Friends of Blairs Loch add bird hide, a bridge and a picnic table to Forres beauty spot

A LOCAL beauty spot is even more appealing to visitors now with three new features.

Friends of Blairs Loch (FBL), who have been refurbishing the site's bothy and boathouse on behalf of the community, have built a bird hide on the water's edge and a bridge to an island picnic table with a panoramic view.

The loch just outside Forres on the Grantown road was made on an area of water-logged land some time between 1830 and 1870. According to an ordnance survey map of 1872, a boat house building was in the same location as the current one.

Maintenance and running of trout fishing on the loch was taken over by Moray Council in the late 1970’s and a second boat house was installed by the Game Angler’s Club of RAF Kinloss. Maintenance costs became too high for the local authority and they ended their involvement in the early 2000’s. The loch became overgrown with Rhododendrons, Phragmites Reeds and dense aquatic weeds.

Treasurer Brian Higgs is happy with the restoration project's progress so far, returning the loch to the community as an amenity for recreation and education.

He said: "Work on the bothy refurbishment was effectively complete in March but the final electricity connection was postponed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. We finally got the supply connected in late July and the internal wiring finished shortly after. The room is now available for hire by groups of up to 18 (free of charge to schools) by booking through our website.

"We are currently raising funds for the final building phase of an adjoining outdoor learning venue. This will provide a large classroom/meeting room (up to 40 people) and include toilets, washroom and storage area. It will be built in the location of the existing stable/cart building. The stable will also be available free of charge to local schools and for a small rental fee to other groups. The fee will help cover the ongoing running costs of the buildings. Work will commence as soon as we have the full funding in place and we hope to have the building completed by early spring."

A new 'swan hide' is the first of a handful that FBL hope to construct. It was designed and built by volunteers with materials and funding donated by local businesses James Jones and Sons and Keith Builders Merchants.

"We built the hide off site prior to the lock down," said Mr Higgs. "We then took it to Blairs as a flat pack once the restrictions were lifted and we had constructed a bridge.

"It sits on a small island at the southern end of the loch, a short walk from the boat house and bothy. It is amongst the trees on the island and gives an excellent viewing point of the wild fowl."

Volunteers also built 'Jimmy Rooney’s Bridge' leading to a picnic area on the island. Construction started in February but was also delayed by the coronavirus lockdown.

"We used social media to ask if anyone wanted to buy the naming rights for the bridge," said Mr Higgs. "We received a generous donation from Pauling Rooney from Glasgow who asked for the bridge to be named in her late father’s memory."

A picnic table was designed and built by volunteers with materials also donated by James Jones and Sons.

Mr Higgs said: "It is positioned in a shady spot under the trees a short distance from the bothy. We hope to make a few more to put in various locations around the loch."

For more information visit www.blairsloch.com