PEAK PRACTICE THE MORAY COASTAL TRAIL

Sunday Herald, The, Feb 10, 2008 by CAMERON McNEISH

IT was hard to believe. One day the hills were white with snow and I had difficulty even getting my car out of the drive because of the depth of snowdrift.

But less than 24 hours later, after a night of torrential rain and gale-force winds, the snow had vanished, the Spey had flooded its banks and its entire flood plain around Kingussie and Newtonmore resembled an inland sea, complete with white-horse waves.

By the time the weekend arrived the winds were still whipping the high tops and I didn't much fancy a day of buffeting and river crossing, given that most little hill streams would now be a frothing, roaring torrent.

In the face of such hill hazards we fled to the coast where, at least, the seas were real, the waves were spectacular and the winds only amplified the stormy grandeur.

With its 50 miles of marvellous landscapes, from rugged cliffs, caves and sheltered coves to fishertown harbours and sweeping stretches of sand, the Moray Coastal Trail is one of Scotland's best kept secrets. By the way, it's pronounced "Murray", and not "Morr- ay".

A waymarked trail runs from Forres to the little harbour village of Cullen and, for much of the way, it follows the line of the disused Aberdeen to Inverness railway line. That, at least, ensures some flat walking and we were glad of it as the winds battered us like an invisible wrestler during our trudge south from Burghead towards Lossiemouth, a walk of about 13 miles.

Whereas the winds can be life-threatening on a 3000ft mountain, down here at sea level gale force gusts are merely an inconvenience, although they do add to the spectacle of crashing waves and 10ft- high surf.

We stopped just short of Hopeman harbour and were mesmerised by the rhythmic pounding as wave upon wave crashed into the harbour wall, sending foam and spray 50ft into the air. It certainly wasn't a day for being on a mountain top - or at sea in a boat.

Burghead brought back some painful memories for me - in the 1960s I was packed off to the Moray Sea School at Burghead, where cold showers and early morning runs were the order of the day. That was all in the name of Outward Bound. Changed days - I stayed the night in Eskdale Outward Bound in the Lake District a couple of weeks ago and couldn't believe the hotel-like comfort of the place. Are our youngsters being mollycoddled nowadays? What happened to cold showers being good for you?

Burghead is a quiet little place these days but was once the capital of the Northern Picts and cradle of the Scottish kings. Did you know that Macbeth is thought to have been born near here? Or that his predecessor, Duncan, was killed in the vicinity? We trekked in the footsteps of ancient kings.

The old railway route south to Hopeman runs close to the sea and its jagged skerries, so you get a real sense of the power of the waves as they surge and crash into the cliffs, but there are bigger cliffs ahead. Beyond Hopeman, just before you get to Covesea, the cliffs rise some 230ft above the shore and the Moray Coastal Trail runs along its edge.

The sandstone of these cliffs was apparently formed some 250 million years ago under desert conditions - it's said you can see the footprints of pre-dinosaur reptiles in some exposed areas. We didn't see very much on this section of the trail - we were taking too much care not to be blown over the edge.

Below Gow's Castle, near Covesea, we took to the beach where the trail carried us towards Covesea lighthouse before meandering through marram grass covered sand dunes to Lossiemouth, once a major fishing port.

Sadly, like many northeast ports, Lossiemouth has been a victim of fishing quotas and fluctuating fortunes. The harbour, which would once have been jam-packed with the boats of the herring industry, is now mainly a marina.

It would have been good to press on the remaining 15 miles to Cullen, to complete the rest of the Moray Coastal Trail, but that will have to await another day - possibly the next time that gale- force winds scour the high tops and send us scuttling to the coast once again.

FACT FILE

Map: OS Sheets 27, 28 Distance: 13 miles Approx Time: About 6 hours Start/Finish: Burghead/Lossiemouth Route: Leave Burghead by the Moray Coastal Trail that runs south of the village. Follow the grass and gravel track all the way to Hopeman. Go through the village to the South Car Park and follow the trail from there towards Covesea along the length of the Hopeman ridge.

Pass the lighthouse, drop down on to the beach and follow the trail through the sand dunes to Lossiemouth.

www. cameronmcneish. co. uk