A Walk in Two Valleys

 

This morning my Wednesday walk with Tom and Niall was to start at Ewes Hall and followed the Meikledale Burn going up on the left hand side and coming back down on the right hand side. David unfortunately had to give this walk a miss as he had double booked with an important meeting. We were very fortunate that the rain had gone and even at times the sun appeared. There are signs of new tree planting in various parts of the walk. The official Meikledale walk (No 14) in the Langholm Walks Booklet is about 9 miles but we were only doing the lower 3 miles part of it up and down the burn. Age and Infirmity has reduced our Wednesday walk from an average of 8 miles 10 and more years ago to an average of about 4 miles these days. I also think in that time the hills have got steeper. 

This was an old barn or shelter from many years ago.

More new planting and the quarry used to provide stone for the improved forestry road.

This bridge at Burngrains is not very safe but adequate for the job of crossing the Meikledale Burn if you go carefully. If this had been a part of Langholm Walks network it would have had to be wider, and have handrails, but it has no part to play in the official Meikledale Walk.

Tom and Niall cross the Meikledale Burn very carefully

A good view of the Meikledale Burn.

The improved forestry road going up the valley.

Gaining in height on the way up the valley.

After lunch in the Buccleuch Centre I had to take Gaye up to Bentpath to see a friend so I took the opportunity to complete a walk I had started a few weeks ago on the same visitation. This is the track beyond Glendinning on the way to the Bothy at Greensykes. 

The bridge half a mile above Glendinning and it has certainly seen better days.

It has been patched up since I was last here over 6 years ago and must occasionally take the odd quad bike over it but I doubt if anything bigger can go over these days.

There is a house up the road that crosses this bridge, but I don't think anybody lives in that house now.

I have walked up this old road and track on a circular walk to Greensykes Bothy many times over the years, but it's a bit too far nowadays.

I only walked a mile in the afternoon but it reminded me of many enjoyable walks in past years. I went back down the road that follows the Meggat water and enjoyed a lovely afternoon cup of tea with Gaye and Wilma at Bentpath.

Fungi Near The Duchess Bridge

I like Fungi and these are some photos taken round the Lodge walks in the last week or so and most of them are within a hundred yards of the Duchess Bridge. I have no idea what any of them are called and I don't think there is an App that will identify them yet unlike my I-Phones ability to recognise flowers.

These trees blew down during Storm Arwen in November 2021 and they have lain untouched since then.

Most of the trees are also covered in Moss.

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Saturday Morning in Lower Tarras Valley

 

For the last 15 years I spent every Saturday morning visiting the Laverock Bird Hide just near here to top up the bird feeders and view the many birds that frequented them. This stopped in July this year on advice from RSPB due to the possible infections passed on to the birds. I didn't realise how much I missed these Saturday mornings until I went up there again today. It was a beautiful frosty morning and I once again did what had been my regular Saturday morning walk from Cronksbank to Perterburn and back. 

The road to Perterburn

Looking over to the other side of the Tarras valley you can see what we locals call The Bible Fields

This is Rashiel Cottage owned by Tarras Valley Nature Reserve

This is Cronksbank Cottage and it is in the process of being renovated and should be let out to a local family this autumn. It will be a splendid cottage and a lovely place to live if you like isolation and wildlife. Other properties on the nature reserve should get the same treatment in the future.

I would have liked to get closer to the Highland Coos, but it meant climbing over a fence and those days are now beyond me. 

There are a couple of calves in this photograph.

This is Middlemoss in the distance and on the other side of the Tarras river

These trees were planted in June 2022 by myself and my grandchildren Hannah and Leo who were over for a few days from Newcastle.

They are mostly Rowan and have produced lots of berries this year

Leo and Hannah planting them 4 years ago

We spent several hours on a Friday morning planting about 30 trees. It was hard work, but very rewarding. Hannah is now at a University in The Netherlands studying Biology so I am sure she will return to Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in the future to see how her trees are progressing. Leo will hopefully go to University in a couple of years time.

A Walk Between Kippford and Rockcliffe

 

I manage at least one visit a year to Kippford and Rockcliffe on the Solway shore to walk the lovely path between the two villages. Today Charlie and I timed our visit to start our walk as the tide reached its peak at 10.47am. The sun was shining and there was no wind at all. The sea was like a mill pond.

Most of the yachts have been taken out of the water for the winter so there was very little activity on the water. One man in a small boat with an outboard motor was all we saw.

The only activity on the water was this boat.

A few hundred yards along the shore path is this area where there are lots of interesting little people to be seen.

These three little guys were keeping an eye on us.

Charlie and me beside the Tree voted Tree of the Year in 2021

Lots of nice gardens along the shore walk

Pampas Grass is looking good at this time of the year

This is Robin Rigg Wind Farm in the Solway Firth

This is Hestan Island in the distance. it is accessible by a causeway but only on very low tides at certain times of the year.

The Island in the middle of the photo is Rough Isle which can be reached at low tide via the causeway usually 2 hours each side of low tide. It is not open during bird nesting season in the spring.

Walking back into Kippford on the high route back from Rockcliffe

there are some beautiful houses along this road

The hill in the background is Screel (344m)

The higher path back from Rockcliffe into Kippford

On return to Kippford we decided to sit outside at The Ark Cafe and enjoyed a lovely lunch with the perfect backdrop of the Urr estuary.