Expedition 67 - 13th October 2001
Through the Kinlochmoidart policies


This time we got a good day with only one very light shower - the first time it was possible to use cameras for months.
We had nine explorers: Amy, Eilish, Ellen, Iain, Kathryn, Kerry, Jack, Rewa and Robert, with Ann, Craig and Mairi as helpers. We also had Jess the dog, although during the course of the expedition seven other dogs joined us at various times.
We started from Kinlochmoidart Old Bridge where the explorers looked at the mountings for the old water gate. We tried to see the inscriptions but they were not showing well. We went down the recently cleared steps to the bottom of the bridge.
Then we walked along the river walk to the Nursery Pool, we looked for mussels but the water was too high and flowing too fast. Several explorers collected cones from the Douglas fir trees. We carried on along the old river course towards the gardens, meeting Ben Powell on the way, and looked at some of the interesting trees along the road. John explained that the East Lodge was a historic building since it was one of the earliest prefabricated houses in Scotland. We carried on up the drive passing the old kennels to look at the Coach House and the Mill, with some of the old sawmill blades and the old turbine lying nearby.
Then we went into the garden where John explained that there used to be four old yew trees, only three of which are now left. Crossing to the Prince's Walk we had a snack by the Prince's Well before going down the walk.
Along the walk we stopped to look at a dead mouse which had been hooked onto a wire fence; John explained that this would normally indicate the presence of a bird called a shrike, but he didn't think there were any in Kinlochmoidart. We also looked at the big tree, which was now completely dead at the top, although a side branch was growing upwards.
When we got to the church Frances came out to meet us and show us round the building. Several of the children conducted parts of services, at least one in Gaelic. Frances showed us a pond in the garden which Eilish and Kerry's mother had helped to build.
The last thing we saw was a charcoal-burner's platform in the woods above Robert and Frances' house, nearby was an oak tree which had lost some very big branches in the last gale. Before we started back, Ellen and Kathryn counted the rings on a big tree stump - they got 105 rings.John Dye


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