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This was a beautiful day, sunny and warm and the best since
New Year. It was also the best turnout of explorers of the
year so far: Amie MacMaster, Claire, David John, JD, Iain,
Karen, Keiran, Robert and Ryan, with Frances Impey, Frances
Maclean and Pam, plus the dogs, Suzie and Rose.
It was a crush to get us all into the two cars for the trip
to Kinlochmoidart. Eventually we got there and crossed the
old wall by the Limekiln and set off across the slope to the
first waterfall. By the time we reached it some of the explorers
were already starting to feel thirsty. After a short break
we set off up the hill again, stopping at an old recessed
platform the front wall of which was made of quite small stones.
We looked at a number of platforms during the trip and all
of the others had walls made of much larger stones. The second
platform was fairly close by and covered with dense bracken.
We carried on climbing and soon reached a huge boulder perched
on a flat rock where we had another rest and a photograph
was taken. As soon as everyone had their breath back it was
off up the hill again, this time to an old rock shelter where
several of the explorers climbed inside and used a torch to
look in all the corners, but they didn't find anything. It
was a warm day and we took another break before setting off
again. Immediately above the rock shelter there was an opening
in the rocks and some of the smaller explorers climbed inside
and into an inner chamber, Suzie the dog also went in.
Then it was off again up the hill to the highest of the recessed
platforms, right at the upper limit of the birch trees and
almost a thousand feet above the road. This platform had a
wall made of quite large stones and a stream had cut across
its surface.
From this point we were climbing into the open hillside and
as we reached the top of the slope we had a good view of a
golden eagle flying just above us. When we reached some level
ground some of the more weary (or injured) explorers took
a rest while the others carried on climbing until they were
on the high plateau. We saw a couple of red deer while we
were up there.
Then it was time to start the descent - several of the boys
covered a lot of ground running headlong down the slope but
they didn't hurt themselves - this time. We crossed to west
bank of the Limekiln Burn and zig-zagged down the slope finally
reaching the ravine where there was a welcome waterfall for
the thirsty. From this point we picked up an old pony track
which led down to the high platform we visited on the earlier
trip.
The final part of the route took us down the burn through
the oakwoods where the party split up into a few serious investigators
in the woods and a lot of noisy warriors marching down the
burn.
Finally we all got back to the road and returned to Toad Hall
for leek and potato soup and drawings.
John
Dye
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