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Walking Group One 25th April 2024
Five hardy souls collected today at Happy Valley for the first Hill Walk of the year .The temperature was cool with a North Easterly wind blowing and a hint of rain on arrival.
Off we set heading towards Russadale Quarry, spotting a Buzzard on the way.Turning into the footpath we remained sheltered from the wind all the way to the top of the hill.
The sun was out at the Quarry and a Greenshank was feeding at the edge of the Lochan. Then it was up the Peat road to the summit with spectacular views across Stenness and Harray Lochs, plus a view of the Closed Road beyond the Watch Stone. On the other side we looked over the Flow and down towards the Oil Platform and South Ronaldsay
Then it was back down after a stop for a snack and finally a walk around Happy Valley itself. The Daffodils planted by James and others were looking lovely and the Bluebells are days away from opening. Then it was on to a well deserved lunch at the Pier Cafe, having walked 4 miles and gone up 800 feet (and down again )
The next walk will be on Friday 24th May and hopefully more hills and views.
Keep moving.
Botany Group - 8th August 2017
by Fiona - 13:42 on 18 August 2017
Seven of us met at the Gloup car park in Deerness on a glorious, sunny, summer afternoon. We walked along the path, between meadows, to the Gloup and then along the cliff top as far as the Brough of Deerness, although we did not climb it!
Here we relaxed in the heather watching folk swimming in the pools below, with the occasional bonxie overhead, before returning along the top path. There was abundant Grass of Parnassus in flower along the cliff top, and plentiful other plants, although many of these had ceased flowering.
Plants identified on the approach to the cliff top included flag iris (not flowering), ragwort, field buttercup, hogweed, creeping thistle, spear thistle, hawkweed, thrift, angelica, meadow vetchling, silverweed, tufted vetch, watercress, scabious, tormentil, devil’s bit scabious, woundwort, red and white clover, eyebright, cotton grass and sorrel.
Along the cliff top we saw, in addition to the ubiquitous grass of Parnassus, sea plantain, spring squill (seedheads), bearberry (with berries), common and horsetail cotton sedge, club moss, frog orchid, birds foot trefoil, chickweed (mouse ear and common) and ling.
On our return along the top path we also identified creeping willow, marsh pennywort and perennial sow thistle.
An excellent trip – unfortunately there is no tea room in Deerness!
A matter of priorities
Grass of Parnassus
Eyebright
Frog orchid (allegedly)
Ragwort and Angelica
What's that there? Team Spirit
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