Five New Seats on Tarras Valley Nature Reserve

Langholm Walks Group have been working with Tarras valley Nature Reserve to provide 5 new Recycled Plastic Seats on the lower part of Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. This is the first one just above the new ponds and it overlooks the furthermost pond from high up above it.

The view from the seat

Charlie and Mike who placed the brass plaques on the seats today. We walked about 4 miles to do this job on a glorious sunny day and it was a most enjoyable morning.

This is the highest up seat on the new path from Hallpath to Broomholmshiels. It has a wonderful view of the Esk valley

Mike and myself this morning. The easiest way to do this walk is from the ponds to Hallpath as the climb up the hill is much more gradual.

Langholm from the seat

Lower down the hill toward Hallpath is the second seat on this path and it has probably the best view of Langholm in the distance 

Charlie and me enjoying the wonderful view of Langholm

Looking across the valley from the seat

This seat is on the lower path from The Round House to Broomholm and it is just before you turn down to Jenny Nobles Gill

This was 2 hours after we started doing this job this morning so Charlie and Mike are glad to have a rest

The view from this seat and there is a special request on the brass plaque so please follow the instructions

The final seat to be completed today is overlooking an ancient Oak a bit further along the path.

A spot supremely blessed

The view of the ancient Oak from the seat. Langholm Walks Group would like to say a special thank you to Kevan Hotson and his son for putting the seats together and to Simon Richardson's team for placing these seats in difficult places. We would also like to say a special THANK YOU to Jenny at Tarras Valley Nature Reserve for all her work in putting this project together. It's been a great team effort and we are all sure many people will enjoy sitting on these seats for many years to come. There should be a full article in the E & L Advertiser about this project soon.

Walking Jenny Nobles Gill

 

It was such a beautiful morning I decided to walk round Jenny Nobles Gill which takes you onto The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve and my favourite walk. Normally I would take about 1.5 hours to do this walk of 4 miles but today I stopped 3 times as it was so beautiful and sat and enjoyed the sounds of the birds singing. My first stop and 10 minute seat was at The Round House.

I notice TVNR has cut a lot of the dead bracken, but no doubt it will come again in the spring

The first of the Longwood Oak trees with many of them over 300 years old

Although the path was quite muddy and waterlogged in places it was not too bad at this part of the walk.

A couple of the very old Oak trees

This one is one of my favourites

And this must be one of the oldest

The sign post for Jenny Nobles Gill

The old railway line and the site of my next 10 minute rest. I recorded 5 native birds on my phone app in a 5 minute spell. None of them were visitors. Robin, Wren, Great Tit, Blue Tit and a Coal Tit. In a few weeks time I will sit in the same place and should get lots more. My record last spring was 22 birds in a 10 minute spell.

The entrance from the road to Jenny Nobles Gill and the new sign identifying it as TVNR and not Buccleuch Estates. I found a Geocache among the trees near here.

Skippers Bridge from as far down the banking as I dared to go

Border Esk which has been a distillery a garage and now private houses. 

Skippers Bridge from the other side. My last stop was at Langholm Old Bowling Club to see the tremendous work being done by the club to improve the clubhouse. All should be ready for the opening of the green at the end of April. The green is in excellent condition, but I forgot to take a photograph of it.

A most enjoyable 2 hour walk.

A Walk Round Jenny Nobles and New Seats

These photos are a week late in being posted, but I forgot to put them on my blog last week. It's the first time we have all walked together for quite a while. It was only round Jenny Nobles with Coffee at The Buccleuch Centre first and then Lunch there after our walk as well. The weather was excellent and the crack even better. 

At the Round House

It was so good to have Peter with us as he has had a difficult time recently and has now moved to Edinburgh to live so he got a lift down to Langholm with John and Sandria.

We have recently put several new Seats and Picnic tables on The Langholm Walks routes to replace damaged seats. This is at Colin's Turn on the Copshaw road. I was sitting on the seat admiring the view when Jane and Alan Kettle cycled by on their way to Newcastleton. They have been in Canonbie for about 3 years now and came as the first customers of Wild Eskdale and liked it so much they decided to move here. They have never regretted their move north from Lincolnshire.

The new Picnic Table at the Car Park on the Tarras Valley road to Cooms. This is Niall Weatherstone who sponsored the 2 Picnic Tables there and is with the new team from the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve, Jenny, Angela, and Kat.

Me with Jane Kettle. In a way I was responsible for them coming to the area as I helped set up Wild Eskdale which was the reason they came to see the Hen Harriers and a Black Grouse Lek.

The new seat at Elizabeth Street

Niall and myself at the other Picnic Table on the road to Cooms.

The new seat replacing the damaged one at Lands End. We placed 2 Picnic Tables and 4 Seats this week and have another 3 seats to place in the next month.

 

Lockdown January Walks

It has been a very cold January and as we are again in Lockdown I have decided not to even go far out of Langholm for my daily walks. These photographs are a collection of all my walks during the second half of January. I have only missed one day of walking since Christmas and am managing to average almost 5 miles per day.

This is on the walk that I call The Curly Snake and it runs parallel to The Lodge Walks and comes out at Pathhead near Buccleuch Estates offices.

Plenty of ice on the Tarras road between Skippers Bridge and the turnoff for Jenny Nobles Gill

The Castleholm

On the way round Jenny Nobles Gill

My most regular walk is round by The Pheasant Pens and this Robin regularly comes up to me near Holmhead. I have started to feed him some seed so he is becoming very friendly.

This is called Hair Ice and there has been a lot of it about this month.

The river Esk at Hollows Bridge on the one occasion I ventured a wee bit further for a walk

I normally walk on my own in the morning and then in the afternoon go for a shorter walk with Gaye. We certainly make sure that we are appropriately dressed for the situation.

The face mask certainly improves my looks.

The Castleholm and Langholm Lodge

Easton's Walk and the path was very slippy so Tom is hanging onto the fence to save himself from falling

Jenny Nobles Gill walk on the frostiest morning

This is well below Skippers Bridge on the Esk and Mike Tinker pointed out to me that Birds Nest Orchids grow here in the summer. 

The monument on our most snowy day. We have been very fortunate and missed most of the really bad weather but did have some very cold nights with the coldest being about -12C