Roadender (week ending August 27)
THROUGHOUT the summer we often encounter Rosebay Willow Herb on our walks.
Bonny from a distance you could almost mistake it for heather but up close it is rank and straggly and is now covered with fluffy white seed with only a few pink flowers remaining at the top of the stalk.
I've spent a fair bit of time recently weeding the stuff from the garden. Drifting seeds germinate readily and spread like the mischief.
There is plenty of it bordering the coastal path from Johnshaven to Inverbervie which is where we were recently. Although cooler than of late this is a pleasant eight mile 'there-and-back' hike we often do.
What looks to be an up-market fish restaurant beside the harbour at Gourdon is on the verge of completion. It is set to open later this month. 'Gurden's' association with fishing goes back donkey's years. In fact one of the earliest written records indicating this dates from 1315. "Gurden" is both the ancient spelling and the modern pronunciation.
We had our sannies at Bervie. Gulls have a raucous cry but the plaintive wails coming from a juvenile black-headed gull hovering about were clearly those of pain. One discoloured and broken leg was hanging limply and, quite unlike the species, the bird wasn't interested in the crumbs on offer. There was nothing we could do and it eventually flapped off into the distance. All a bit unsettling. (OS LANDRANGER SHEET 45).
Another coastal outing, further south, Arbroath to Auchmithie was our walk on the following Monday. The path traces a line along Seaton Cliffs - a Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve.
The cliffs of Angus, though not as high as some are as dramatic as any. The sandstone from which they are formed not only gives them their fine red colour but is also soft enough to have been washed into a multitude of inlets, caves and arches.
Much of the path skirts Carlingheugh Bay and passes such features as the narrow inlet of Dickmont's Den, the Needle E'e and the Deil's Heid Stack.
The caverns of the sea that lie along here; the Forbidden Cave, Gaylet Pot and Brandy Cave have been known and exploited for centuries - especially by smugglers.
Contraband whisky aside, by 1880 over ten thousand gallons of foreign spirits were being smuggled into the country each month mostly from the Low Countries. Smugglers frequented the deserted coastal areas around Britain but particularly Scotland. The poet's instruction to children:
"Running round the woodlump, if you chance to find
Little barrels, roped and tarred, all full of brandy-wine,
Don't shout to come and look, nor use 'em for your play
Put the brushwood back again and they'll be gone next day.
-
Five and twenty ponies,
Trotting through the dark,
Brandy for the parson,
Baccy for the Clerk."
(Rudyard Kipling)
It was a fine day with good visibility; the Bell Rock light clearly in view toward the horizon.
The usual suspects, herring gulls and fulmars, were racketing around and at one point a couple of us were confronted by a weasel which, very late, sensed danger and shot off into the undergrowth. There is still a profusion of wildflowers along here; knapweed, scabious and oxeye daisy.
At one point we saw half a dozen lads far below jumping from rocks all of twenty feet and into the sea. To my ancient eye this all looked a bit hazardous but I daresay I indulged in such activity at that age.
This is a Sunday stroll to be recommended. They have done some work on the paths recently and underfoot conditions are good. The walk starts and finishes at the north end of Arbroath promenade.
There's no requirement to do the six-and-a-half mile round trip. Turn back when you've had enough and pick a nice day. (OS LANDRANGER SHEET 54).
I see that, this year, grouse shooting has been restricted in order to maintain dwindling stocks. Time was when hillwalkers would see parent birds and fledglings scooting about the hilltops of Angus. This is a sight I've not seen in a long time.
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Weather for Brechin
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: South
