Walk: Avoch aye, the view

📌 Black Isle, Highland
★★★

Avoch (pronounced “och”, hence the rubbish pun above) is a pretty seaside village on the southeast side of the Black Isle. It looks good from above too, from the small but prominent summit of Ormond Hill – also once the site of 12th century Ormond Castle. The castle was the seat of the de Moray family, and an annual commemoration event is held here in May. The route described below starts from Avoch seafront and, after taking in the summit, completes a circumnavigation of Wood Hill to the southwest, allowing brief views of Munlochy Bay – the next inlet along.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish on Ormonde Terrace, south end of Avoch

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NH 699543

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.559758,-4.176665

🚌 Bus to Avoch (0.5 mi)

🚗 Street parking

📝 Key info

▶ 5 km / 3 mi | ▲ 120 m | ⌛ 1.5 hr

Features: △ Ormond Hill (76 m)

⬤ Easy | Minor road for first / last sections. Remainder on mix of narrow paths & clear tracks, briefly steep to summit.

➡️ Clockwise lollipop circuit with detour to Ormond Hill: start – Castleton Farm – track around east side of Ormond Hill – there-and-back detour to summit – clockwise loop around Wood Hill – rejoin outward route – start

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Red kites, a pheasant, yellowhammers, lots of butterflies, newts in puddles by track. Horses & sheep in adjacent fields. Oystercatchers with chicks, terns just offshore at Avoch Bay.

Weather: Overcast with temperature in high teens.

June 2023