The Pentlands - Braxony are four!

31st of August 2014.

Our first hill-blog entry as a merry band of four!

Any escape to walk up a hill is good as far as I am concerned. So on a sunny Sunday morning we hopped in the car and headed half an hour down the road to the Pentlands. Starting our walk at the Flotterston Inn and heading up to Glencorse Reservoir.

The name Flotterstone first appears on early-19th century maps. Scots fluthers can be loose flakes of stone or boggy/marshy ground. Maybe a reference to stepping stones across the Glencorse Burn?
Glencorse refers to the Gaelic gleann + crasg/croisg (croiseadh), ‘valley of the crossing(s)’. Before the Glencorse Reservoir was built (1822), it provided an ideal low route through the hills (from Penicuik, say, to Colinton, Currie or Balerno). Some have suggested that if there were wayside crosses at Cross Sward and the Clochmaid, perhaps the glen was named after these (Gaelic crois, ‘a cross’), but it more likely refers to a ‘crossing’.

So we headed out with Freyja walking and Leo in his carrier.

 Stopping for Freyja to check up on baby.

 Freyja fairly quickly decided that it was a waste of energy for her to walk when papa had the backpack ready for her - besides this is a much easier way to eat your banana!

 Freyja directs us!

Come on papa!

 Leo - trying to sleep through it. With the Glencorse reservoir behind us.

 Freyja snoozing.

 Stopped to let Leo stretch his legs.

 Leo chilling.

 Freyja having an extra run to use up some beans!

 Notice her funky red trainers!

 Leo needed a snack too.....

 A Braxony selfie.

 

 Leo seemed a little baffled by this walking/ sitting by a reservoir business.....

Freyja was playing a hilarious game of lets put grit from the road on mama's nose!

 Leo did at least enjoy a snooze in the sunshine!

.....until Freyja decided to try to put his hat on!

 Freyja, Leo and some Duke of Edinburgh Award kids going past.

And homeward bound at a brisk march, with Freyja doing some cow spotting!

Kit:

The LittleLife Freedom Carrier - for Freyja. 

The Baby Bjorn - for Leo. 

Many bananas!

Organix muesli bars! Freyja fuel!
Freyja's cool red walking shoes.
 

Nature sighting: Crows, pigeons, cows, (Freyja has mastered a great mooooo when she spots cows), also so lots of Duke of Edinburgh Award kids :)

Strontian, Ardnamurchan.

2nd April, 2014

We decided to have our last holiday with just three members of Braxony in Ardnamurchan (well, three and a bump). The Ardnamurchan peninsula is the most westerly point on the British mainland. We stayed in the wee villiage of Strontian. Strontian, derives from Scots Gaelic meaning 'point of the fairies', in Gaelic Sron an t-Sithein. We had an amazing week of exploring beaches, walking through woodland, looking at castles (Castle Tioram) and trying to spot otters, sea eagles, red squirrels and pine martins........ Freyja learnt the joys of using a bucket and spade and playing football (well more like rugby but with a football.....). 

 Strontian was established in 1724 to provide accommodation for lead miners extracting silver, lead and zinc. In 1790, however, the lead mines were the cause of Strontian's unique claim to fame. French prisoners of war, who were working the mines to provide shot to assist the British war effort against France, found something else. This turned out the be a completely new element -  Strontium, named after the village.

The village is surrounded by magnificent ancient woodland. The woods were planted by the Riddle family in the 1800s and boast over 60 exotic and native species of tree, including firs, spruces, pines, and even giant redwoods, as well as a range of fine specimen deciduous trees. There is a particular fine specimen of the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). Above the village itself is the small conical summit of Tom an t-Sithein, the fairy hill and on a particularly fine afternoon we decided to take a walk through the woodland and up the fairy hill to see the view. 

Setting off with freyja in her trusty backpack - which she loves!

Freyja loved smelling, touching and tasting the trees!

Once we came out of the woodland we headed up the hill and through a bit of forestry commission forest.

Looking back down over to the sealoch, Loch Sunart.

Such a stunning day!

So I am at this point 31 weeks pregnant and carrying a baby that weighs about three-plus pounds and measures 18 inches long, about 1-2 pounds of placenta, 2 pounds of amniotic fluid, 4 pounds of extra blood, etc. a bit weird, but explains why my pulse was pounding in my ears as I climbed the hill. I felt pretty much fine for the whole walk but by the end boy did I ache :) Sitting down had never felt so good!

Freyja admires the view but would rather be on the move.

The view over Loch Sunart and Strontian.

J feeling delighted by his achievement of carrying a fairly substantial Freyja up the hill!

Once we were back in the wooded area Freyja walked and absolutely loved it.

Walked all the way home - which was pretty good going.

Freyja and B. under the roots of a massive upturned tree.

Kit:

The LittleLife Freedom Carrier - Essential. 

Organix muesli bars! Freyja's new snack of choice!

Nature sighting:

Many exciting trees:  red woods, monkey puzzel, hornbeams, oaks etc. Unfortunately a singing, chattering toddler makes spotting red squirrels and sea eagles tricky :) There are loads of deer around here but we didn't see any on this walk.

Here, however, is Freyja with a crab she found on the beach the day before!

Là Bhàlantain sona dhut!

Still a slight hill hiatus - Freyja is still quite new to walking/running and not quite ready for a Munro yet (18 months old :)! and I am now incubating mini-braxony 2 (due in June). In the mean time here is a Valentines card made with Freyja's invaluable help!