Feeling a little tired I decided to just walk around the wee town of Evanton. Keep it simple then go take a nap. But two blocks in I a saw a sign saying ‘Black Rock Gorge 2m’ so I took it, as the word ‘gorge’ sounded interesting. Quite a walk in the woods. A woods nice enough that JKR’s “Goblets of Fire” featured HP being chased in it.
Although it is claimed that the gorge is narrow enough that people have been known to leap across it, with a drop of over 100’/30m. if you miss I’m guessing you’d bounce of the sides and land a broken mess.
I counted over 100 of these deer guards but only 1 sapling. Either the young trees have not yet been planted or somebody really screwed up with the tree selection
Considering what the weather must have been like when this monster fell over, I can’t think anyone witnessed it. So when it toppled, Did it make any sound?
Seriously old growth. 3 people would have trouble linking arms around this one
And whomever made this bridge, the traction cuts were a thoughtful touch
The ferns in Scotland are bigger than back in CT/MA. Those lining this path were nearly my height in some cases.
I had unconsciously collected various debris I found along the path. Bits of moss and lichen whose colors caught my eye.
And these.
Ok, the paper bag might have blown away while someone enjoyed a sandwich. The lip gloss might have fallen from a young woman’s back pocket as she shared the reason she put it on with her boyfriend and I guess the energy drink bottle didn’t give the owner the energy to carry the empty container out. But dog owners who decide to pick up their animal’s poo and then leave the bag on the ground or worse hang it on a tree like a Christmas ornament are just plain thoughtless, evil or dumb. Clean up means carry it out not add 10,000 years to the decomposition, fools. As a friend of mine said ” For the next few minutes it provides a hand warmer!” I was so enjoying this gorgeous piece of the Creator’s work, I could not let this crap mar the scene.
As I was taking a photo of this building I met Joan walking her dog so I asked and she told me that it was once a chapel but now two residences.
For the next 20 minutes we chatted. She was curious why this Yank was traipsing such a remote part of the country. My wander suddenly appeared very small when she told me that a decade ago, at 47 she had slung on a backpack and wandered around the world for a year! I can not imagine that. The isolation of language, the energy needed were beyond my ken and I was one again amazed at how strong some people are.
Joan then said that we had been talking for too long in the street (not that any cars had passed) and invited me to her house for a drink. This is not the first house she has built or renovated doing the majority of the work herself but I’m guessing it’s the most impressive and has the best views.
The cladding is a fireproof concrete composition that results in a high insulation factor.
The steps are pans filled with heavily pebbled concrete and the grids on the rails were a concrete mesh base.
And after learning about them in Newcastle Castle, I was able to explain how the word ‘garderobe’ became ‘wardrobe’! You can pass thorough the closet to the loo.
Joan’s friend Ian (Chubs) joined us and we spent over 3 hours talking over drinks and enjoying the view from the second floor. I loved the use of the stainless steel and of course the view from the deck. A dog breeder, Chubs was the one with the hand warmer line.
So a day of rest turned into a day of beauty and comradeship. And once again, the crac was good.
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