Grrrrr.....

If I hear this misquoted again I'll scream!
The correct version is " Ne'er cast a cloot 'til the May be oot" (Yes, you've guessed it, that's a Scots saying!!

It is NOT "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May be out!" (This is utterly meaningless - sorry BBC, that is a dig at some of your presenters)

Why? Well, the original means 'never cast off your (winter) clothes until the May blossom (ie the hawthorn blossom) appears on the trees. - a wise and sensible precaution in this fickle climate of ours!

A 'cloot', rhyming with 'loot', in Scots is a cloth (ie clothing) - whereas a 'clout', rhyming with 'out', is commonly perceived as a belt round the ear delivered by an angry parent (when such things were not politically incorrect, of course!) Hence the anglicised version of the saying is rendered utterly meaningless. OK, there is less of a problem with the confusion between the month of May and the May blossom - these tend to be contemporaneous anyway!

Please, please, if non-Scots are to quote Scots sayings, afford us the respect of getting them right! (or has the BBC got rid of its pronunciation unit altogether?)

Went away in winter, came back in summer!!

Went off to New Zealand a month ago leaving 6" of wet snow on the ground, and came back to 22 degrees and green grass! Watch out, this may be the summer - enjoy it while you can!

Into a new financial year now, and a further year of interim arrangements for the operation of the Speyside Way - come to think of it, we seem to have been running on 'interim arrangements' for as long as I can remember! Unlike New Zealand, where all the great tramping tracks are seen as a national asset and fully funded by the Department of Conservation, the trails here in Scotland have always had to make do with whatever funding could be 'cobbled together' at the time. Are they a valuable asset or not? And now, of course, we are in the crazy situation where new trails are being developed all over the place with capital money from goodness knows where, at a time when we do not have two cents of revenue funding to look after the long established ones! Sorry, I'm ranting again!

The good news for all of you out there, however, is that we WILL be able to operate the Visitor Centre in Aberlour for one more season, but probably ONLY ONE more season. The same applies to the Accommodation Leaflet (now published for 2011) and the website - the likelihood is, though, that 12 months from now we will be looking to the private sector to provide some of these information services. This, of course, almost certainly means that instead of us, the public sector, providing free listings to accommodation providers, for example, some 'readies' may have to be exchanged for future inclusion on websites and leaflets. Ah well, I guess others will have to share our pain!

The first major event of the year kicks off in less than two weeks' time - the Speyside Whisky Festival. Those seeking accommodation in the Aberlour/Craigellachie areas that weekend should look out - it will be at a premium.

Look out too for the Ranger Events that weekend, and hurry up and book, they are always sold out.

See you there!

Long time no see...!

How time flies - can't believe my last post was in September! What an early winter we had. Deep snow in late November, coupled with very low temperatures, took us right through into 2011, bringing more damage to property, trees and wildlife. Since then more 'normal' service has been resumed, ie rain, chill, darkness - typical Scottish weather. As we pass Valentine's day, the days are lengthening, the birds have started to sing, (mistle thrush and wood pigeon yesterday, great-tits for a couple of weeks now) and we begin to wonder if winter could really be nearly past?
Here on the Speyside Way we are not immune from cut-backs in Local Authority budgets, and we are trying to work out how best to keep providing a satisfactory service. Disappointingly, the level of demand for information on the route over the winter seems to be at an all time low - also perhaps an indicator of uncertain economic times as well as a reflection of yet another poor summer, weatherwise, in 2010. There is also undoubtedly a 'dilution' factor, as trail users are presented with a rapidly expanding choice of 'long distance routes' - the launch of the 'Scotland's Great Trails' initiative by SNH in the spring will see some 20 routes branded as LDRs, with another 17 waiting in the wings. As custodians of one of only four statutory routes, we confess to having very mixed feelings about where this is going, and the financial implications for Local Authorities across Scotland.
In a different context, attempts by the Cairngorms National Park Authority to complete the route to Newtonmore continue to encounter difficulties. Not unexpectedly, Kinrara Estate is resisting the imposition of a Footpath Creation Order, and the appeal will be determined by a Scottish Government Reporter sometime in the next few months.

