The forecast was for another windy and cold day, but we just
got away with it. We had seven explorers, Alexander, Daibhidh,
Isabella, JJ, Maighsi, Roanna, and Rowan, with five helpers,
Adam, Fiona, John, Kate and Mairi, plus three dogs, Bramble,
Cody and Jess. Incidentally, this made Rowan joint first in
the attendance table and brought up 400 dog attendances on
the expeditions.
We started off up the track through Mingarry Wood, which was
new to quite a few of the team, stopping to look at some big
trees and the site of the old bridge and ford. Just past the
first bridge we went off into a group of hemlocks where the
explorers found a new and well-constructed den under one of
the trees. They also had a look at the burn and may or may
not have seen an old piece of bog oak under the water. Back
to the path and a quick look at a gatepost made out of a bit
of railway line and on to a row of old oak trees where the
track used to run.
Then we moved quickly to the grove of big old oaks where we
left the track and headed off up the hill. I had hoped to
cut through to the fence here but the fallen trees made it
too difficult and after investigating several routes we made
a detour before we eventually got through and reached open
ground. The explorers gathered round an old oak covered in
lichens, but I didn’t stop and pushed on up the hill
through the scattered oak trees.
Just where we left the shelter of the last tree, Sharon found
a patch of Stag’s Horn Clubmoss, the first I had seen
at High Mingarry. It was quite a good day for finds –
Maighsi had already picked some lungwort from the trees and
found a small puff-ball fungus.
The rain had started by this time and we all got fairly wet
by the time we got to the bridge. I call it the Magic Bridge
but it is known locally as Domnuill Dubh Laidir’s Bridge,
after a man called Strong Black Donald MacVarish, who was
said to have built it single-handed.
We settled ourselves round the bridge and enjoyed our Tunnock’s
wafers while I pondered on the best route back; the hill down
to High Mingarry was rather steep for such slippery conditions.
We set off on a new route which none of the expeditions had
followed before, along the head dyke above a field west of
the wood. The going was very rough and not made easier by
a dispute between Cody and Bramble regarding path-finding
priorities. Halfway along the path the wind became quite fierce,
but we soon got into the shelter of the trees again.
We had to climb through the fence into the wood and follow
the burn down through the woods back to the original track
– I think the explorers were surprised to see how close
to home they were.
We pushed on down the hill and just arrived at the cars as
the forecast downpour started.
Not everyone got to the Loch Shiel Hotel, but some good drawings
were turned out, some of them in colour, thanks to the hotel
crayons, but I picked out JJ’s picture of the explorers
around the den in the woods. Note all the branches stacked
round the trunk of the tree and the toadstool near Sharon.
John
Dye
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