Loch Garten is a wonderful loch within the Abernethy Nature Reserve managed by the RSPB, I have recently begun volunteering at the visitor centre and I get to be on this reserve a couple of times a week.

It is a beautiful location in a part of the remaining ancient Caledonian forest, which used to spread across Scotland but is now only 1% of its former area, isolated in pockets such as Abernethy forest. 

The postcode for this location is PH25 3EF to help you plan your route, alternatively if you travelling from Inverness the following instructions should help you.

To get here from Inverness you should head down the A9 and leave at the junction signed Carrbridge.

Continue along the road into the village of Carrbridge (here is an amazing bridge that can make a good pit stop for a photo as well) and go through the village following signs for the A95.

At the end of the road you will be at a T-junction on the A95, turn left.

Follow signs for Boat of Garten, its the village closest to the Loch.

Once on the A95 take the next right turn, signposted Boat of Garten.

Continue along this road, through the village, there is a very sharp S section but continue over the bridge on the River Spey.

The road will end at another T-junction on a B road but the Osprey Visitor Centre should now be sign posted, so take the left at the T-junction.

After a few corners there will be a right turn sign posted for the Osprey Visitor Centre, take that and continue along the road until you come to the Osprey Visitor Centre.

Park there, and walk along the track parallel to the road for the viewpoints discussed below.

Example 1 

After parking in the Osprey Centre you can start walking along the trail but you will have noticed that you are already on the banks of the Loch.

You should explore along this edge, you might find an image that I missed.

But this example comes from further down the track. To get to this spot, continue along the path running parallel to the road, you should do this to get a real sense of the forest. I’ve recently learnt that along this track are some of the oldest pines in the forest.

You’ll eventually come to a second car park for the Loch Mallachie trail, this is the main trail that I tend to explore when taking pictures. Cross the road and begin the loop walk.

Heading down the track you will eventually reach another section of the Loch Garten beach. Explore along this edge to the left. This part of the Loch is where this image came from, I think that tree in the image has been removed or has fallen in completely but even so, this is a great place to get some images, such as the following. 

Example 2

Following along the banks of the Loch, left of the trail you will come across these 3 boulders sitting out of the water. It would be perfect if you could get them separated but I haven’t found an angle yet that completely separates all 3 boulders.

You might have noticed that all along this Loch, and surrounding you is this ancient forest. This is what makes Loch Garten such a unique location, the other Lochs in the area may be forested but it is unlikely ancient Caledonian forest. 

In my article about the Top 5 Photographers of the Cairngorms, I mentioned their efforts for rewinding called Scotland: The Big Picture, well this Nature Reserve has formed a coalition with other reserves and businesses to form Cairngorm Connect.

Cairngorm Connect is a project to rebuild the Caledonian forest from the RSPB reserve out ward and southward across the Cairngorm mountain range. So across from Loch Garten is the hills of Meall a’Bhuchaille, which forms the border of the reserve, on the other side is the Forestry Commission Forest Park of Glenmore beyond which is the Cairngorm Mountain Plateaux and which is connected to the Glenfeshie estate.

These 3 entities have come together and formed a 200 year plan to extend the Caledonian forest into their areas. This is an effort to recreate a habitat now lost and connect these isolated pockets of forest, enabling extremely rare and specialised species, such as the Capercaillie and crested tit to spread and hopefully thrive.

So, as a side note, please visit the Osprey Centre if you are there during their open season. All of the staff are really friendly and will talk your ear off about ospreys and the forest in general. And your contribution to the project will help continue their efforts of restoring Scotland’s natural habitat. 

Example 3

This is an example of using intentional camera movement (ICM) and a slower shutter speed for creative effect. I slowed my shutter to about 1/15 or 1/10 of a second and moved the camera up and down while looking at the forest. It’s a common technique and an image that has been created by many people, but its always fun to have a go and you can’t ask for a better forest.

The Scots pines have wonderful colouring, towards the base they are a grey/purple colour but towards the tops they become a burnt orange colour, along with the deep green of their needles. Their colouring combined with their very straight growth really lends itself to an ICM image, in my opinion. 

Example 4

Here’s a colour view of the Loch, this was taken in spring with some of the pines having new growth giving a lighter green to the needles. The tree in the Loch is no longer there, someone removed it, I don’t think it would have been the RSPB as a part of their restoration of the habitat is to try and keep it as natural as possible.

You can also see the deep orange and browns of the Loch, this is caused by the peat lands in the area leaching into the water when it rains. The peat also raises the acidity of the Loch, which means that unfortunately it is too acidic for trout to survive, so the Ospreys that nest nearby hardly ever fish in this loch, as the only fish living there are pike. 

There are a lot more image possibilities than the ones I’ve shown you, if you continue along the track you will eventually come to Loch Mallachie, a very pretty little Loch with an island full of tend and living trees which may make a nice feature for an image.

The best part is to be within the forest. It is so unique, and I look forward to seeing your images from this location! So get in contact! Comment below with your instagram or twitter and I’ll keep an eye out for your images! 

Conclusion 

This ancient habitat is an amazing place to explore. The track is about 1.7 miles long and is a wonderful walk whatever the weather. As with all forests, this one changes with the seasons and there will always be something for you to get an image of.

Please stick to the paths and tracks, as this area is so special, we have to be very careful with the birds and the RSPB monitors the area to ensure no disturbance beyond the paths.

Loch Garten is a wonderful location in the heart of Scotland, only about 40 minutes from Inverness, so if you are holidaying in the Highlands you should come here! 

P.S. - Loch Garten is where I got the majority of images of small birds in my galleries Scotland Over the Years and Scotland Landscapes and Scotland Wildlife

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Written by Daniel Long

Daniel Long created DRL Photography as a place to showcase his work as a photographer. Daniel has learnt a lot about photography and wishes to impart this knowledge with you, although the world is an ever changing place and he always says “you can never learn everything.” So as he makes his way, he continues to learn knew techniques, skills and information about photography. He focuses on Landscape and Wildlife photography and Daniel has a special focus on Scotland, his home away from home. As well as writing about photography and taking pictures out in the field, Daniel offers guided photography days so he can share his knowledge and locations in an effort to give his clients the best opportunities possible. Have a browse around this website to see his images, guided experiences and articles about photography. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to get in contact.