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After a blank month in December, we started the new year with
a big expedition: nine explorers, Benjamin, Caleb, Caulay,
Edward, Fern, Robbie C., Robbie L., Rowan and Thomas; ten
adults, Andrea, Andrew, David, Howard, Jonathan, Pamela, Philippa,
Phil, Richard L., and Sharon; plus two dogs, Breck and Ellie.
We made quite a convoy as we left Acharacle and it took a
while to park at Camusaine.
We walked round the corner to the end of the track, now wonderfully
improved and tidy, and set off up towards the hill. On the
way we had a look at the alder plantation and a couple of
James Cameron’s stylish fence strainers. We stopped
at the waterfall and once again, although we could see it
all right, there wasn’t a lot of water in the burn so
it was a bit disappointing. However, nobody fell into the
ravine so it was a successful visit.
We carried on up the path to the right until we reached the
plantation, stopping to look at the remains of the big pollard
oak which fell a few years ago. We got well up among the oak
trees before turning and crossing the marshy ground towards
the shore and we stopped for a wafer break at our usual patch
of woodland. Breck showed an amazing speed when she grabbed
a dropped Tunnock’s wafer and wolfed it down, wrapper
and all!
At this point, most of the explorers were watching Ben climb
a tree, a fairly normal expedition event, before we set off
down the steep hill and across the peat cuttings to the next
burn. We followed the glen down to the road, stopping for
a while to look at what appeared to be a natural dam and finally
following an old pony track down to the gateway by the road
bridge.
Some of the boys were all for going back at this point but
we crossed the road and followed an animal track (Badger?
Otter?) through the dead bracken to an old dyke with an oak
tree growing on it. We followed the dyke towards the sea and
ended up in the mysterious area covered with broken stones.
Richard found the mark of a rock drill on one of the bigger
stones but we didn’t find any other drill marks. Everyone
looked at the stones and had their own ideas about why they
were there, then we crossed the last bit of bog, luckily frozen,
to reach the shore.
I got a quick picture of the expedition crossing the beach.
The weather was quite good, we once crossed this beach in
a snowstorm. We climbed the hill to look at an old TV aerial
pole near the sea and then followed the shore back to the
road, stopping to look at the rock piles by the shore.
Unfortunately my arrangements were rather awry, what with
it being New Year, and we couldn’t go to the Pantry,
so much of the expedition descended on the Livetts for lunch.
I hope Nikki will forgive me for that.
John
Dye
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