views.
We carried on to Lynemore and had a look round the surviving buildings of what must have been a substantial farm.
Then we considered the best way to return to the car. The maps and satellite view showed the route we had come by, a much shorter track and a much longer track. Naturally we opted for the shortest route, which turned out to be a mistake. Even though it shows up on all the maps as a track or path, and can be seen on the satellite view, it has plainly not been used for many years, if not decades, and has become overgrown in some places and very boggy in others. However we decided to persevere, as it was only a few hundred metres, and after trudging through rank heather and moor grass tussocks duly arrived back at the road with very wet footwear and a cargo of ticks, none of which had actually attached themselves, but otherwise unscathed.
After a very late picnic lunch we made our way home, stopping en route to admire the dramatic bridge and gorge at Dulsie and the kirks and bell tower at Ardclach.
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. ( )
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Field near Burnside
The trees mark the course of the Tomlachlan Burn on the far side of the field.
Tomlachlan Burn
There's just a glimpse of the burn amongst the autumnal leaves.
Old Military Bridge
The bridge is part of the 18th century network of military roads built to enable... more
Old Military Bridge
The bridge is part of the 18th century network of military roads built to enable... more
Tomlachlan Burn
Looking upstream from the road bridge west of Burnside.
Fallen Tree
One of the Silver Birches on the right bank of the Tomlachlan Burn has been... more
Tomlachlan Burn
A quiet reach of the burn opposite Dunearn Lodge.
Looking towards Dunearn Lodge
The track from Dunearn Lodge crosses the Tomlachlan Burn at the ford, which is... more
Dunearn Lodge
The lodge is available to rent with fishing on the River Findhorn. See... more
Sand Martin Colony
Naturally there were no Sand Martins there on this October day, but one can hope... more
Tomlachlan Burn
Looking upstream from the estate track near Dunearn Lodge.
Approaching Tomlachlan
The stones on the skyline to the right are the remains of the walls of the house... more
Ruins of Tomlachan
There seem to be three groups of foundations at Tomlachlan. This is the first one... more
Tomlachlan
This rickle o' stanes is the remains of the first group of buildings you reach... more
Tomlachlan Ruins
The most substantial remains of the buildings at Tomlachan - which isn't saying... more
Tomlachlan Croft
This is the largest group of foundations at Tomlachlan. Compare with the similar... more
Tomlachlan
'Tom' means a small hill, and the ruins of the main range of buildings here are... more
Foundations at Tomlachlan
We thought that the longest range of buildings at Tomlachlan probably contained... more
The View from Tomlachlan
In the distance is Dunearn Lodge, though the building is Victorian and would be... more
House at Tomlachlan?
Was this perhaps the family house on the croft? There are two features to suggest... more
Dead Tree at Tomlachlan
The tree is right on the corner of a walled enclosure which may have been the... more
Tomlachlan
The extent of the long row of buildings can be seen from here. The dead tree may... more
Track to Lynemore
We wondered what caused the sinuous erosion beside the track, and eventually... more
Gate near Lynemore
The track, indistinct but easy to follow, goes through the gate and continues to... more
Fungi
Three of many, which may or may not be Wood Blewett (Collybia nuda, previously... more
Moorland Plateau
The relatively smooth level plateau drops into the gorges of the Rhilean and... more
Erratic Boulders
A small one in a ditch points towards two much larger erratics perched among the... more
New Bridge
We were carrying a good old-fashioned paper map that shows a ford here, so it was... more
Warning Sign
The sign has presumably been blown out of position, because it is intended to... more
Leanoch Burn
Looking downstream from the new bridge carrying the access road to the Tom nan... more
Wind Farm Access Road
This is the new road to the Tom nan Clach wind farm west of [[[8177943]]]. Note... more
Heather Moor
From here it's not obvious that the relatively level plateau is cut by deep gorges... more
A Featureless Scene
The only obviously notable features in this square are the vast new road to the... more
Tree Stumps
I am at a loss to explain why only a small area beside the new wind farm access... more
Leonach Burn
Looking upstream from the new wind farm access bridge.
Leonach Burn Gorge
Or rather, not the Leonach Burn Gorge, the view of which is pretty much obscured... more
Waterfalls in the Gorge
Having seen earlier view of waterfalls in the gorge of the Leonach Burn, I was... more
Leonach Gorge
Looking downstream from one of the few places where there is any sort of view of... more
Torgarrow
A distant view of the rust-red roof of the last remaining building at Torgarrow.
Fungi
I think these might be some sort of parasol mushroom?
Ruined House
We speculated that this was probably a house for a worker at Lynemore Farm nearby.... more
Derelict House
The house is on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map (1904) but... more
Ford at Lynemore
We were a bit concerned that the map showed a ford, but in the event it was an... more
Boggy Ground
The swathe of rushes and the apparent absence of a burn hint that this bit of... more
Lynemore
There's a very extensive collection of ruined buildings at Lynemore. The main part... more
Lynemore
Only one building at Lynemore still has a roof, although only 17 years ago there... more
Lynemore
This is a second set of buildings, on the other side of what would have been the... more
Lynemore Ruins
The rather chaotic-looking ruins of the middle block of the three sections making... more
Lynemore Farm
The smaller group of buildings at Lynemore, which may possibly have been the farm... more
Plaster Patterns
Differential weathering of many layers of plaster has resulted in curious shapes... more
Lick Feeder
This was a mystery to us when we first came across it. The square turquoise... more
Gateway at Lynemore
To the left was a pond, according to the maps, but it's so overgrown that there's... more
Fields at Lynemore
Improved land, apparently still in use for grazing though there was no livestock... more
Faint Track
The map showed three tracks to get back to the car; the way we had come; a shorter... more
Vanishing Track
If you look very carefully, you might be able to see the mapped track making... more
Collindoune
The scant remains of the buildings at the croft of Collindoune stand in the middle... more
Scots Pines
A slightly unexpected clump of Scots Pine among extensive areas of birch woodland.
