Taexalia

wild.life

Highlands and Islands In a Week part 5

The next morning we set out for Glen Affric hoping the weather would hold for our planned walk. We drove up the glen to the Forestry Commission carpark near Dog Falls. No sign of the Lord of the Forest from the previous evening but the scenery was as gorgeous.

There are a choice of tracks to follow, most of which take you to the Falls - we decided on what seemed the longest one and set off.

Around 5 paces onto the path I came across these wonderful roots and stopped to take some pictures. The caused Dad to revise the estimated route time... "If she's going to stop and tik a photo o every tree root wir gan ti be here a day"

Dinna blame me - this forest is proper Caledonian Pineforest and there's hardly any proper ancient Caledonian Pineforest left. I think the current percentage of Scotland's forest that is proper Caledonian Pineforest is a shockingly poor 1%.

This is why I have mixed views about the Forestry Commission. Yes I know they have improved their practises in recent years, but between them and the celebrities and other rich folk (who used to get tax breaks for buying land in Scotland and planting trees on it) the proper Caledonian Pineforests have been decimated.

When you travel through Scotland, much of the tree life you see on the hills is not really forest, it's plantations - straight, closely planted rows of (often non-native) timber trees. Nothing grows on the ground beneath them and they don't support much of an eco-system.

So to walk amongst a bit of preserved Caledonian Pineforest is a real treat.

There's all sorts of life and Mum and I were quite taken with these bracket fungus (Fomes Fomentarius) growing on some of the trees. They look like the hooves of a horse - perhaps a kelpie swallowed by a tree?? They are hard to the touch and very well attached.

There was a brief shower of rain and afterwards we met two of these guys on the path. I was walking behind Mum and they both seemed to leap out after here. I haven't managed to identify them yet, but they seemed intent on getting somewhere fast.

The walk takes you up a hill overlooking Coire Loch, which is an important breeding site for several species of dragonfly. We thought we saw an otter in the water but it turned out to be a duck. There are otters in this forest though, so better luck next time.
There are a few "intruders" in this ancient place... this oak tree isn't a usual member of the family but he has been here for so long that it would be a crime to do anything other than admire him, stand under his branches or take a photie...

We could have stood and communed with many of the trees... this one I felt was a mother or feminine presence in the forest...

... And this one seemed to carry a primal Green Man spirit...

We decided we wanted to come back, perhaps with a view to sitting a while and watching for wildlife - although we were lucky enough to hear a Capercaillie and we saw Pine Marten Poop. I have a photo of that if anyone is curious

Despite odd showers of rain, the walk was inspiring and energising and we loved having the forest to ourselves as no-one else was about.

To round off the day we drove around the other side of Loch Ness and stopped at Falls of Foyers and walked down to view the Falls - there's not as much water as usual but I thought they looked haunting and the pool at the bottom looked inviting. It was near dusk and I think Mum was thankful there was no safe access point - or I might have been in there *grin*
I'm led to believe that it is the point where these waters flow into Loch Ness that are a popular place to see Nessie...