reservoir plods

matching vest and wall colour

22/08/18
I think Mary suggested the Lammermuirs just so we could go past the Lanterne Rouge in Gifford. Very friendly cake and coffee stop and the first time for a while we've been in there without knowing at least one other customer. 

The term lanterne rouge was taken from the railway custom of hanging a red light off the last carriage. It was borrowed by the French to describe the last cyclist in a race such as the Tour de France.

We managed not to have a second cake (only just) and drove to near Hopes Reservoir. The weather started out a bit overcast but improved as the day went on. We started out by doing the North side round the reservoir which is less of a broad forestry track and more interesting single track; with heather, low shrubs and trees which makes for more wildlife but, as per usual, none of the advertised snakes.

 

The signage has changed recently and although I didn't read it at the time I wasn't impressed with it when I read it later. Firstly that routed timber sign. That has to have been done since 2003 and although I like the way the router has left gouges like waves, the fact it says No Swimming is actually against the law. The Land Reform Scotland Act 2003 in particular. As it says on the take care be aware sign below it... "The Land Reform Scotland Act 2003 creates a right of responsible access to land and water in Scotland". Which I'm sure hacks off every management pencil pusher in Scottish Water. After all who wants neds turning up with inner tubes and beer cans to treat your reservoir like a swimming pool? However it is clearly against the word of the Act to put up signs saying no swimming. 

There was an email address on a similar sign next to North Esk Reservoir so I emailed the dude to check he was aware of the Land Reform Act. He was. And he drew my attention to unfortunate drownings down south somewhere. Still doesn't change the law. 

And why should deep water be more dangerous? Like falling, after a certain height/depth there is little difference to the outcome. "The great majority of drownings occur in circumstances where the victim has no intention of going into the water". (International Life Saving Federation.) 

Another reason to believe SW aren't really paying attention or doing anything other than trying to discourage swimming is the last paragraph, below the equally spurious Danger Adders sign. It says "For public heath reasons Scottish Water does not encourage swimming or fishing at the Milngavie Reservoirs". Patently cut-and-paste from over in the West and put up here without anyone ever proof reading it, unless a Milngavie Reservoir is a specific type of reservoir (unknown to google). As a responsible open water swimmer I find this annoying, and it's about time someone took a chisel and removed the NO from the sign below.

littered with adders

Mary bravely waded through the swarms of Adders. While I was running I wondered if they (the adders) had succumbed to the stone traps set by the landowners to catch stoats and rats that you see all over the Lammermuirs. The stone traps feature slabs with a gap into which the victim creeps only to find a rat trap type sprung device in the dark. Adders have always been shy and secretive but in recent years seem to have either disappeared or become super-wary. The landowners are keen to propagate a mono-culture farming environment where grouse are the soul living creature on the moors. They even cull the mountain hares which seems a bit harsh.

This may be the first year we've seen Small coppers in the Lammermuirs. I was running past the bit near the reservoir dam when I thought I saw a copperish fluttering. However they were taking advantage of the background heather colour which perfectly matched their open wings and it was really difficult to follow them and see them land. I had great trouble finding them on the camera screen, even when I knew I was pointing the camera directly at them. 

There were quite a few butterflies on the North side of Hopes
although always solo, never in groups.

toadstool thick as an arm

this peacock was swinging back and forth in the wind

so very difficult to get a pic

perfect blue spotter!

There were one or 2 wasps about the summit of Lammer Law again but not the usual crowd of 20+. The most bizarre thing was this ball of bees. I thought there was going to be something awful or brilliant in the centre but after a while they dispersed one by one to reveal... only bees (and no queen that I could discern). No idea what that was about, a group hug or something? Fairly frenetic but not frenzied. They weren't stinging each other so presumably clustered together for warmth or communication.

We went up the long climb rather than round the side as usual. This gets very steep at the top and leads nowhere in particular. There are some shooting butts and we went over to see if there was an adequate path back down to the North side of the reservoir which there was, with a bit of shin deep heather stomping before it thinned out and we found a decent path back down to the stream crossing.

Back the way we came. And about 9 miles. Always a great venue.