Plate 1 Oblique air photograph of ChanonT Ness looking towards the western end ofthe Black Irk On the promontory, the arable areas occur on the freely drained, undlfferentated soils of the high razsed beach whereas the goy course has been drveloped on the freely drained, undlfferentzated soils of the low raised beach Further west along the shorelzne, the entrance to Munlochy Bay zs guarded by conglomerate hills covered largely by freely drained podzols of the Kessock Association Excepting the major alluuzal hollows inland from Avoch and south east from Munlochy, and the podzols developed on the conglomerate slopes of Drumderfit Hzll, the bulk of the area zs occupied by Imperfectly drained podzols of the Millbuie Association, freely drained podzols occur where slight rises and crests improve the natural draznage Aerofilms DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES FOR SCOTLAND Memoirs of the Soil Survey of Scotland The Soils of the Black Isle (Parts of Sheets 83, 84, 93 and 94) By J. C. C. Romans with contributions from J. S. Robertson, A. D. Walker, M. L. Berrow, B. D. Mitchell and P. D. Hulme The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen 1984 @ The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, Aberdeen, 1985 ISBN 0 7084 0309 3 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS ABERDEEN Contents Chapter Page PREFACE ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Xi 1 DESCRIPTIONOF THE AREA Physical features Climate 4 Geology 8 Glacial deposits 10 2 SOILS 12 Millbuie Association 12 Allangrange Series 14 Millbuie Series 18 Roskill Series 20 Kinkell Complex 21 Cromarty Association 21 Brucefield Series 23 Cromarty Series 24 Navity Series 27 Mount Eagle Association 28 Mount Eagle Series 28 Findon Series 30 Culbo Series 31 Ethie Association 31 Ethie Series 34 Gallow Series 36 Learnie Series 38 Kessock Association 39 Kessock Series 39 Redcastle Series 40 Corby Association 41 Corby Series 42 Leys and Mulloch Series 43 V Boyndie Association 43 Boyndie Series 43 Anniston and Dallachy Series 44 Soils developed on undifferentiated solifluction deposits 44 Soils developed on alluvium 46 Soils developed on mixed bottom land 48 Soils developed on raised beach deposits 49 Peat 52 Skeletal soils 53 3 DISCUSSION OF ANALYTICALDATA 54 Standard analytical data 54 Loss on ignition 54 Soil separates 55 Exchangeable cafrons, percentage base saturation and pH 56 Carbon and nitrogen 63 Phosphorus 66 Mineralogy 68 Mineralogy of the clay fraction 68 Mineralogy of the fine sand fraction 68 Trace elements 68 Millbuie Association 70 Cromarty Association 71 Mount Eagle Association 72 Ethie Association 72 Corby Association 72 Boyndie Association 73 Kessock Association 73 Summary of Analytical Methods 74 4 VEGETATION 75 Plant communi ties 75 Woodland 75 Grassland 84 Moorland 88 The relationship between soils anbegetation 95 Brown earths 95 Podzols 96 Gleys 97 Peats 98 REFERENCES 99 APPENDIX 102 I Standard analytical data (tables) 102 11' Methods and definitions 120 Soils 120 Vegetation 124 LIST OF PLATES 1 Westwards across Chanonry Ness towards Munlochy Bay 11 2 Muir of Ord and the western end of the Black Isle 32 3 Fortrose and the eastern end of the Black Isle 33 vi 4 Cromarty and the Sutors of Cromarty 64 5 Munlochy Bay 65 LIST OF FIGURES 1 Location of the area 2 2 Physical features 3 3 Rainfall 5 4 Geology 9 5 Basic soil textural classes 121 LIST OF TABLES A Averages of temperature 6 B Averages of rainfall 6 C Average number of days with snow lying 7 D Average number of days frost 7 E Areas of soil map units 13 F Minerals in the fine sand fraction 69 G Mean total amounts of trace elements 70 H Bell heatherPScots pine plantations 76 I Eastern highland oakwood and birchwood 78 J Southern oakwood 80 K Elmwood 82 L Bent-fescue grassland 84 M Flea-sedge mire and few flowered spike-rush mire 86 N Atlantic heather moor 89 0 Bog heather moor 91 P Blanket and raised bog 93 Q Common cotton-grass pool 95 R Plant communities, soils and localities (appendix) 127 S Soils, plant communities and site characteristics (appendix) 128 vii Preface The soils of the Black Isle were surveyed by J. C. C. Romans with the assistance of D. M. Lang, J. G. Cruickshank and W. R. Strachan, and the vegetation was surveyed by E. L. Birse and J. S. Robertson. The standard and mineralogical analyses were carried out by the Department of Mineral Soils, and the trace element analyses by the Department of Spectrochemistry. The memoir was written originally by J. C. C. Romans and revised and edited by A. D. Walker. J. S. Robertson wrote the chapter on vegetation, A. D. Walker the section on standard analytical data, M. L. Berrow of the Department of Spectrochemistry provided the section on trace elements, B. D. Mitchell, Department of Mineral Soils, the sections on mineralogy, and P. D. Hulme, Department of Peat and Forest