04 May 2024Aldie Burn
DINGWALL FIELD CLUB HEADS NORTH
The day before our recent field trip to the Tain area, we discovered that a fundraising road run of vintage commercial vehicles would be leaving Dingwall on the A9 northbound and their scheduled departure time would coincide with ours. Members were asked to meet slightly earlier than usual to avoid the 80 participating lorries and there were no delays on the road before starting our walk at Aldie Burn.
Well made and dry, the firm, wide paths made for easy walking through the tall pines of this woodland. Disturbed while crossing the track, a toad hastily got out of our way to take cover in grass. Further on a woodpecker drummed high above, but was not to be seen. At the foot of a steep and dramatic drop, we caught our first glimpse of the burn through the dark trees below, and in time our route led down to a lovely spot beside the clear water. Paths crisscrossed the woods everywhere. There were deep carpets of moss and thick lichen coating the trees. Dense blaeberry bushes promised a rich harvest of fruit to come, judging by their plentiful little pink flowers. In some places wood anemones were out and clumps of yellow marsh marigolds brightened the edges of the Aldie Burn at one point. Several water mills had been powered by this water at one time.
After we crossed over the burn - in a more open landscape - large patches of wild raspberry canes were coming into leaf, adding to the many shades of green in the surroundings and reminders of that special flavour of homemade wild rasp jam. A cuckoo was calling from the woodland in the background - the first heard this year by many of the fifteen Club members on the walk.
We rejoined our original trail through the conifers. It had stayed dry and although the sun did not appear, it felt milder than of late. No wind in this sheltered corner which made a pleasant change, and how lovely to see green things coming to life on all sides after recent drab days.
