Visit with Daniel by car and plane via Castle Donnington, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Wick to Thormaid where our forestry estate was reviewed with Fountain Forestry staff and I had a fair insight into the recent politics of afforestation in the ‘flow district’. All is well and we return safely after a long day. France fall out with Tehran over spying, the UK sabotages the European IT programme, 72 people die as a result of a Karachi shopping centre bombing and half a million metalworkers strike in South Africa
Having prepared my clothes and items to take to Thormaid last night, I was well prepared for the off this morning. Awake before 4.00am, then got up, showered, shaved and dressed in time to eat a bowl of cereal before it was time to set off. All into the Daimler with the video and briefcase of forestry papers by 4.45am, allowing at least 2 hours for the journey. We made our way north up the A1 dual carriageway and then west along the A67 through the centre of Leicester joining the M1 motorway for the last stretch to Castle Donnington and the East Midlands Airport for the flight to Wick.
We had a good car journey, with little traffic, but Daniel laid out on the reclining seat of the Daimler and caught up on some of the lost sleep. The flight was fair enough – in fact it is always three flights in stages – E Midlands to Edinburgh, then Aberdeen, then to Wick – with three take offs and landings. Air Ecosse, this tiny airline, is running again after going bust and being taken over by an investment company. We were met at Wick airport by David Edwards, the area forester, in the absence of the new District Manager, Tony Mafin, on his honeymoon. He took us back to the Fountain Forestry offices in Wick for some wellington boots for us to borrow and we chatted about the political background to the afforestation of the Flow Country. It seems that FF are under tremendous pressure from the RSPB and Countryside Commission and now every project in Caithness is objected to. The Advisory Council cannot agree on the approvals for more forestry and the decisions are now with the Secretary of State for Scotland. FF needs some 10,000 hectors planted per year for 10 years, until the cycle of thinning and harvesting turns full circle. The boots were ready and so we were driven to Broubster and started our tour. First the du lochan system of pods, with ribbons of interconnecting peat, had been surrounded by this year’s planting and it was good to get this out of the way during a drier year. This peat is quite light in colour and even in consistency and, although the rows are neat with plants visible, it is less fertile than the mineral rock areas and needs careful phosphate fertilising in the future. An area of the ponds themselves are left unplanted and will be quite an interesting feature in the future. All of this year’s planting is doing quite well and some exceptionally so. Then we see some of last year’s planting, which has grown and survives well – the Lodgepole Pine, with its upright growth, hasn’t and Sitka Spruce more spreading in lighter green. The weeds are an increasing problem and need control if they are not to smother some of the young trees. Hares are also in evidence and nip out the top shoots of the hardwoods, if not protected by plant tubes. As well as the commercial crops, Larch were planted below the road junction and wild cherry above, to make the approaches and access more interesting. We then saw the year 1 (1985) plantings, which had grown in height and width and were well clear of the dense weed cover. Below the road again a grass area had been left around an old stone sheep pen, or shieling, and with the grass above can attract and hold any vagrant deer for shooting. We then went back to the car and had a picnic lunch on the shores of Loch Thormaid, chatting again about the politics of forestry. After, we walked along a gorge at the north of our property known as ‘The Fairy Glen,’ where legend has it that fairies dug the gorge to drain the lochs Thormaid and Saerach for gold, but a witch stole the gold and run off with it. The fairies caught up with her and turned her into stone, where a standing stone is still supposed to mark the spot of capture and contain the gold within. At the end of the Glen we climbed the north face of Cnoc Na Claise Brice, spotting fox’s earths and marsh orchids on the way up. At the top Daniel added a rock to the pile of stones and will do so on every other visit in the future, until it grows into a Cairn to mark the fact. We walked down the other side, noting the fine view of the lochs from the ridge, then went back to the car and drove to the airport at Wick, well satisfied. A long journey home with plenty of ups and downs and glad to get back home after the drive from the airport. Tired and a bit irritable at the end of a long day, I went straight to bed after tending the ducks and locking & alarming the house. News today was of worsening French/Iranian relations after the French Consul in Tehran, Mr Jean Paul Torrie, is accused of being a spy. The British Government’s last-post reluctance to support European colleagues on the Information Technology Programme, has led to tiny budgets and the result that individuals will be putting up most of the funds. Two bombs, killing 72 people and injuring 250 more, in a Karachi shopping centre. At least ½ million metalworkers go on strike in South Africa. The car journey to E Midlands averaged 82miles and 1 ½ hours.