The Ord – A Hill of Hut Circles above Loch Shin
Beside the loch at Lairg, a low heathery hill called the Ord is covered in the traces of people who farmed it three thousand years ago.
Three waymarked trails start from the Ferrycroft Visitor Centre at its foot: an easy stroll by the water, a walk to the remains of a broch, a round stone tower, and a steeper climb over the hill itself. Do one, or put two together for a full morning.
- Time
- Half an hour to an hour a trail: the Lochside Trail is 1.7 km (1 mile) and easy, the Broch Trail 2.4 km (1.5 miles) and easy, and the Ord Hill Trail 2.7 km (1.75 miles) and strenuous.
- The path
- The Lochside Trail is wide, firm, level gravel with two gates, and suits a pushchair. The Ord Hill Trail is rough, narrow and steep.
- Where to start
- The Ferrycroft Visitor Centre car park, Ord Place, Lairg, IV27 4AZ. Free, with Blue Badge spaces.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January start the Ord Hill Trail by 1.30pm. The visitor centre keeps seasonal hours.
- Dogs
- Under close control.
- Children
- A play area and a dipping pond at the visitor centre. Open water by the lochside paths.
- Toilets
- At the visitor centre when it is open; otherwise in Lairg village.
- Before you set out
- The Ord Hill Trail is rough, steep and muddy in places. Open water by the lochside paths.
The walk
Park at the Ferrycroft Visitor Centre on Ord Place in Lairg, where IV27 4AZ is the postcode. The car park is free and has Blue Badge spaces. Forestry and Land Scotland has three waymarked trails from here. The Lochside Trail is 1.7 km and takes about half an hour, on wide, firm, level gravel that suits a pushchair. The Broch Trail is 2.4 km and about 45 minutes, also graded easy, and leads to what is left of a broch some two thousand years old, with a view of the Shin dam.
The Ord Hill Trail is the one with the story. It's 2.7 km and takes about an hour, and it's graded strenuous: rough, narrow grass paths, long and fairly steep slopes, short stretches of boardwalk and mud in places, so wear boots. Three thousand years ago a small farming community lived on this hillside, and the ground still shows their hut circles, field banks, burnt mounds and burial cairns. From the hill you look over Lairg and Loch Shin to Ben Klibreck. The visitor centre has toilets, a coffee shop, a play area and a pond for dipping, but it keeps seasonal hours, so ring 01549 470290 before counting on it in the colder months.
When it's shut, the nearest toilets are in the village. The trails are open whether the centre is or not. There's open water beside the lochside paths, so keep small children close. From November to January, start up the hill by 1.30pm.
If it rains
The Lochside Trail is firm and level and fine in a shower. The Ord Hill Trail is muddy and open to the wind, so keep the hill for a drier day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Oriana Palivan via Google