Please Note: Tominuird diversion

An information note from our colleagues from the Cairgorms National Park....

Important Notice

Due to felling operations the section of the Speyside Way through Tom an Uird Wood between Mains of Dalvey and Cromdale will be closed for three weeks from the 3rd of September 2010. Please use the signed alternative along the minor road from Milton via Rynaballoch to meet with the Speyside Way at Cromdale as shown on the map below. This diversion will add approximately 2 miles onto the Ballindalloch to Grantown section of the route and you should add an extra hour onto your route time.

The diversion is all on minor roads, so beware of traffic, but offers some fantastic views of the Hills of Cromdale and if you have time why not explore the ruins of Lethendry Castle and the Haughs of Cromdale where in 1690 Government forces crushed the first Jacobite uprising. Standing by Clach nam Piobair (the Pipers Stone) you hear the mewing of buzzards but listen hard and you could hear the skirl of pipes echoing down the ages.

The summer that never was...

We are enjoying a dry (ish) week for the first time since the end of June. July and August have been amongst the worst I can remember, not for total quantities of rain but for the fact that it rained at some time nearly every day. Winter forage for sheep and cattle is in short supply - there is no hay in this area because of the continual rain and silage is alo scarce. The cold wet spring followed by a dry June led to grass going to seed rather than bulking up - let's hope we do not get a winter like the last one. The schools have gone back and swallows are starting to assemble on the wires in preparation for departure - a sure and unmistakeable sign that Autumn is upon us - a time of year I personally always find rather sad.

Orchids galore...

The route between the old railway line south of Ballindalloch and the Garvault plantation is fringed with carpets of moorland flowers. Cotton grass, orchids, ragged robin, even alpine bistort if you keep your eyes open. Best display we've seen in years.

Return of the ghost trees....

They're at it again! The Bird Cherry ermines! I talked about this on the 4th of June last year, but I think it's worth another comment. The Bird Cherries (prunus padus) on mid Speyside are suffering what appears this time to be an extreme Ermiine Moth infestation. The ‘cobwebs’ you can see on many trees along the Speyside Way are not the work of an invasion of giant spiders, only the result of activity by a relatively common moth, the Bird Cherry Ermine (Yponomeuta evonymella)

On hatching, the caterpillars of this moth can quite quickly spin a silk ‘tent’ over the twigs and branches where they can feed on the leaves in safety, protected from birds and parasitic ichneumon wasps by their surrounding shield.

During a major infestation of ermine moth caterpillars, whole bird cherry trees can be completely enveloped in this silken stocking and become totally defoliated. These outbreaks are sporadic, however, and while the trees may appear leafless and lifeless immediately afterwards, they tend to recover in subsequent years.

This year, however, many trees are also weakened by snow damage with many broken and cracked branches. It remains to be seen what the outcome will be.

Snow for the hinds calving

What did I tell you? (see 5th May below) OK, it's a week early but we surely now have the 'Snow for the hinds calving' ** - Ben Rinnes was pictured today at lunchtime.



Bad news for birds sitting on eggs, or those that rely on hatches of insects on warm sunny days to feed chicks. Traditionally, though, this is winter's parting shot and hopefully summer may
soon follow.

** The 'snow for the hinds calving' is an expression you are most likely to hear in the West Highlands of Scotland where I worked for a number of years - in Gaelic it's 'Sneachda laogh na fiadh' - thanks to my colleague John Morrison from Harris for the Gaelic version!

Be prepared!

Should be our motto. I had a sparrowhawk swoop down and settle on my front garden wall last night. I was on the phone and just happened to be looking out of the window when it happened....now descision time, do i hang up on my mum or roam around my house to find the camera whilst trying to sound interested at the same time, as luck would have it (or not ) it shot off before i could do either.

Well i'm hoping that it will visit again as the wrath of one's mother is a thing not to be trifled with.

So be prepared for nature sightings anytime, anyhow and any place. If you do see anything, flying, scurrying, crawling, hopping, hovering etc then somebody needs to know. These chaps especially.....www.nesbrec.org.uk the North East Scotland Biological Recording Centre. Check out their website on how to input sightings yourself on-line, paper or via the phone. Whether its casual sightings as you're on the way to work or an indepth survey for a school or college project, let others share your finds and help us put together a picture of what wildlife and habitats we have in the NE, you never know it may help preserve some of our most threatened habitats.

