Monday, 21 May 2012

Colden

A walk around Colden
 
Monday 21st May 2012
 
    I didn't take as many photographs as usual on Monday's walk.  It was a fairly tiring walk around a substantial hill called Colden to the west of the Injebreck Dam.   The first part of the walk - along a track and then a footpath - from the Brandywell Road towards Slieau Ruy was not very photogenic.  When we reached the southwest side of Colden, we turned off and headed along old roads (which have almost disappeared under heather and bog) and sheep paths around the hill.
 

    Half way through the walk, we stopped to examine an old quarry on the side of the hill.  The ruined building in this photo contained the remains of a chimney breast and must have been used by the workers to rest and thaw out after working on the chilly hillside.



    Unlike recent outings, Monday was anything but chilly.  It was the first walk of the year when I needed a sunhat instead of a polar fleece cap.  We stopped on the terrace in front of the old building and enjoyed a short tea break with a view, while Danny rolled around on the bilberries and celebrated being chosen as "the walking dog of the day". 



    From the quarry, we picked our way across the side of the hill and down the boggy hillside, through clumps of heather, towards the footpath which runs from the top of Colden Plantation and joins the forestry track from the Brandywell Road - between Colden and Slieau Maggle.    Tim took this photo.



    The footpath is known as Governor Loch's Road - although "Road" is no longer an accurate description.  It is half barely visible path and half bog.  "It was built during the 19th century as both a job creation scheme at a time of depression and also as a scenic tourist route.   Although the initial 1km. section at the Brandywell end is well maintained, just beyond here after the parish boundary it has been allowed (for some reason?) to become boggy through lack of drainage work - in fact a short section has washed away down the hillside." On the way back along one of the drier sections of Governor Loch's Road we looked down into the top of the Injebreck valley and saw the old stunted beeches known as "the Old Men of Injebreck" growing above the road down from Brandywell. 

 

They used to be bent over like old men as you can see in this photo (taken some years ago) which I pinched from the internet . . . .



. . . . but the conifers across the road grew so tall that they protected them from the wind and the beeches put on a lot of top growth.  Now the conifers have gone and it will be interesting to see how the beeches cope with another change in conditions.



Governor Loch's Road eventually joined up with the track from the Brandywell Road and our route back to the cars.

Monday, 14 May 2012

Maughold

A Maughold Walk

Monday 14th May, 2012
 
We started from Port Lewaigue, a small bay to the south east of Ramsey.  It is possible to walk along the sand between Ramsey beach to Port Lewaigue when there is a very low tide but on Monday the tide was in.  It was sunny but there was a cold wind blowing off the sea so we started off along the more sheltered roads up towards Dreemskerry and then down to Port Mooar.



    At Port Mooar, we stopped so that Dorothy and Trevor could take artistic photos of this old piece of driftwood - and the pink thrift which is a feature of the coast line in late spring.



    After getting very frustrated by the antics of four camera shy seals in the sea near the lighthouse, we turned inland through a field of sheep and found that a couple of ewes seemed to have organised a crèche for some lambs in front of the stile and gate!



 
    This brown ewe was particularly bold and refused to move from the footpath so Tim had to carry Leo past the lambs.  When he put Leo down outside the gate, the ewe stood her ground and glared at him through the bars.  I am not sure whether both those lambs belonged to her or whether they were just "hanging out" together.



    Looking back across the fields of sheep towards Port Mooar and south down the coast.



    A much photographed view of Maughold churchyard with North Barrule in the background.  It was hard to believe that we were up on the top of the mountain last week in the rain!
 


    Then back towards Ramsey along the Brooghs.  Port Lewaigue, where we started the walk, is obscured behind the little headland.  The bay which is visible before the headland is Port e Vullen.
 


    Some sea-sculpted rocks on the shore at Port e Vullen.


Tuesday, 8 May 2012

North Barrule

A wet mountain walk
 
Tuesday, 8th May 2012
 
    Yesterday was too windy to venture up in the hills so we walked this morning. 
 

    We made the mistake of trusting the weather forecasters who promised us "Sunny intervals isolated showers".  But the North Barrule curse struck again.  It was dry when we started . . . and when we finished . . . and for a short time when we stopped on the summit.  But apart from that we seemed to walk through a permanent shower, with periods of fog just to add variety.  The sunny intervals didn't materialise once.  Dorothy used the remains of an old pac-a-mac in a vain attempt to keep her jeans dry!



    It wasn't a good morning for photography but I took a few photos from the summit.
 
Ramsey



Glen Auldyn and Skyhill


Corrany valley