Saturday the 16th June
Today's walk looks like being a wet one. The forecast is for rain.
We meet up at the newer RSPB car park at Barclye.
Amazingly considering the weather, nine of us turn up.
I've left my main camera at home.
Leaving the car park, we walk along the road to the turn up to Drannandow.
The river Cree is very high, and there's deep puddles on the road.
We're soon up at Drannandow farm, where one of our group talks to the farmers who are sheltering in a byre doorway. The farm's dogs let us know they can bark well.
All over Drannandow Moor are scarecrows like this, we must have seen a dozen.
It's a steady incline up the moor. Occasionally the rain eases. We're a happy bunch despite the weather.
Some of us seem happier than others lol
While some of us are camera shy (or just covering up from the rain) lol
All the burns are in spate. The Straminnon and the Washing are a couple of the bigger burns we cross.
On reaching Napper's Cottage, we take shelter, rig up some seats from fallen beams and have lunch.
There's some speculation where the name Nappers came from. The dictionary says it's the back of the head. Someone suggested it's another name for a stonemason. My idea is it's from the now obsolete word for 'sheep stealer'
Up here on Drannandow Moor there's a scattering of prehistoric cairns, stone circles and megalithic tombs.
This link is the Site Record for the Chambered Cairn just outside the cottage.
After leaving the cottage we take to the boggy ground over to the Thieves Standing Stones
The 'Stones of Wonder' website describes the alignment of the stones, and it's importance during the winter solstice.
There's so much lying water that no one came away with dry feet today. After crossing the Straminnon burn, we're back on our outward track.
Reaching the ford on the Washing Burn, there's a much more copious flow than when we crossed earlier.
My wee camera's well steamed up.
"The water's lovely, come on in"
I guess this is the main working dog at Drannandow Farm, the others are sharing a byre.
It's a short walk back to the cars.
We did this walk back in November 2009.
It rained then too ha ha.
Despite the weather we all enjoyed the day, it was fun.
I'm afraid it looks like normal service has been resumed back in the bottom left hand corner of the world. Still it looks like the flask of tea/prefered beverage in the nappers cottage looks all the better for it.
ReplyDeleteA good portion of prehistoric stones and sites though - always makes a day worth while. Hope you've dried out.
You're such a cheerful gang in your colourful waterproofs/backpacks! Actually I quite like walking in the rain as long as I can get somewhere dry to have a break. Although it seems that you were not merely walking in the rain, it starts to look like walking in a river :)
ReplyDeleteYou are a hardy lot we did not even start our walk yesterday. Napper is a word regularly used in the "Glesga" dialect .EG. " If yous don't start to behave I will give you a belt ower the napper"
ReplyDeleteSmiling in the rain, that's what I like to see. Looks like one of those walks that ends with water coming up out of shoes and flooded water carrying pockets!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandy, if we get a dry day sometime we might get to see more of the neolithic stuff up there.
ReplyDeleteHi Maria, by the time we got back to the Washing burn, no one cared about trying to keep dry anymore, we were almost finished. There were no muddy boots anyway.
Sorry you had to cancel the barbie Gordon. I'm sure you'll be using your "napper" to reorganize.
It's now Monday Scarletti, and my waterproof top which has been drip drying since then is still wet.
It was great fun though.
Its been a very poor June so far this year jim.Just as well you are surrounded by pretty girls down there for motivation :)
ReplyDeleteBetter watch you dont get waterlogged again health wise.Recent summers have been wetter than the winters in Scotland.
Brave man taking a close up photo of that sheepdog.
even scarecrow fashion is ever changing :)
ReplyDeleteThe pretty girls certainly make the walks more pleasurable Bob. I'm trying to persuade them into doing a charitable 'Rambling Girls Calendar', I've got all the poses sorted out in my mind. I've a good photographer lined up...........................me !
ReplyDeleteThey suspect my motives aren't really charitable, but I'm trying to assure them that it'd be all done in the best possible taste.
We guess the scarecrows are to deter the crows from bothering the young lambs Aguilar. Very fashionable clothing is right.