A Wet Summer Fortnight

Since my last blog two weeks ago the weather has been pretty awful and I have just done local walks in the rain with maybe a couple of long ones on the few decent days. This was on Monday 20th July when I headed up to Glendinning in the Meggat Valley. The purpose of my visit was to visit Meg who works at The Buccleuch Centre and she lives in the Meggat Valley, but is on Furlough at the moment and I have to contact her every month. It's such a pleasure to walk up Meggat and to be able to get a chat and a Coffee with Meg is just a great bonus. There are a few little bridges on the river and this one is very dangerous and not to be crossed.

This is for the sheep and was crossed by this pair of sheep before I had a chance to catch them on mid bridge 

I walked about 1.5 miles up the valley and then headed back down again. All the time I was walking their were Buzzards flying about and their cry was constantly heard.

I had been unable to photograph the pair of Buzzards as they flew about overhead but just as I went past this plantation of trees they settled in them and I was at last able to get a good photograph.

The perfect pose just as it landed on the tree

And a few seconds later

On my way back down I met the shepherd and his dogs and had a grand crack for 10 minutes

At the end of my walk up the Meggat Valley I visited Thomas Telford's memorial cairn

A selfie.

On Friday night it had been very wet and my intention was to walk round jenny Noble's Gill on Saturday 25th July but I only got as far at just beyond The Skippers Bridge where this huge tree had blocked the road. It looked as if another tree might come down as well as the embankment above it was a bit precarious. The road was not eventually reopened until late on Sunday.  

You can just see the fence at the top where the Langholm Walks footpath takes you so I decided not to go up there in case it was dangerous.   

The Esk on either side of The Skippers Bridge 

At The Kilngreen Mr Grumpy The Heron was conducting a choir of Mallard Ducks in a Common Riding song.

The Meeting of the Esk and Ewes rivers 

When I go my regular walk I try to come past this garden at the top of Walter Street which is always perfect and a real splash of colour. 

On Sunday evening Centre Stage had lit up the Parish Church the celebrate what would normally have been The Kirkin of the Cornet and with the accompanying music this was spectacular except for the millions of midges that had also come along.