An Eskdalemuir Walk and a new Shooting Range

Today's walk with Mike and Charlie was up in Eskdalemuir and took us up the Clerkhill Burn valley and up Wisp Hill. It was 7 years since I was last up this route and there has been a few changes since then. This is a new facility for a Shooting Range. It is the only non military Shooting Range of its kind in the UK and has been provided by a company called Gardner Guns for people who like to use very powerful rifles. More for competition shooting than sporting shooting.  

One of the many target areas. They range from a few hundred yards away to almost 2 miles. 

Eskdalemuir Village almost at the end of our walk.

This cottage is Mid Raeburn

The river Esk between Eskdalemuir village and Samye Ling Tibetan Centre

The Rae Burn valley

 

Raeburnfoot in the distance.

These yellow items are the long distance targets up Windshield Grain Valley with the furthest away one being almost 2 miles from the shooters base.

Mike and Charlie cross the Rae Burn. There is a Roman Fort very close to this farm but we did not have time to visit it today.

On my way up the valley to Eskdalemuir I stopped to take this photo of the mist over the forest.

My first walk of the day was a short one round the Lodge walks and this photograph of the Monument with clouds above and the mist below looked very spectacular and I am pleased I just managed to capture it at the right time. 

The Cushets and Potholm

Tom and I are back walking regularly on a Wednesday and we keep socially distanced which happily reduces the number of arguments we have. Today we chose the 6.5 mile route round Potholm via The Cushets and Craigcleuch. It's a grand walk but can be muddy in places. 

The big House of Craigcleuch is just behind these trees.

The popular Gates of Eden view

Part of the first half of the walk is through this fairly recently planted wood of mostly Silver Birch and it is a very attractive part of the walk. I should also add that as we passed through this wood at exactly 11.00am we stood for 2 minutes silence and it could not have been a better place to respect those killed and injured during the 2 world wars.

On the path up from the Duchess Bridge there was a sighting of my favourite bird the Dipper.

The road through the Cushets which can be very muddy in places.

The map of our walk. 

 

The End of The Fairy Loup Waterfall

I got a call yesterday from The E & L Advertiser. Somebody had phoned them to say that the Fairy Loup Waterfall had disappeared and would I go along and take some photographs. This is a photo of the Byreburn about 40 yards above the Waterfall. There has been a hole opened up and the burn is disappearing down it. 

This is the Waterfall now with no water running over it. 

This is about 400 yards below the Waterfall and where the burn now reappears from a hole at the side of the burn. The water is now much dirtier and the stretch above this is now dry.

The Pool where the burn rejoins the main course of the Byreburn

Downstream with the burn now very brown.

A Waterfall with no water

The Fairy Loup on 24th October when I went passed it on the Rotary Umbrella Walk at Canonbie.