A ramble in the Scottish Highlands

---

http://www.heygo.com 27th January

Scottish Highlands

Another visit to Scotland today for a ramble with Craig exploring the woodland in Glenco.

The trail was narrow & over roots from the many fir trees in the area.

Lichen, bracken and moss including Pink Sphagnum created a beautiful colourful carpet.

It was interesting to hear how sphagnum moss acts as an antiseptic. It’s absorptive properties makes an excellent wound dressing and was widely used for this purpose in the past. It is said to have saved the lives of thousands of soldiers in the First World War.



We stopped at Signal Rock, historically this was the place where the head of the Glencoe MacDonalds would address his clan, and according to legend it is also the place from where the signal was given to the Campbells to begin the Glencoe Massacre.



The rocks original title is “Tom a Ghrianain” meaning the knoll of the sun, and it is said that Druids used this rock because it’s a great location to view the rising of the sun and the sun setting and used for worshiping the sun.

Once it would have had extensive views across the glen, but the forests today mean only brief glimpses of the surrounding mountains are possible.



The Scottish National Trust has cared for Glencoe since 1935.



Glencoe has been associated with the mighty Clan Donald since the 14th century, when Angus Og McDonald of Islay bestowed the lands on his son Iain Abrach, the ancestor of the Glencoe McDonalds.



We learnt too how the Scottish Forestry Commission was formed.

A defining feature of Scotland’s woodlands had been the decline in woodland cover to an all-time low following the First World War.

In 1919, Lloyd George said that Britain “had more nearly lost the war for want of timber than of anything else”. The Forestry Commission was created the same year, with the main aim of preventing such a strategic weakness ever arising again.

The Forestry Commission set to work in Scotland over the next 40 years to create a home timber supply. In 1900, only about 5% of Scotland’s land area was wooded. By the early 21st century, large-scale afforestation had increased this figure to about 17%.



Our tour was coming to an end but not before taking in the magnificent view where the filming for the 3rd Harry Potter film took place in May and June 2003.

During the spring of 2003, three sets were built near to the bottom of Clachaig Gully, and Craig our guide showed a photograph from that time.



The sets were located so as to take in the fantastic scenery, overlooking the Torren Lochan.

---