Skye calling

It's a sure sign of withdrawal symptoms when this little verse keeps going round in my head. It refers of course to the Dubh Ridge, the "best easy climb in Skye", Maylard and Solly being past presidents of the SMC.

'Said Maylard to Solly one day in Glen Brittle,
   All serious climbing, I vote, is a bore;
Just for once, I Dubh Beag you'll agree to do little,
   And, as less we can't do, let's go straight to Dubh Mor.

'So now when they seek but a day's relaxation,
    With no thought in the world but of viewing the views,
And regarding the mountains in mute adoration,
    They call it not "climbing", but "doing The Dubhs"

Lynne on the coastal path to Loch Coruisk and the start of the Dubh Ridge

 For years a good friend has wanted to climb the Dubh Ridge with us but distance, weather, injury and just getting our act together to be on Skye at the same time have proved much greater obstacles than the climb itself could ever be. I often encouraged him to go it alone in our absence but, despite many other escapades on the Main Ridge involving much harder climbing, he maintained he wasn't a climber and his various visits to Coruisk never included as much as a skirmish with this enticing sweep of gabbro slabs. The continuation from Sgurr Dubh Beag to Sgurr Dubh Mor is a little problematic and involves (usually) a rather hairy abseil, but the atmosphere of the climbing on the slabs themselves is perfectly captured by the above ditty. If you read this Tom then "Jan will meet us at Glen Brittle so we can do the complete traverse", would be a the ideal response. Just click 'comments'! In any event we'll be off soon.

Pixie Cup (Cladonia pyxidata) in the Ochils

MRT's get additional funding

An additional £204,000 funding for MRTs in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland has been announced by the government. This is apparently the first of four years funding with at least £200,000 available each year.

Teams in England and Wales will share £128,000, Scotland will receive £68,000 and Northern Ireland £8000.

St Monans salt pans

The East Neuk of Fife is generally regarded as comprising the fishing villages in the most northerly part of the Firth of Forth, although the exact boundaries are somewhat vague and disputed. Characterised by their small picturesque harbours, the likes of Pittenweem, St Monans and Crail are delightful places, but despite spending my student years at St Andrews University, I never got much further down the coast than The Maiden, The Rock and Spindle or occasionally  Buddo Rock, none of which lies in the East Neuk.

Crail Harbour

                                        

In April this year, however, shortly after Sir Hugh had walked the Fife Coastal Path, we decided to explore for ourselves, and from Crail harbour we walked along the coastal path to the prominent St Monans Windmill.

St Monans windmill

         

Salt panning was an important industry in Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries, salt being a vital commodity in trade with continental Europe, and the introduction of a salt tax by Mary Queen of Scots transformed the activity into a commercial business which spread from the East Neuk of Fife to Prestonpans near Edinburgh.

The Windmill (Salt Mill) was used to pump sea water into the pans and once full, coal, which was readily available in Fife, was fired and the water evaporated off to leave the salt. To produce one ton of salt required about 32 tons of sea water. Salt duty was repealed in 1823 and the cheap imported salt from abroad saw the demise of the industry with the last salt pan in Scotland, at Prestonpans, closing in 1959.

The remains of a Panhouse and salt pans can still be seen on the shore below the windmill.

Information boards provide the visitor with more information and during the summer months the Windmill is open to the public.

All in all, an enjoyable day out, even though not 'a foot' had been set upon a hill.

You can read more about salt extraction on  Martin's  excellent blog.