Visitors who arrive at Nairn East Beach and who only want a short walk will enjoy a ten-minute stroll along the fairly level coastal path to the Minister’s Pool
The path is suitable for less able visitors too.
This is a good place to sit, reflect and watch waterbirds enjoy a bath in a sheltered freshwater pool surrounded by reeds. Birds often fly in and land with a splash to clean the salt from their feathers. You can sometimes see unusual species such as pintail and redshank here. The pool is protected from the open sea by sand dunes.
What's in a name?
Local legend has it that a minister used to skate here in winter, when the pool was rather less reedy, but "ministers' pools" in other areas of the Highlands were sometimes used for steeping flax to make it supple, the minister presumably taking a ‘cut’ from the profit made when sold.
After passing the Minister’s Pool, visitors can walk on towards The Gut, but some may like instead to leave the path along the shoreline and head into Culbin forest.
The Otter Pool isn’t too far and offers an unusual and little-known place to head for at this end of the forest. Choosing to visit it helps take the pressure off the coastal sedge beds and saltmarsh, which are vulnerable to access.
See the Culbin map (PDF 3.5Mb).
Back to 12 places to see at Culbin.
