28 Aug 19 - nature walk to Kilmarie and Dun Ringill

The walk was programmed as

"... the Kilmarie shore and forest walk with a visit to Dun Ringill and a stop at Loch Kilchrist to look for lampreys in the stream.  ... this walk begins by following the river and then the shore round to the ruins of Dun Ringill. The return route takes us through the woodland and back to the start point. This a pleasant walk on generally good tracks and easy terrain with a lot of variety. On the return to Broadford we intend stopping by the stream running in to Loch Kilchrist to see if we can spot any of the lampreys that reside in there."

A good turnout - eight of us.

[photo from Ray, ID from Steve] Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria) - a foliose lichen that prefers
 the less acidic bark of Hazel, Willow and Rowan.

The rain dried up quite nicely, although a bit wet underfoot

and some annoying midges during lunch at Dun Ringill, it was a very pleasant day.

There was a flock of mergansers, numerous shags, a seal

[photo from Ray, ID from Steve] Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum).
Not as common as some other members of the genus
(Cleavers, Heath Bedstraw).

and various flowers all before lunch.

Su passed around the information she had downloaded regarding Dun Ringill

as we sat in its ruins having lunch.

After lunch we returned through the woods

[photo from Ray, ID from Steve] A Brittlegill (you can just see the pure white stem).
They occur in various colours, but red is the most common.
My guess would be Russula emetica (The Sickener).

[photo from Ray, ID from Steve] Probably Brown Birch Bolete (Leccinum scabrum).

where we spotted some fungi, but not as many as we would have expected.

We also saw what was probably a Sparrowhawk being mobbed by some smaller birds

and a green veined white butterfly drying itself on a piece of grass.

On our return to Broadford we retired to Cafe Sia for coffee and a good chat.


All round a very pleasant day with good company.

 
Dun Ringill by Jethro Tull, from the VHS/DVD "Slipstream", released in 1981 by Chrysalis Records. "Slipstream" contains live material from the 1980 "A" tour and music videos, all combined to create a movie-like result.

13 Aug 19 - nature walk - Torrin loop

There was a good turnout 

with 11 of us joining in.

Amanita, probably not muscaria.

Looks like an Amanita. Not one Steve would want to eat!

A few showers and a bit of a scramble through what came to be known as "Fairy" wood failed to put us off.

There were plenty of wild flowers 

Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris)

(and garden escapees!)

?Common Blue butterfly - Polyommatus icarus

Scotch Argus (Erebia aethiops)

and a number of butterflies 

as well as a ladybird. 

?Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Honey bey?

We also spotted a few gannets at lunchtime. 

One of the big surprises of the day was the elephant.

After the walk we enjoyed coffee and a good chat at Cafe Sia in Broadford.
A good day out all round.

7 Aug 19 - walk to Tusdale clearance village from Eynort Forest

For all sorts of reasons (from family visits to toilet repairs!) only three members were free this day - hopefully it will be repeated next year when more of us are can join it.

The following is by Ray:

the walk out of Eynort at the start 

On August 7^th Tim, Christine and myself left Portree to travel down to Loch Eynort, the start of our walk to the clearance village of Tusdale.

Looking back at the start of the walk to Eynort and the Head of the Loch.

Leaving the car at the end of the track in Eynort, we started our walk along the hillside beneath Beinn Buidhe na Creige, following sheep tracks where possible.

Fantastic views down over Loch Eynort and further out to Canna.
 

Eventually after a bit of climbing we managed to find the old track leading to Tusdale village.

Before reaching the village, we turned down towards the coast

This is the Tusdale Burn with Canna in the distance.

and eventually found ourselves looking at one of the most beautiful waterfalls on Skye.

Me taking a picture of the waterfall at the bottom of the Tusdale Burn.

After taking many pictures, it was Picnic Time. We stayed for a while and relaxed in the sunshine,

before making our way back the way we had come towards Tusdale village.

 The village consists of several ruined homes in three different locations.

Much time was spent exploring these ruins and wondering what life would have been like living here long ago.

Soon it was time to leave and we slowly climbed out of the Tusdale valley and climbed up and over the Bealach na Croiche where we were again able to look down on Eynort.

 Following a steep fence down the hill we arrived at the gate near the ruins of St Maelrubha's Chapel and Graveyard.   We explored the graveyard which proved very interesting.

One grave in particular, that of Evan P Cameron and his wife Harriet Adriana Moore, had connections to the slave trade in Berbice, New Amsterdam, (which became British Guiana and I believe is now called Guyana.)

A short walk brought us back to the car. This is a walk which I enjoyed very much. Fantastic scenery, good company, a fine day and a mystery to take home and investigate.