Cairngorms 7th June 2018 Ryvoan to Aviemore








5.25am. Got up at 4.15am after a terrible night's sleep - discomfort and the noise of other sleepers - and went out into the most beautiful world. The sunrise, mist above the ground, pines silhouetted against a pink gold sky. Johnny saw black grouse doing their mating dance, called lekking. Now at this most beautiful green loch - An Lochan Uaine. Nan Shepherd said it was one of her favourite places in the Cairngorms. This morning the mist is rising off it like steam from a witches cauldron. Two mallards swimming like mythical beings. So lucky to be here at this time, to have the world to ourselves, Sandy beach all along one side. Evidence of fires, but no litter.






Mist over Loch Morlich. 
Boats floating in nothing. 
Midges - loads of them. 
















Loch an Eileen. Idyllic rich with island in the middles with ruined castle. Clear water. Blue skies. The midges at Loch Morlich were horrible. I had to stop writing. We walked on, through an area of felled pine, then forestry plantations, and Johnny was getting a bit fed up. But then it got better, Bigger, sparser trees. Other vegetation. An open area where we saw pearl-bordered fritillaries and green letter hairstreaks. We saw early purple orchids and butterwort in flower amounts them - both pretty and purple. We walked by a river that sparkled and laughed through the valley. We've walked nine and half miles . Now we have to walk to Avie more, which might not be so much fun, might be more of a slog, but we'll be finished walking by midday.  



I just did yoga by the loch :)






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hartshill Hayes 20 May 2018

Image
4.45am Sitting in the front seat, waiting for the sunrise, which is due in twenty minutes. It's already light. I set the alarm for 3.45am and even then there was light in the sky. I just walked up through the Hayes, through the dawn chorus, between trees where darkness was hanging on in shreds and pools. Up here on the hill the darkness is gone, the fields below have that summer predawn just woken look, no mist but a feeling of mist. The sky is pink, breaking out into gold above the place the sun is going to burst through. I think this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. In the woods they've put something on the main path, maybe sand, which makes it where. A shining white road through the woods. I didn't like it much. 5.10am Better than I could have imagined. In this world of muted greens and whites, the sun has risen bright orange and red, hugely colourful, completely stunning, I am overawed. I want to tell everyone, show every...
Read more

Kielder Forest 29th May 2019

Image
Just been out with Rob, a forester at Kielder. He took me to an area of CCF - Continuous Cover Forestry - where they manage the forest for biodiversity and for public loveliness - three tiers of cover. The trees are often not able to withstand the wind if they aren't close together - there is not enough light for non-conifers - regeneration of natural woodland is a long process. Red squirrels are managing to eke out an existence in the forest - but not grey squirrels - it's the wrong type of woodland for them.  There are lots of deer in forest - all roe. Forestry England is managed by Forestry Commission. In 2010 the government were going to sell it off to commercial enterprises but there was a public outcry, so they backed off. Most of the forest is still commercial - a form of agriculture. Not harvested every year like grain crops, but every 40-50 years. They do it by clear felling. Rob drove me to a working area with machines and piled up logs. I didn't see a harvester w...
Read more

Wistman's Wood July 2019

Image
A sunny day in a dry period, and the moss is dried up and dull-coloured. It would only take a heavy rainfall to pick it all up. Trees dripping with lichens.  People are sitting in this wood, quietly, taking it all in, like a church. Everyone is silents, in their own space, a reverence, a respect of other people.  On the way I told the kids not to accept any food, as it might be from the fairy folk, and then you'd be stuck in their world. Is there a feel of fairies here?  I don't think this is their time, in the middle of a sunny July day. Perhaps at dawn or dusk you might catch the fairies, or if you fell asleep under a tree. That would do it. You'd wake up and the rules of the world would be different, you wouldn't know where you stood.  Next to where I'm sitting is a boulder with a pattern on concentric circles in the moss. Is that the work of the fairies?    I think you need to spend time here. I might ...
Read more