An Easter Sunday afternoon at Loch Ordie
On a glorious (what could easily be mistaken for Summer) Easter Sunday, I decided Mac and I would grab the opportunity to visit the beautiful freshwater Loch Ordie near Dunkeld. I have always wanted to visit here as am forever being told how beautiful it is – they weren’t wrong!
This walk can be accessed from various areas around Dunkeld. The Cally Car Park is the main entry point, however I knew as it was a stunning day the car park would be packed. We drove a bit further up the A9 and went to a tiny place called Guay. There is a very small forestry car park here with enough room for a few cars. We checked out the map and set off. The weather is blissfully warm and I’m hopeful I can get a good dose of Vit D plus rid myself of the Scottish peely wally winter colour!
I also chose this route as I know we can reach Loch Ordie a bit quicker so that Mac can access the water soon. Care is to be taken on this walk as there are livestock sporadically dotted about the landscape. I was vigilant at all times for sheep and cattle.
The paths are good, nice and wide. Completely dried out at the moment as we have had hardly any rain for a good while. Makes for easy walking conditions as there are not many mucky areas. We followed the track up – it’s fairly well signposted. Beautiful and varied scenery all around plus so much sun!
We arrived at Loch Ordie, a mere half an hour after setting off from the car. It’s breathtaking as it’s so blue! Surrounded by low rolling hills and trees. We parked ourselves down and had lunch. Mac hopping in and out of the water to keep cool. If you have seen the video footage – he was a good bit reserved as it’s warm and the day before he spent three hours digging on the beach haha! There are a few walkers and families up here today – out enjoying the Easter sun!
After a bite to eat (and many mini eggs – would be rude not to all things considered!) we continued on past the lodge and up through the wood towards Deuchary Hill. there are paths right round Loch Ordie but we fancied a bit of a hill! We followed the path up through trees and then turned up to the left where the path gets a bit steeper. We passed another lovely loch on the way up which was very tranquil and clear. We hiked up to the top and admired the views. It was a wee bit hazy but did not detract from the beauty! We stayed up there for a while and then headed off back down the hill and back to the car. All in all I think we were out for around 3 hours.
For more details on this walk please visit the great Walk Highlands website
After our walk we were in need of dinner. There are plenty of places around Dunkeld and Birnam to eat. If you like pizza The Birnam Inn is for you!
The Birnam Institute is fab for a lunch or sweet treat, as is the Aran Bakery in Dunkeld. There is also a fab chip shop in Dunkeld Fish Bar which is always popular. There are various hotels around also which offer various different dishes to suit everyone’s taste.
We decided to hit an old favourite of ours, The Motogrill at Ballinluig just up the A9 from Guay. We love it here – good value grub served quickly whilst seated outside in the sun with Mac! Perfect way to end the day!
If Loch Ordie sounds like the perfect Sunday walk for you, check out our list of available properties. It’s worth noting that this location is within driving distance of most of our accommodation. Couthie Cottage and The Corner House are by far the closest. Enjoy!
