Day 87
I’m writing this quite a while after the walk due to general laziness. The log-cutting is still going on although they are quite today because of it being a Saturday. Anyway, they have got quite a pile going.
They still haven’t impinged on anywhere I’m walking so I can still safely ignore them. The mushrooms are still soldiering on.
There is not a lot else to report really. We had a nice walk around the forest and didn’t get too wet
Day 86
Although it was absolutely pouring with rain, I needed to get out for a lunchtime loop. I didn’t bother bringing the camera as it was basically too wet to be able to keep it dry. So I just made do with my phone. On the walk up, it became obvious why somebody had cleared an entrance and graveled some land on the edge of the forest as there was machinery in there taking out some wood.
I ignored them as I went past and decided to just continue on with the walk so long as there were no signs up saying not to enter. As I got to the top, I took this quick shot just so as to have a photo to accompany the post
I was expecting a no entry sign when I crossed the road into the other side of the forest, but there was nothing so I continued on. I kept the dogs on the lead though, as I figured if I was going to have a row with a forestry working it might be better if one of the dogs hadn’t bitten him.
Anyway, I neither saw nor heard any evidence of the work as I went around. Hopefully they won’t be around long enough to cramp my style as I’d rather be able to let the dogs off.
Day 85
Got out again for a quick loop in the afternoon. I even had company which was the first time since my ramble with my friend on a dream quest. Not a lot out of the ordinary to report really – we had a dry couple of hours in the afternoon after a couple of solid days’ rain.
There wasn’t really a lot going on – just a quick walk really. This is quite a nice part of the walk just before we leave the main track for the short-cut home.
You can see here how much water has accumulated over the last couple of weeks. This ditch was pretty much bone dry two weeks ago
Day 84
After a week off walking due to being away I got back out for a quick loop at lunchtime. There had been a lot of rain over the week and the place is rightly saturated. I am currently rethinking the wisdom of my cheap Hi-Tec books which are leaking badly although they are wearing well. Still, I’m only getting about half way round with dry feet.
Still, you’re not going to get away with trudging through this with dry feet unless wearing wellies and/or Gore-Tex.
The streams are coming alive now and there is a general sense of water cascading down the side of the mountain. When it gets really bad, you can go through places where it is like a lake flowing down the hill.
Anyway, I got a nice walk in and for once managed to stay dry.
Day 83
Yet another bit of laziness from your correspondent as I’m adding this over a week after the event due to a mixture of extreme business and general laziness. Anyway, this was a fine autumn morning for a walk. The sky was clear and there was brief respite from the rain of the past few days
Amazingly there is still some colour about with some gorse flowers struggling on although I didn’t manage to get a decent picture. There are also lovely autumn colours in a few of the trees that still have a few leaves – mainly beech now.
It was a fabulous clear day with visibility right to the horizon. Days like this are getting a bit thin on the ground now.
As I went deeper into the forest, there were more bits of colour about. Aside from the ubiquitous mushrooms (I’m having a mushroom-free post today), there was some very mature early holly.
Finally just as I was about to turn off the main access path, I came across this struggling on.
Day 82
This was an odd experience for a walk. We have had a couple of guys around the village on a sort of a quest following a dream of Midhir and Étain trying to find their fairy palace which is reputed to be up on the hill. While my own tendencies would tend to be of the more skeptical persuasion, fair dues to them for following their dream and I can certainly think of more boring ways to spend a holiday. So anyway, I was organised into showing them my route around the forest which I was happy to do.
It was a bit of a mucky day and in honesty I probably would have wussed out if it had of been just me. I did the normal loop but we also took a diversion up a very overgrown lane to what might have been an old quarry but I rarely visit. On the way, we passed this fallen tree root which is slowly but surely losing its battle with the elements.
The dogs enjoyed the extra long walk and the chance to explore a new place. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually taken the dogs up here before.
After the detour we were in a bit of a rush as I had a conference call arranged at two so I put the camera away. We did spot this little guy on the way back.
Day 81
Another non-rushed walk on a bank holiday Monday morning and my first week in some time where I’ve managed more than two walks. The weather was still quite nasty but I got out anyway. The leaves are almost all gone now but there is a bit of colour in some places
The main feature of this walk was an explosion of red mushrooms (Fly Agarics I think) down the bottom part of the forest. Suddenly they are all over the place and I can’t remember having noticed them before. These are the classic red toadstools and are highly poisonous.
This one below is a right little fairy scene.
The landscape around Ardagh is quite odd with a lot of glacial erratic boulders in the ground. You’ll quote often find a little stone sticking out of the ground that turns out to be a two tonne boulder. Anyway, these ended up being ploughed up in the forest so in parts of the forest you see these boulders everywhere.
Day 80
I managed to get out after breakfast for my first weekend walk for what seems ages. The wet weather is continuing and I managed to get myself a right soaking. Still, the dogs and I appreciated getting out of the house for a turn.
We are down to the last couple of weeks of having any leaves left on tree. The big ash tree in the garden has been stripped bare by now but a lot of the other ash trees are still fine. These look quite colourful.
The festival of mushrooms continues in the forest. I though this one looked rather good. I’ll try to get a few of the more exotic ones the next time I get out
Day 79
Just out for a quick lunchtime ramble on a miserable late autumn day. There really wasn’t a lot to report for this one. Just a quick scramble round the forest in fairly nasty weather for a bit of exercise. I always find it’s a lot quicker if it’s a foul day.
Day 78
I got out for a loop of the forest after breakfast this morning as it was too fabulous a morning to miss. Mostly the mist had burned off but you could still see it hanging on in the distance. There was a fabulous blue sky but it was still quite chilly after a touch of frost overnight.
It is still unbelievably dry up the forest. Not a lot of new stuff to report except for the holly berries which are very close to being properly ripe about a month earlier than normal. I don’t expect to be getting much berried holly for Christmas
Anyway, it was nice to get out for a quick walk at the start of a busy day. I have been slacking somewhat of late.