Blown Around and Blown Away
Paul takes us on a walk in Caithness
With the hustle and bustle of modern life, it can be very easy to forget just how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful part of the world. This realisation was brought home to me recently, as I was out risk assessing a route for a future guided walk.
The Ranger service meticulously walk any new route before we lead our walks, ensuring both the suitability of the route, and observing the flora and fauna so that we can interpret and guide later, this keeps our walks both accessible and interesting.
We all know the weather this June has been ‘a little disappointing’ to say the least. Despite the constant poor weather, I scheduled a day to go and check this route over a week in advance and just hoped for the best. To my delight, on the day, the sun shone and rain was nowhere to be seen. It was windy, but looking on the bright side this thankfully that meant no midges.
Off I set, with a packed rucksack, binoculars and about 11km of hill ground ahead of me.
About a kilometre in, I was greeted by a plaintive ‘puu’ whistle coming from the nearby heather ground to my right. I know that call thinks I, one of my favourite waders. I stopped, binoculars to my eyes, and there was my first golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) of the day. The black breast, neck/cheeks with the obvious white edging was clear to see. A few seconds later, the partner bird flew out of the heather and they headed off over the hill out of site. Delightfully I heard and saw several other golden plovers throughout the time I was walking.
A little further on, and once again I was stopped in my tracks, a well camouflaged common lizard (Zootoca vivipara), basking right where I was just about to step. If you have ever been out hill walking and think “I’m sure I just saw something then,” that was probably a common lizard. A blur and it’s gone, is often as good as it gets with these elusive reptiles, particularly in warm weather. This cooperative little fella kindly sat still, allowing me time to grab a photo. I returned the favour by kindly walking around him and allowed him to continue enjoying the warm sunshine undisturbed.
A visit to a beautiful little waterfall was next on my list and it didn’t disappoint. This hidden location involves a careful scramble along a narrow gorge but it is worth the effort. I imagine this is an absolute torrent of water during a very wet spell. Thankfully not today.
Heading back I took a slightly different route and accidently came across the war-time crash site of a plane. I remember looking for this crash site several years ago with a ranger colleague, we were unable to locate it back then. It was a very poignant reminder of much darker times.
The day was rounded off in spectacular fashion by, not one, but three white-tailed eagles flying directly over me heading inland from the sea cliffs. Phone out once again and the classic image of three dark smudges high in the sky was my reward.
What a day and what a place.
Paul Castle is the dedicated Countryside Ranger for North Sutherland and North Caithness with High Life Highland. Paul has devoted over two decades, to the ranger service of this area. His commitment reflects his love for the area, marked by its breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, friendly communities and rich natural heritage. Paul's work plays a pivotal role in promoting and protecting the wildlife, flora, and fauna that make this part of Scotland so extraordinary.