Walkers suffer heat to see Arnold's Seat
HOW do you take to really warm weather? Speaking personally I lap it up but a lot of folk I speak to can't be doing with it. We're not really used to excessive heat here in Brechin; it's not our thing.
In June we were walking from Horniehaugh in Glenquiech on a circular of some eight miles that took us up to Arnold's Seat and Naked Tam (1650 ft) and down back onto a track near Redheugh in Glenogil.
On this gradual climb you pass a ruin at Anniegathel and another at Baikies. The latter looked as though it had been a mill at one time.
There is a small gean plantation up here; not fruiting yet of course. Even when ripe the wild cherry has a certain tart taste to it although Jean reckons that her granny used to make jam from geans.
Arnold's Seat is a twelve foot high cairn. Its origins seem largely lost in the mists of time although I have an idea that it had some connection with a Bishop of St. Andrews in the early years of the church.
At one point a jet flew low and fast overhead. It looked different from the ones we normally encounter in the hills. The consensus was that we were looking at the new delta-winged Typhoon (Eurofighter) now entering service with the RAF and set to replace the current attack squadrons.
As we returned to the vehicle I heard the teasing call of the cuckoo; often heard but rarely seen. (OS LANDRANGER SHEET 44).
Nineteen of us turned up the following week to walk from Ferryden along the coast to the Elephant Rock near Usan (formerly known as Ulysseshaven).
It was cooler near the coast but the haar was nothing to speak of. We came across a dead seal. Although the corpse was bloated and distended it was, surprisingly, still intact.
Like a lot of settlements along here Usan has a rich history.How often have you heard someone say: "We're a' Jock Tamson's bairns." ?
Well, one legend of many has it that Jock Tamson was a publican in Usan (1787-1839). He was also something of a character and father to ten children. The story goes that a gauger on the lookout for smugglers asked one of the daughters where a certain person lived. She replied; "Naebody here o' that name, we're a Jock Tamson's bairns."
Although we covered seven miles that day the main purpose of our meeting was to visit a local hostelry and there to toast the births of grand-daughters for Colin and Ian respectively; for the second time in three months would you believe?
As we raised our glasses to these gents and to Amiya and Niamh I reflected wryly on one of my own grand-daughters who passed her driving test, for goodness sake, some weeks ago. I think I had a fellow-feeling for Methusalah. (OS LANDRANGER SHEET 54).
The next day some of us went walking in Upper Deeside from the Linn o' Dee to the White Bridge. We walked for six miles in temperatures in the high seventies.
Incredibly there were still patches of snow to be seen on Sgor Mor but the bell heather was on the turn and swathes of purple are beginning to blanket the Cairngorms. A small herd of stags cantered by, quite close. On the estates up here the managed herds are well used to human contact. (OS LANDRANGER SHEET 43).
I'm writing this on 7/7. It is a curious phenomenon that we always recall in minute detail what we were about when events of global significance occur. I can remember, for example, exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard of President Kennedy's assassination or of the twin towers or of the Dunblane shootings.
So too I recall that a year ago exactly Jean and I were in Portugal en route for home when one of our party received news of the London bombings via her mobile phone. It's there forever etched in the memory.
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Weather for Brechin
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
