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Myself, Andy MacIntosh & Victoria McAllister spent the day checking Mink Rafts while driving around the forest in a Land Rover while wearing waders & surveying for Water Voles in the forests around Aberfoyle. We started with a coffee on a cold morning with an educational talk from Emily Marshall who runs the local Trossachs Water Vole Project. The Water Vole is difficult to find but you can find traces such as small round holes at the entrance to underground tunnel networks, signs of eating and the occasional small poo ! There are many small colonies of Water Voles in The Great Trossachs Forest after reintroduction in 2008 after they went extinct in the area in the 80’s. Protection is by monitoring the current population with regular surveys and controlling their predators like American mink in the nearby area by use of floating clay pads to observe foot prints. The American Mink is a non-native species that were wrongly released after closure of a nearby mink farm. Since then, these aggressive predators have devastated populations of Water Voles and other small animals.
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Alison Cheyne & I set off at 10am from a busy Rowardennan Car Park and returned at 5pm after surveying part of the West Highland Way in our role as Volunteer Rangers for the National Park. Our route took us up to the Inversnaid Hotel via Rowchoish Bothy and back with both low & high roads checked on the 8 mile route. We both had a great walk on Glasgow Fair Monday with some short showers and very few midges and extended the route as we were enjoying the walk thoroughly. Rowardennan to Bothy along low path took us 2 hours with a 20 minute break inside the Bothy. We then set off for Inversnaid by rejoining the high path, this took 1 hour 10 minutes with a 30 minute break for lunch. The return was along the high path the whole way and we arrived at Rowardennan Car Park for a 5pm finish after chatting to many walkers along the way. We found 7 fallen trees, all passable with care. Many other areas were badly overgrown with ferns above head height in places with jaggy nettles laced throughout especially at lower leg area which could be problematic for those wearing shorts. All bridges, gates, boardwalks & regular wild camping areas were in good condition with very minimal litter found along the whole route. Many gulleys, cross drains and water bars were blocked with silt but we found no major flooding issues. All issues found including geotagged pictures were passed to the National Park who will organise volunteer and regular work parties to clear many of the issues we reported.
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Our group of Volunteer Rangers explored the Pucks Glen path which is situated on the Cowal Peninsula between Benmore and Cothouse. Puck’s Glen is deservedly the most famous short walk on the Cowal Peninsula. This dark and atmospheric trail is a magical experience full of tumbling burn, cross-crossed by bridges and is enclosed by rocky walls heavily hung with mosses and overshadowed by dense trees. The clear waymarked paths continues uphill, through a mixed woodland planted by the Estate in 1870 and the steep and narrow gorge is interwoven with waterfalls and shallow rock pools spanned by arched wooden bridges. The path up Puck's Glen was built by the Youngers brewing family but fell into disrepair before being restored in 1986. Our journey finished by walking back through the forest to the car park. David Igoe, Andy MacIntosh, Derek Kenney & Lauren Stewart
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The Cormonachan Woodlands, situated on the west shore of Loch Goil half way between Lochgoilhead and Carrick Castle is in the Argyll Forest Park and also within the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. There are 60 ha of ancient Atlantic oak & hazel woodlands Ancient Semi Natural Woodlands (ASNW) being preserved for Education, Conservation and Recreation, with oaks of 300 years old or more and with areas of old coppiced hazel probably from around 100 years ago. Our group of Volunteer Rangers visited the Cormonachan Woodlands Association to assist cutting invasive Rhododendron ponticum near the new waterfall path, this strain of Rhododendron takes over native habitats by creating a dense, dark canopy of stems that stops anything growing underneath and needs to be eradicated. We finished our visit with lunch in the Contemplation Shelter overlooking Loch Goil. This Shelter was built in memory of Liz Evans who served as Chair of the Cormonachan Woodlands Association and provided the drive to maintain these lovely ancient Atlantic oak and hazel woodlands for education, community recreation and conservation. David Igoe, Andy MacIntosh, Derek Kenney & Lauren Stewart
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Pic 1 - The cottages at Clifton, built for the workers of the lead mines in the hill above. Pic 2 - Heading down through the forestry towards Cononish, Ben Lui towering over the trees. Pic 3 - Ben Lui
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Pic 1 - Litter collected in the car park. Pic 2 - Lochan of the Legend of the Lost Sword. Pic 3 - Deer on the hillside. Pic 4 - The barren landscape where theLead Smelting Mill once stood.