Soils, the section on peat. The figures were drawn by A. D. Moir. Copies of the field maps, scale 1:25 000, are kept at the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, Aberdeen, where they may be inspected by appointment. J. S. BIBBY Head of the Soil Survey of Scotland The Macaulay Institute of Soil Research Craigiebuckler Aberdeen July 1984 ix Acknowledgements Tabular material for the section on climate has been derived from publications of the Meteorological Office, and source material for the section on geology from publications of the British Geological Survey. Acknowledgement is also made to the Scottish Development Department for permission to publish Plates 2 and 3, and to Aerofilms Ltd for Plates 1, 4 and 5. The Department of Soil Survey wishes to thank the many farmers and landowners who willingly co-operated in the survey by allowing access to their land. xi 1 Description of the Area The Black Isle is a narrow peninsula in Easter Ross, about 32 kilometres long, lying between the Cromarty Firth and the Moray Firth (Fig. 1). Its western boundary, which has not been precisely defined, lies in the vicinity of Muir of Ord, but for the purposes of the account is the original A9 road between the county boundary at Tomich farm and Conon Bridge. The area is about 280 square kilometres, with a width of 13 kilometres in the broadest part, narrowing to 6 kilometres near Rosemarkie, and to less than 3 kilometres near Cromarty. The main centres of population in the Black Isle are Muir of Ord, Conon Bridge, Avoch, Fortrose, Rosemarkie and Cromarty, and the smaller villages of North Kessock, Munlochy, Jemimaville, Culbokie and Tore (Fig. 2). Dingwall and Inverness are the nearest livestock markets serving the district, though seasonal sales are held at Muir of Ord. A small fishing fleet still operates from Avoch, and there is an expanding industrial estate at Muir of Ord. The nearest rail link serving the area is the main line north from Inverness through Muir of Ord and Dingwall to Wick and Thurso. The former branch line from Muir of Ord through Munlochy to Fortrose has been closed and partially dismantled for some years. An early proposal for a railway from Cromarty to Conon Bridge did not reach fruition, though traces of the levelled cutting can still be seen along the north coast near Cromarty. Local road transport requirements are met by the A832 road from Muir of Ord via Munlochy, Avoch, Fortrose and Rosemarkie, to Cromarty, together with the subsidiary B9169 and B9163 system along the north side of the Isle. There is an adequate crosslinking system of minor roads. With the construction of the new road bridge at Kessock, much of the traffic which previously proceeded north via Beauly and Muir of Ord takes advantage of the shorter route across the Black Isle. PHYSICAL FEATURES From a viewpoint north of the Cromarty Firth, the Black Isle stands out as a long, low peninsula with a broad central spine rising to between 150 and 240 metres. The smooth summit of Mount Eagle, now capped by the ITA television transmission tower, forms its highest point (Fig 2). At the west end, 1 / 0 10 20 30km 95 Q INVERNESS z Figure 1. Location ofthe area 2 3 the ground falls away from the axial ridge towards the Cromarty Firth in a succession of gently sloping steps, although between St Martins and Balblair a broad valley separates the central ridge from a lower coastal rise, 90-120 metres high. This valley has its source in the Bog of Findon and runs down to the sea at Udale Bay. East of Udale, the central ridge narrows and gradually decreases in height to around 120 metres before petering out near Cromarty. From the north side of the ridge, the gently falling ground forms a vista towards Cromarty Bay of large, cultivated fields. The cliff-edge behind the low raised beach is dissected by many deeply incised gullies which have cut down through thick deposits of red sandstone till into the underlying soft, red sandstone. The southern aspect of the Isle is entirely different and reflects the proximity of the Great Glen Fault. From Cromarty to Rosemarkie, there are steep cliffs, often 60-90 metres high, cut in Moine gneiss which forms the core of the narrow Ethie ridge upon which the BBC television transmission mast stands. From Rosemarkie westwards, the south side presents a tree-clad, rugged outline of hills and ridges cut through only by the Fairy Glen (at Rosemarkie), the Avoch Burn and Munlochy Bay. Inland, a succession of parallel north-east to south-west conglomerate ridges occupies the part of Knockbain and Avoch parishes south of the A832 road. CLIMATE The Black Isle shares the generally favourable climate conditions experienced in the Morayshire coastal lowlands which, before the relatively recent introduction of climatically tolerant cereal varieties, were sharply reflected in the pattern of arable agriculture.