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Forres Heritage Trust organise trail of clues around Cluny Hill for Halloween


By Garry McCartney

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Forres Heritage Trust trustee Sandra MacIver organised the event.
Forres Heritage Trust trustee Sandra MacIver organised the event.

FAMILIES went on a witch hunt through the woods at Cluny Hill on Halloween.

Forres Heritage Trust (FHT) organised a trail of clues from the police station along the woodland paths up to Nelson's Tower, to entertain children who would usually be out guising but could not this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

A FHT spokeswoman confirmed they had 15 cats, bats, hats and witches to find.

She said: "We are very pleased with how the event went. The idea was the brainchild of trustee Sandra MacIver, who wanted to do something fun for the young and not so young people of Forres over the Halloween weekend.

"Sandra organised the images and pinned them up around Cluny Hill, the tower and down to the witches’ stone. It was really about getting people out-and-about and and enjoying the area."

A number of satisfied witchfinders took to social media to say how much they had enjoyed the hunt.

"It was nice there was something to do in these tricky times, given that trick or treating was a no go," added the spokeswoman. "We've had some really positive comments.

"It just shows that something very simple can be enjoyable and who knows, maybe the trust will do more wee events like these."

Emily Simmons (7) finding a cat on Cluny Hill.
Emily Simmons (7) finding a cat on Cluny Hill.

Victoria Johnstone-Butler completed the trail with her family.

She said: "We were easily able to socially distance around Cluny on a perfect Autumn day - Grant Park was aglow with golden colours and all the pathways were covered in a carpet of yellow and gold.

"We started at the Witches Stone so had some Forres history as a bonus. The trails were quiet and the wind got quite wild - it felt a bit spooky!

"We then popped along the street to top up on sweet treats from The Washington!"

She added: "We got fresh air and exercise, saw natural beauty and had some Halloween magic. We are really grateful to FHT and recommend the trail if they re-create it next year."

It took Taylor Walker, her partner Jamie Halstead and their son Blyth (7) 90 minutes to complete the trail.

Taylor said: "My family love going up to the tower. We think doing more trails up around there would make Cluny Hill even more popular."

Blyth and Jamie at the stone on Victoria Road.
Blyth and Jamie at the stone on Victoria Road.


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