6.5 miles 2h 53m 281m ascent
Ae forest – mostly red routes
carved bench, over the Ae, footpath through deciduous riverside woodland, crabapple/cherry, sour, hips and haws, winter oak and winter beech, washed away paths, excavated paths, gnarled trees, lichen not seen as a child, pond and memorial, waterfall/Dalcrum Burn and seat, old tractors, re-coloured routes, turbines/noise, cross back, Bran Burn, Capel Water, Wee Queensberry, Talking head Stane, roller coaster, red pine needle carpet, final steep descent.
This was the weekend after the big floods. The local rivers had mostly returned to their usual levels but fields were still flooded as we drove to Ae.
When I came looking for the Talking Head Stane in 2011, Andy and I walked in drizzle for most of the day, and that was a mid-summer’s day though I wouldn’t have guessed it looking back at the photos. This visit the rain was forecast but was a little late arriving so we had a rain-free walk, and though it was winter, it was surprisingly mild. No need for gloves. (Aside: perhaps it says something about the content of my writing that my spell-checker tried to correct “for gloves” to “foxgloves”).
We parked at the overflow car park to avoid the sheep in the fields near the main parking area. When last I came here these fields had been open but now have fences. A stone sign with the Romans and Reivers insignia informed us we were 15 miles from Beattock.
Carved bench at Ae
Our first photo op was a wooden bench by a bridge over the Water of Ae. The uprights of the structure are carved into giant pine cones with a variety of carved animals. The seat backs are carved with forestry vehicles.
Over the river we turned off the main cycle track to follow a footpath that headed through woodland beside the river. A forestry sign warned us that they were changing the colours of their walks (red to yellow, blue to brown). I don’t recall any signs but presume we were on the old red walk at this point.
Winter Oak
I had been expecting a rather monotonous walk in forestry conifers but this section was filled with old gnarled twisted deciduous trees. There were several trees still heavy with fruit. The first we came upon looked to be covered with unripe cherries that were very sour when tasted. Mrs Drow ‘n’ Smirr looked at the photos and has decreed these to be crabapples.
They were not at all like the crabapples I remember as a child (which were larger), but having consulted the oracle (i.e. looked at photos on the internet), and reflecting on the intense sourness, I agree they were crabapples. Why so many had persisted on the trees into January I don’t know but as we walked passed other crabapple trees with fruit as well as plenty of hips and haws.
Crabapples?
There were signs of the recent floods with the plants lying low by the riverside showing signs of having been under running water very recently. On the path there were places where the surface had been washed away revealing the rocks beneath the surface, and in one place the path had been washed away completely.
We rejoined a main track, and soon came to a collection of old ploughs with an information board “The Ploughs that changed Scotland”. I was somewhat baffled by the large “Itch Plough” until Audrey noticed the “D” partially hidden by rust. I can see how it would dig ditches.
Itch plough
A little way past the ploughs we left the main track on a footpath once more and came to a quiet pond with a seat and a memorial stone inscribed “Pause – take a deep breath. In memory Mary Boyle who died in service 17 April 1997. True ambassador of the forestry commission.” So I paused and took a breath by the pond.
memorial pond
There were many trees hung with lichen. I don’t remember seeing any lichen on trees when I was younger, which could just mean I didn’t notice it but probably reflects the difference in air quality. Another seat by the riverside looks across to a small waterfall, the Dalcrum Burn, I think. Not far from there we had our first sighting of a wind turbine, though it took a little longer before we could hear their groans.
Path eroded at the Water of Ae
After re-crossing the Water of Ae we continued along a forestry track. We slowly climbed and were able to see Wee Queensberry, though Queensberry itself was hidden in cloud. After passing Capel Water and then Bran Burn on the opposite side of the Water of Ae we left the main track to zig-zag up the hill on the red MTB route which took us up to the higher forestry track and more mature forest.
The Talking Head Stane is just beyond this mature forest, in relatively open ground. Younger trees are growing behind it and it will soon be in their shade. The head stane is a 1.5 ton sculpture made from a glacial granite boulder. It is placed looking south towards Ae village and the Solway. The stane has a carved mouth, ears and eyes and is inscribed with the translation of a Norwegian poem, Deep in the Forest, by Hans Børli.
But still it satisfies my soul to hear the spruce and wind. They speak together like sister and brother, and use such beautiful wind-wild words deep in the forest, deep in the forest.
I haven’t been able to find the whole poem, but some English translations of other poems are on this blog.
We followed a route through the young trees which descended, then climbed several times before developing a more persistently descent, this latter section being a dual carriage-way. We took the route marked for cyclists pushing their bikes uphill, which seemed a safe enough choice, presuming the other to be for those riding downhill, but didn’t see any cyclists while descending.
carpet of pine needles
We left the MTB track for an unnecessary short cut which took us steeply down, just make sure our adrenaline was used up.
Crabapples?
Hips
Haws
P.S. I think the picture above is Ilex verticillata, Winterberry rather than Hawthorn.
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