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This morning Nick headed into Dunoon with Great Aunt Mary on the hunt for another hard-drive, as we have filled the other one with all the photos we've taken. Karen and Matt were dropped off on the way for a pleasant stroll up into Pucks Glen, where fairies and pixies are said to dwell. The name was inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream character.
Violets and primroses stand out amongst the green moss which grows everywhere, including a good way up the trunks of trees. Rocks and fallen logs look like they are hiding under green blankets. It's definitely fairy country!
We wandered along a happily gurgling stream which tumbled over rocks on its way out of the glen. Expecting at any time to catch a glimpse of elfin creatures or dwarves, just like in Lord of the Rings. Crossing bridges and admiring waterfalls, ferns growing in cracks up the sides of the canyon in the cool darkness. Then up the other side of the valley, and into the sunshine on a forestry track. There were signposts stating more walks still to be explored, but being unsure of their final destination, we turned and headed for home, keeping the hill slope on our right and the drop to Loch Eck to our left. The smell of pine was strong in the air, and the forestry track was a bright strip between the tall trees, obscuring any other views.
It was with regret we saw signs for the other end of the upper walk a bit further down the track, as it was most probably a nicer landscape than the chunkily stoned road we were walking down, but it really didn't matter anyway, we weren't going to backtrack just to confirm this.
After an hour or so, the trees finally thinned out and farm fields appeared. Past an old sheep fank, down the last bit of the track, and back to Inverchappel courtyard and a welcome cup of tea. (Karen thinks it should have been fortified with some strong spirits after seeing how much that new hard drive cost!).
In the afternoon Mary took us down to Ardentinny where she and her young family ran the little hotel. Having heard many stories about Pauls childhood here, it was nice to see it in reality. Down at the Loch edge, we were amused to watch a young girl try to pluck up enough courage to jump into the water for a swim. It took a lot of encouragement from her friends, but she did eventually take the plunge, swiftly swimming the few strokes back to the rocks and clambering out, before being wrapped in a large towel. This doesn't seem that remarkable, until you realise that the outside temperature was barely 10 degrees. Crazy!
Then off around the hill, and up and over, making a large loop home again. The boys wanted to hang around in the warmth of the parked car, as this was the only place they could pick up Mary's neighbour Neils' wifi signal…… what can I say? - the AFL football games were on. Karen meanwhile was on a different kind of mission - well 2 really. The first was to take on the garden jungle at the side of the barn and discover the "Monument to Simon" he created when visiting in 1999. She did find the lovely little round mound of stones, looking quite like an old well, just at the corner of the barn. She also discovered Neil, pruning back a few bushes in the garden. Neil was surprised that the monument was just a neat pile of rubble and not an actual ancient monument - it certainly had an olden-times look to it. They got chatting and Neil related quite a few amusing tales of his time in Australia, years ago. Not sure that Sydney or Coober Pedy have really recovered yet!
Then up the hill behind the house, to take in the awesome views. It was nice strolling along, listening to the insects buzzing and the birds singing. Inspiring country. A quiet rest to catch her breath on a bench seat in the sunshine, using her jacket as a pillow, almost turned into an afternoon nap! Snapping pictures as she went, she was still looking out for the best "aerial view" of the Inverchappel houses way down below for the perfect shot. Murphys law though, in that just before she reached the best position to take the picture she had climbed all this way for, her camera battery ran out! Grrr! She would just have to make the climb again tomorrow.
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