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The Tyndrum area of the National Park was one that I was very keen to explore. I knew that the area was great for walking and has an interesting history, but I'd never been able to spend any time there. So when I saw that there was going to be a good day of weather that coincided with some last minute annual leave, I decided to head North and do some exploring, discovering and conserving.
I parked the car at Dalrigh, the start of my circular walk. Loki, my German Shepherd Dog was joining me for the day and was raring to go! Unfortunately he had to wait for a while, as I did a litter pick of the car park. The rubbish all looked fairly recent and I'm happy to say that there wasn't as much as I thought there would be. Mostly cans and sweet wrappers. By the end of the day though, picking litter as I walked, I'd managed to fill a large bag-for-life. Really pleased that, for now, this beautiful walk is litter free.
We set off along the West Highland Way towards Tyndrum, stopping to watch a bird of prey glide overhead. Not sure what it was, but it was smaller than a buzzard and it's silhouette was definitely the wrong shape for a buzzard. Whatever it was it was on the look out for an early lunch!
At a waterfall we gave a friendly wave to a couple of men who were clambering on the rocks, we were to bump into them a couple more times during our walk. The water was crystal clear, without the usual peaty brown colouring of many of the rivers here.
Not much further on we stopped at the Lochan of the Legend of the Lost Sword. How could you not stop here? The legend says that when Robert the Bruce was defeated in battle at Dalrigh, he ordered his men to cast their swords into the Lochan, so that they could make quick their escape. Today the Lochan was mostly frozen over and looked quite deep and dark.
I settled myself down on a heather covered knoll to eat my lunch while Loki stood guard. It's funny how you take a quick glance at a scene and think you've taken it all in, but then with a bit of time and patience you realise that things aren't quite what they first appeared to be. Looking across at the slopes of Creag Bhan Eigheach I first saw a scattering of boulders near to the horizon. It was only after a period of time that I realised the boulders were slowly making their way across the hillside. It was a herd of deer! I zoomed in with my camera to take a better look, it was a lovely sight and a special moment in the day.
The two waterfall men appeared on the path behind me and asked if they were heading the right way for Tyndrum. After showing them their location on my map I pointed out the deer to them and they were quite excited. We chatted briefly before they went on their way, leaving me to the peace and quiet of the Lochan. I noticed that it wasn't just heather on the knoll, but also lots of tiny saplings. In a few years time it will probably be quite a different view.
Having finished lunch and still having a long walk ahead of us, we set off again along the path. Soon we arrived at a totally barren area, where the Tyndrum Lead Smelting Mill used to be. Not a blade of grass grows here. Lead ore was brought down from the mines in the hills above to be crushed and smelted here before the ingots were taken by pack horse to Alloa, 30 miles away. Our new friends the Waterfall men were reading the information board here and we got chatting again. They were doing their own form of Exploring and Discovering, having recently got their bus passes. They pick a day, head to Buchanan Street Bus Station and just get on a bus to somewhere with no destination in mind, a mystery tour! Today had brought them up to Tyndrum. I thought this was a great idea, always going somewhere new.
I said goodbye to the men and didn't see them again. I wonder where they'll end up next?
The path took us away from the barren landscape and back into beautiful woodland alongside the Crom Allt. Loki went for a quick swim in the sparkling water. We detoured into Tyndrum, past the cottages at Clifton which were originally built for the workers in the lead mines.
Back on our route again, we crossed the railway line at Tyndrum Lower Station and followed the signpost to Cononish. The woodland was now typical forestry, row upon row of pine trees. There wasn't a bird singing or any sign of wildlife. Soon the snow covered slopes of Ben Lui were rising up in front of us, towering over the trees. We stopped for a while where the trees ended, at the junction with the track leading to the Cononish Gold Mine. The view of Ben Lui at the head of the glen was just stunning.
We joined the track leading back down to Dalrigh, noting the old Scots Pines covering the banks on the far side of the River Cononish. It became a lot colder as the sun disappeared behind Beinn Dubhchraig behind us. The moon rising over Beinn Challuim in front of us. A noticeboard told us that to our left had once stood the township of Newton, which housed the workers from the lead smelting mill. The lead mines closed in 1865 and by 1898 Newton had been abandoned. We soon met the turning for the Lochan where we had stopped for lunch and were back on familiar ground.
Back at the car we took a moment to reflect on our day, the people we met, the wildlife we saw. It was a wonderful day of exploring. My plan is now to organise a walk here for the Scottish Women's Walking Group, to share with them the things that I have learned about the area. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have!
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