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Before breakfast the day was very misty but this soon cleared
and by the time we met at the church the sun was shining brightly.
The weather was perfect for an expedition and six explorers
turned up: David John, Grant, Iain, John MacArthur, Karen
and Robert, with Sharon to help us.
Before we started, John showed the explorers how they had
almost completed all of the walk from the Dorlin White Gate
to the Black Mill. This expedition would cover most of the
ground between the Black Mill and Kinlochmoidart. Unlike many
other expeditions, this one was being undertaken to find out
more about Ardmolich Wood which was soon to be developed as
a local attraction. We would be trying to establish the route
of the old path to the Black Mill and also locating and measuring
the stone bridge near the west margin of the wood.
We started off from the road across some marshy ground where
John showed the explorers some scurvy grass, a plant which
used to be used as a source of vitamin C. Several of them
ate a leaf as they walked along. Then we came to a muddy stream
with many small fish in it. John thought these were sixteen-spined
sticklebacks but when a dead one was picked up it turned out
to be a three-spined stickleback.
The expedition then set off westwards along the shore, using
the compass to fix their position against landmarks to the
north. We looked at the leaves of several oak trees, some
of which seemed not to be pure-bred local oaks and one of
which had very large leaves. There were many spiders in the
grass, some of which had red backs, which concerned some of
the explorers who remembered a recent TV documentary about
the venomous red-backed spiders in Australia! There were also
a great many crabs along the shore; we eventually decided
most of them were cast shells.
It was a long trek to the bridge and the explorers were glad
to get a drink from the stream when they got there. We measured
the bridge and Iain managed to get right through it, possibly
the first person to do so since it was built.
After a snack we re-started back towards the car, marking
the paths at intervals with coloured sticks. After about 100
metres, the expedition turned south and climbed right up the
steep slope to look for a settlement believed to exist in
this area, but we found no sign of it, although there were
one or two flat places where huts could have been built.
Returning to the bottom, we continued marking the path back
and noting the retaining walls which had been built to support
it in some places. Most of us had a break on a beach while
Iain retraced his steps in an unsuccessful attempt to find
his piece box. Then it was straight back to the car, marking
as we went. Iain and Robert had great fun making a fake sign
which they put by the road and which mercifully fell down
in a few minutes.
Then it was back to the Centre for drawing and off to Mave's
for lunch.
The Pictures
Many of the boys had some difficulty concentrating since DJ
had a party later in the day and there was a football final
in the early afternoon. (There had also been some discussion
of Pokemon cards but these were quickly put away.) lain showed
three pictures from the walk; a spider, inaccurately named,
a view of the bridge showing the black hole he climbed through,
the bogus sign and the two expedition Voikswagens. Robert
did a hurried version very similar, with a smiling spider,
the bridge and his sign next to the road, he also showed his
usual tree with an owl, this time we actually did see a tree
with an owl roost in it. Karen showed the party moving under
the trees through spider-infested grass, John showed the big
hill with the stream flowing down and a bent tree from which
some unspecified beast is smiling. David John and Grant both
showed crabs, D-J's one being a specimen he heroically split
with a stick.
John
Dye
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