spring

Hello there! it's been a long time but I thought I would share my spring trip to the track with my granddaughter Mila. I always think not much will have changed, but the place has a way of surprising you. The first thing I noticed right at the beginning of the track before the kissing gates was the structure above. I love this tree house; it doesn't look particularly safe but that's whats great about it. It's actually quite solid and accessed by way of a rope ladder. Can't you just imagine the fun to be had and where else could you find a play house that smells of pine and has a view of the sea...

We introduced Mila to the smells of the track; the rich greens of the undergrowth and the pungent odour of wild garlic. Many years ago when, I knew no better, I was walking along a woodland path and saw some lovely white wild flowers and as they were in such abundance I thought I would take some to my soon to be mother - in- law; well I did not endear myself to her one little bit, I has no idea it was wild garlic and as I had a bad dose of hay fever had no idea that it stank the whole house to high heaven. Of course nowadays one would never take any wildflowers, smelly or not.

I was delighted to see that the recent renovation work done on the old railway line had not disturbed the beautiful primroses growing by the little burns that flow with no name. I just love the elegance and the sensuous shapes of the unfurling bracken. Mila was interested that something so tightly curled now would open into a huge frond that will catch the light and spider webs in a few weeks. Sorry the above photo is a bit blurred, I am too decrepit at the moment to bend all the way down but this bracken will be two feet high in a few weeks time.

On we walked and on and on we walked, enticing a little girl with tales of bluebells and a tree where bats lived and that you could stand up inside. On the photo above you can see the banks of wild garlic and also one begins to see the track begin to look like the railway track it once was.

Mila looks out from behind a Standing stone that looks as if it has been here forever but it has not. It was placed here as part of a Brahan Seer Festival that my husband helped to organise and raise funds for many years ago. There is a prophecy carved into this stone,written both in Gaelic and English.  The Brahan Seer was a rather mysterious figure (believed by some to have been the creation of a certain Alexander Mackenzie) who made a series of prophecies centered around the highlands and islands.  Some appear to have come true (such as his declaration that boats would sail around the back of Tomnahurich hill in Inverness - now the site of the canal) while some remain a rather worrying possibility (fingers crossed his gloomy portents of flooding, drowning and disaster remain unresolved).

I think this spot, halfway along the track, is perhaps the prettiest place to sit; the ancient caledonian pines are old and gnarled and lean towards the light as if their ancient limbs need the warmth of the sun. I regret to say there is a fair bit of tree graffiti  but the trees are old and hardy and have seen many things; trains, lovers, dog walkers and little children making tree houses and dens and so I only feel a little guilty that on our 25 wedding anniversary Andrew carved our names looking to where we used to sit with  our old dog Ellis, whose ashes were scattered  nearby.

...and below is the Bat Tree,though we feel its a bit of a local myth that Bats have ever roosted here. They certainly could, it's hollow for most of its height. I have known someone crawl in and stand up inside the tree below, Mila was having none of it. Wise child.

and so back the way we came with a weary wee girl that needed a rest. The track was looking lush but it will green up even more; the woodrush will grow taller as will the ferns and brackens; the bluebells will die back and new things will spring up. The birds will get louder, there might be deer; friends will keep meeting here; old ladies will still walk there; dogs and people will still gather kindling... and on it goes and we will be back before too long to take photos. Perhaps Mila will come too; oh, and Breagha the dog who as you will see gets a very particular pleasure from this old railway line and the burns that flow with no name but are very very muddy.Breagha is Gaelic for beautiful, I assure she is very beautiful...when clean.