A Wet Day in the Forest

It's Wednesday the 12th of October 2011 and another miserable wet day.
It's not going to stop me from heading out into the forest though.
I've parked up at the Red Deer Carpark on the Queensway and I'm heading up the forest road opposite.
I've an idea for a climb up Craignelder with the Ramblers next summer.
However today I'll stick to forest tracks because of the miserable weather.

This reflection caught my eye.

There's been a lot of forestry operations up this way so there's lots of timber about.

I'm soon gaining height as I look back at my car.

I'll take a couple of Macro shots as well

Plenty of young trees growing.

There's mini waterfalls every so often.Is that pure Galloway Granite under that waterfall.

Many of the following pictures are of running water.I like the way each one seems completely different to it's predecessor.

Different blends of foam also.

Around this point I stopped to talk to the JCB driver busy keeping the forest road in good shape.I now know how these gullies have been shaped.

Because most of the forest is on hills and we get lots of rain,It's easy to see regular maintenance is essential.

This is the main water course up here.It's the Palfern burn.

Another of the many tributaries of the Palfern.Love the bubbles.

This was the type of view of most of my walk.

A bad attempt of a macro raindrops shot.I'll get it right sometime,I've done it before.

There's still colour in the heather.

All along the roadside were these spiders webs.Now that's better with the water drops !

More bubbles.
The forest track runs out at Craigeazle but there's a lot of quad bike tracks up here.
I'm led to believe that the Forestry Commission are now selling shooting rights for sections of forest,and quad bikes are being used for that purpose up here.On my way home later I noticed two quad bikes making their way up the Queensway.

A lush swampy spot in the shelter of some trees.

The Palfern making it's way downhill.

All throughout my walk I could here a stag calling from the Red Deer Range.
Once back at the car park I decided to take a look.

This lonely young fella was near the viewing hut.

I couldn't help him any.

Most of the others were way up the hill although I could here another stag somewhere around the enclosures. 

I got some video footage.

A wet but quite enjoyable walk today.