Kirkconnell Flow: the lost patrol

3.6 miles   1h 42min  60m ascent

Kirkconnell Flow National Nature Reserve

Today there was a important conjunction of environmental and personal events, heavy rain and laziness, which led me to choose an easier walk in place of that originally planned. (Shakes head) Had I learned nothing from the Almorness misadventure?

Rather than climbing hills I decided take the dogs for a slightly longer walk than usual. Though obviously not too far since they’re getting a bit grey in the muzzle. I thought a stroll around the nature reserve at Kirkonnell Flow would be reasonable. I even thought I could call the report “Kirkconnel Flow: first recce”. Well it didn’t go to plan. Poor Sweep is limping around the house and Leo is in hibernation.

The Scottish NNR say of it:

Restored from its formerly damaged state, this site represents one of the most threatened habitats in the world. The sodden surface of the bog is a palette of green, purple and red shades of Sphagnum mosses and wet-loving plants, giving a sense of a remote wilderness among the busy surrounding fields. Colourful butterflies flit over the moss, whilst adders and lizards bask in the sunlight.

Who could resist that? This raised bog has a floating pathway around its edges, which allows access for nature lovers such as me.

The car park was empty. The rain was heavy and the wind was strong. Both dogs were shivering. The information board was empty. All of this contributed to the atmosphere of wilderness.

Having said that, a well constructed path of wood bark leads from the car park. The visibility, firmness and dryness of this path follows the inverse square law, whereby its quality deteriorates rapidly as one walks from the car park. But that is probably appropriate in order to maintain the feeling of wilderness.

I am sure that I would have appreciated the flora better were it not for the heavy rain. There were certainly a great variety of plants in their autumnal colours.

The bark path gradually became waterlogged so that its consistency was like porridge, the dogs’ legs, and my boots, sinking significantly. I thought it best not to stand still. Then the bark ended. It was possible to follow a faint track which at times had posts nearby, which are presumably way-markers but unmarked.

My passage through this section was aided by knowledge from a detective novel I am reading at present. In this a murder victim is thought to have had some safety training since when walking along a tunnel in the London underground he had avoided stepping on the sleepers. These are apparently slippery and those who slip may come into contact with live tracks. The track in this section has numerous rotting logs across it, which were indeed extremely slippery so I did my best to step elsewhere. I was also careful to stow my camera before moving off. I’m not sure if the entire place is full of logs or if these are part of the path. I suspect the former.

There were large areas of standing water, but I suppose one can expect that in the middle of a bog during heavy rain. Sweep bounded from pool to pool while Leo and I edged around as best we could.

We then came upon a stretch of water with a couple of moss covered planks thrown across it. Sweep swam across and Leo, on an extendible lead, took the planks but had to swim part of the way. I edged carefully over but Leo decided to cross back as I did so upsetting my equilibrium. The final metre of planking disappeared below the surface so I leapt.

The thrice crossed water, from the far side

Imagine my surprise to find that the extendible lead in my hand suddenly became taut. Leo had walked around a bush and snagged the lead. I managed to make the far bank but the lead was well and truly stuck so I was forced to cross back, un-snag the lead, cajole Leo across in front of me and cross yet again.

The far side was more boggy but it was easy enough to find a way through and though it was now difficult to discern a path or track we did come to a gate in a fence which made me think I was still on track. Eventually we came to the end of the open ground and another gate.

Once in the trees there was a bark covered path but as before this gradually petered out. The path again became less distinct and eventually I could see no sign of it. On google earth the track is obvious but on the ground it must have been lost beneath the ferns.

So we carried on where I supposed the path would be, presuming that we would come upon it again. In the woods however I was straying further from the path and the undergrowth became increasingly difficult with dense undergrowth. I saw a break in the trees to my left and made for it, the undergrowth becoming even thicker and difficult for the dogs to get through.

Then ahead the trees ended, separated by a barbed wire fence from a lake. My heart sank as I contemplated backtracking through the woods. On closer inspection, however, the lake was merely a flooded field and it looked as if we could get across. There were no holes in the fence for the dogs so I had to manhandle squirming sodden dogs over the fence then get over myself.

The field proved easy enough except one section of water and mud which needed a just-go-for-it approach. Then we were on a road, near a junction. But what road? I hadn’t thought a map would be needed so finding the name of a farm on a sign wasn’t helpful. I did at least have a compass so was able to choose which road seemed to be going in the best direction and followed that back to the car park.

Sweep didn’t seem to like us stopping and took to barking at me whenever I stopped to think and consult the compass.

There is a very short section in trees after the fence and gate but after that I should have remained out of the the woods. I know now.

 

 

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