Spring is here and change is a foot!

Its been a wee while since i've posted on here....thank the snow and crazy weather for that...pictures of my commute to work will follow (just can't bring myself to look at them now we have sun and green grass).

As Jim has said spring is sort of here....its taken its time thats for sure. We're probably looking a being a month or so behing schedule, but do not frown...things are growing and have truely been reborn.

Not unlike our selves here in Aberlour central. Although still repsonsible for the Speyside Way within Moray we now have a wider county remit. You can watch this space for tales of daring do's, wildlife intrigue and more ranger events. We're still finding our feet with our new role, checking out what the far flung reaches of the county have to offer us rangers, so bare with us and keep tuned for events and works that we will be doing in the future.

Here's a picture of the massed daffodils that can been seen throughout the county....gauranteed to bring a warm spring glow to anyone.

The Gab o' May

Hold that last post! Spring has disappeared again, temperatures are back into single figures and there's snow on the hills!
But don't worry, it's only the 'Gab o' May', that evocative Scots name for what is often poor weather at the start of May (you know, that bit of poor weather between the 'Teuchat's storm' in early April and the 'Snow for the hinds calving' in early June!) After we've had all these it might just be summer!!

Spring at last.....?

The swallows arrived on Saturday 24th April, exactly the same date as last year. I hope they have had a better winter than we have! The banks of the Speyside Way are now carpeted with spring flowers, particularly primroses and wood anemones, and particularly striking between Craigellachie and Aberlour.

Take a careful look at the wood anemone flowers - though appearing to be white, they are often streaked with pink or purple, especially on the outside, and are carried on a reddish stem. Like many other spring flowers, they turn to face the sun as it moves across the sky. The plant is said to be named after the Greek legend in which Anemos, the wind, sends his namesakes the anemones as heralds of his coming: hence its other common name of 'windflower'.

The spring is sprung, the grass is riz,

I wonder where the Speyside Way iz?

"It's fallen in the water!"
Apologies to Ogden Nash and Little Jim (aka Spike Milligan) respectively!!
Anyway, to be serious, the Speyside Way has or is trying to 'fall in the water' in a couple of places. Bank erosion between Spey Bay and Fochabers has resulted in a short diversion, same as two years ago in 2008. The Spey simply wants to go somewhere else......

Elsewhere at Knockando the slippage is a bit more mysterious - or is it? Further slippage has revealed a piece of blue tape sticking out of the bank - a sudden reminder that about 20 years ago a water main was laid along this section of railway - is a leak in the pipe causing a subterranean wash-out? If not, the slip is clearly now threatening the integrity of the pipe. The route is still open for the moment, but Scottish Water is now involved and we will keep you posted as to what will happen next.

The times they are a changin....

From 1st April, unitary management of the Speyside Way will cease. That means that the Moray Council, who have to date managed the whole route on behalf of the other authorities (Highland Council and the Cairngorms National Park Authority) will no longer manage the route within the National Park. This role will be taken on by the National Park Authority themselves.
For one further year, however, Moray countryside staff will continue to provide a central information service for the whole route, while an alternative strategy is developed for information provision for the National Park section. For the moment, then, the point of contact for information about the whole route is still the Moray Council Countryside Section in Aberlour:

tel - 01340 881266

email - speyside.way@moray.gov.uk

web - www.speysideway.org

post - Speyside Way Visitor Centre, Broomfield Square, Aberlour AB38 9QP

No news is good news?

For those of you waiting on news of the slip at Knockando, well, there's no news really. Since it happened, we have hardly seen the area without snow cover in order to be able to assess the problem. A slow thaw of our second extraordinary dump of snow this winter has now set in - some places had even more than over Christmas and New Year, and very much determined by altitude. Higher parts have had around 3 feet (90 cm) this time, plus drifts to twice that. For the second time this winter I have found my self saying that that I have never in my life seen so much snow!
Anyway, it appears that the slip has not moved much since we saw it originally, so we are now optimistic that a serious collapse may not actually take place. We'll try to keep you posted.