Silver Birch (Betula pendula)
A very autumnal scene, with golden birch leaves against a blue sky.
Boggy Track
The faint depression along the edge of the birch wood is what the map shows as a... more
Dunearn Hill
On top of the hill is the Doune, an unusually extensive Iron Age vitrified fort.... more
Faint Track
Most of the north end of the track through the birch woods shown on the map turns... more
Track to Lynemore
The track is there - just. Having lulled us into a false sense of security by... more
Gate on the Lynemore Track
This was a very welcome sight; the gate marks the end of the partly vanishing and... more
Lynemore Track Gate
Compare this view with [[[659868]]], taken in 2007, and [[[4817575]]], taken in... more
Mini-Quarry
There are several small pits alongside the road here, presumably where sand and... more
Moorland
It looks as if the grassy area may be too wet for heather. Perhaps it was once a... more
Dulsie Bridge Picnic Site
The two picnic tables are overshadowed by a large fallen tree, probably a victim... more
Fallen Tree
A large tree, uprooted most probably by Storm Amy on 3 October 2025, has damaged... more
Shingle Bank
A bank of shingle on the outside of a bend in the River Findhorn above Dulsie Bridge.
River Findhorn
A quiet shallow reach of the river just before it plunges into the gorge at Dulsie.
River Findhorn
Just above the bend leading into the Dulsie Gorge.
River Findhorn
Large boulders lie in the bed of the river as it is about to enter the gorge at... more
Dulsie Bridge
The view of the bridge from the otherwise well-organised viewpoint is... more
River Findhorn
Looking downstream from Dulsie Bridge.
Dulsie Bridge
The path down to the River Findhorn on the north bank hugs the west side of the... more
Rocky Gorge
Looking south from the left bank of the River Findhorn just downstream of Dulsie Bridge.
Dulsie Bridge
This is the smaller arch at the north end of the bridge. Normally it is well above... more
Dulsie Bridge
Thanks to the growth of trees around it, it is almost as difficult to get a good... more
Old and New Gates
The old cast-iron pedestrian gate at the top of the track down to the riverside... more
Fields near Dulsie
The land drops steeply from the road to the flat fields beside the River Findhorn,... more
Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
A fine fresh specimen of the most easily recognised, and famously poisonous,... more
Birch and Pine
The road is flanked by fairly open woodland, the commost species being Silver... more
Open Woodland
A small burn interrupts the continuous woodland, offering a glimpse through a gap... more
Dulsie Wood
The entirety of this square is wooded. To the south-east, towards the River... more
Dulsie Wood
The entirety of this square is wooded. To the north-west, away from the River... more
Open Woodland
Silver Birch with an understorey of Blaeberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). This is... more
Gate into Dulsie Wood
There are few features readily visible from the road in this heavily wooded... more
Levrattich
After several miles of woodland, it's a pleasure to emerge from the gloom to a... more
Power Line
An alternative view of the pylons supporting the overhead power line.
Boggy Pond
This small pond in a dip on the edge of a field is shown on the maps.
Pond at Levrattich
In fact this is the highest and the only easily visible of a series of ponds at... more
St Stephen's Kirk
This unusual triple-aisled kirk was originally a Free Kirk, but it later became... more
Ardclach House
Originally a Free Kirk manse, built at the same time as [[[8178403]]]. It is... more
Keeper's Cottage Gate
A good old-fashioned gate with a decorative [[[8178576]]] and [[[8178574]]].
Chicken Gatepost
On the left gatepost at [[[8178572]]].
Cockerel Gatepost
On the right gatepost of [[[8178572]]]
Donald Mitchell Memorial
The Rev Donald Mitchell (1792-1823) enjoys the dubious distinction of being the... more
Ardclach Bell Tower
The approach to the tower is by a steep but well-maintained flight of steps.
Ardclach Bell Tower
The view from the south, at the top of the flight of steps leading to it.
Ardclach Bell Tower
From the west, showing the almost blank gable with the date stone showing the year... more
Penny Bun (Boletus edulis)
That is to say, it is probably a Penny Bun fungus, but it isn't possible to be... more
Ardclach Bell Tower
From the north-north-east, showing the gunloops in the gable and the tiny window... more
Penny Bun (Boletus edulis)
That is to say, it is probably a Penny Bun fungus, but it isn't possible to be... more
Ardclach Bell Tower
From the east, showing one tiny window and three gunloops.
Ardclach Bell Tower
The interior of the topmost floor of the tower, showing the central fireplace and... more
Ardclach Old Kirk
The kirk was built in 1626 and remodelled in 1765 by Donald MacAndrew. It was... more
Ardclach Old Kirk
The kirk was built in 1626 and remodelled in 1765 by Donald MacAndrew. It was... more
James Whyte Black
This stone caught my companion's eye, and we were surprised to read that James... more
School House
We wondered when we saw this if it had been a school, and indeed the first edition... more
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