This is the road to Muirshiel at the mile marker [1 mile to go!]. It was a beautiful morning a week ago, and I couldn't resist stopping to take some photos on my way to work - nice route eh! There is a small parking area at the trees on the right [an old 'guarry' area - but quite small. Enough for a couple of cars to stop.
The hills are just past their best as the heather bloom was a few weeks ago and only lasted for a couple of weeks - just when it was raining all the time!!
The brown stuff in the foreground is braken which can rapidly take over hillsides and smother the 'natural' vegetation.
The River Calder flows down the valley towards Lochwinoch and the riversides are quite steep as it cuts its way down. This means that cheep are excluded and therefore the trees get the chance to grow past eating height!
At the end of the road is the Muirshiel Visitor Centre. There are some huge Chestnut trees all around the centre and carpark, a remnant from when the area was a private Victorian shooting estate - and the trees were part of the garden policies.
A little view of the start of the Windy Hill path which goes up through an area which was covered in Rhododenrons in 1995. There is the sound of a Robin singing right at the start [unfortunately you will also hear my camera 'zoming in'! sorry]. The Rhododendrons were cut down in 1995-1996 (with which I helped) and a few trees planted in tree tubes. However the large Birch trees in the frame also set seeds of their own and the entire area has now started to regenerate by itself with masses of young birches getting to between 5 and 10 feet now, with plenty more young ones comming on below.
This is the road to Muirshiel at the mile marker [1 mile to go!]. It was a beautiful morning a week ago, and I couldn't resist stopping to take some photos on my way to work - nice route eh! There is a small parking area at the trees on the right [an old 'guarry' area - but quite small. Enough for a couple of cars to stop.
The hills are just past their best as the heather bloom was a few weeks ago and only lasted for a couple of weeks - just when it was raining all the time!!
The brown stuff in the foreground is braken which can rapidly take over hillsides and smother the 'natural' vegetation.
The River Calder flows down the valley towards Lochwinoch and the riversides are quite steep as it cuts its way down. This means that cheep are excluded and therefore the trees get the chance to grow past eating height!
At the end of the road is the Muirshiel Visitor Centre. There are some huge Chestnut trees all around the centre and carpark, a remnant from when the area was a private Victorian shooting estate - and the trees were part of the garden policies.
