CAWDOR, WOODS YOU BELIEVE IT.

March already and time for another walk for the Dinosaurs. Cawdor woods was the venue chosen by Dave and Sandra. A number of us could not make the walk, but they went ahead without us, which is what they should do, of course.

As I was one of those unable to go, this blog is completely made up. There are no time stamps on the photos, so, I cannot be sure of the correct order. If the order is confused, I expect it won't matter much, even to those who were there as none of us will remember anyway!

I'm guessing, though, that 

this will have been the first photo in the series.

So, then, here they are striding out - all except for Dave who was clearly authorised to stand on the grass. I feel he was due an eyes right and a salute from the passing troops.

A bridge photo, with only two subjects - Maureen, suitably upright and Agnes displaying an alarming degree of insouciance, so early in the walk.

I'm guessing this is the Cawdor Burn.

Cawdor is thought to mean hard or rapid water, Certainly, it looks like hard water to me. The river gave its name to the village and the castle. Well, actually that is not quite true. The river and the village were originally called Calder. The change to Cawdor came about because the owner of the estate and castle in the 19th Century changed the name of everything to the English Cawdor so as to match Shakespeare's Macbeth. This, despite the fact that the castle was built some centuries after Macbeth was king, means there was no historical justification for the play or the name change.

From the hard water to the village itself. I'm sure everyone knows that Cawdor village is a conservation area and many of the houses are listed for their architectural or historical interest. I am sure that Jimmy could have told everyone about the street lamps and the drainage channels at the side of the road had he been there. I'm almost positive these works were part of a scheme he was involved with in another century.

The florists is not listed, so far as I can see, so I can't tell you much about it.

A couple of gunslingers ambling up the street towards the OK Corral.

Or, was I getting my westerns mixed up and it was a bit after High Noon or even closer to the 3.10 to Yuma?

Still on the Western theme, you may have heard of The Power of the Dog. Critically acclaimed, but fairly turgid, I thought. Not the power of the dog that people wanted to see hereabouts it would seem.

Now, either Liz, Agnes and Maureen had smelt the power of the dog, or were looking up at the clock. Or, have I taken the photos out of order, which in the interests of editorial control, I might have done.

More wee hooses in Cawdor. They are very nice, but there doesn't look like they would be the home for anyone over 5 feet tall in this case.

Whereas, there seems to be plenty of headroom available here. This was the old post office. It is now called MacMuddles. I can't imagine why!

Here's something we don't often see in these blogs - a before and after collage, presented by Dave, I think. The Post Office and old village store is a listed building. However, apart from some marginally interesting in a nerdish sort of way, architectural descriptions, there is not a great deal to tell you much about the building's history.

One of the more interesting architectural details of West End House is the boot step feature at the front door. I don't have a photo of that feature and the one I can find on the web is copyrighted and I can't download it. Basically there is a normal step at the front door, but at one end there is an additional feature step shaped like a boot, kicking out into the street. I have no idea what this would be for.

Much of Cawdor village was built to service the estate and castle and that link is clearly illustrated with this house, now known as Memorial Cottage. It was built in 1881 and originally consisted of 4 cottage almshouses. The inscription above the door is in memory of Sarah Mary, Countess of Cawdor. Strictly speaking she was Countess Cawdor of Castlemartin. She married John Frederick Vaughan Campbell of Cawdor, 2nd Earl Cawdor of Castlemartin. She was Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria between 1837 and 1842. She died in Pembrokeshire in Wales in 1881.

A sign on a tree. This is one of 4 Bal place names in a small area around the west end of Cawdor. Bal is usually a diminutive of Baile, meaning township or homestead in Gaelic. Townships might once have been simple farm steadings, with no more than a couple of houses, so these small farms may have been here for a very long time. Balmacaan is the Steading of the sons of Cathain, Cathain being a Gaelic proper name. 

The other three nearby homesteads are - 

Balintore - Place of the bleaching ground. 

Ballagan - Place of the little hollow, or, possibly a kiln.

Ballichknockan -Possibly place of the pass to the settlement.

Balmacaan is now not a township, but the site of the Old Manse of Cawdor, which was built in 1831. It was described in the New Statistical Account as an excellent and commodious house.

I do like free range beef, lamb, chicken and the like, even free range eggs, but, much as I like children, I couldn't eat a whole one.

The free range toadstools are clearly benefitting from the lack of control!

On into the woods.

Who is telling whom off? No matter, I expect Maureen was in the right and much more polite than Dave. (That will be an extra sweetie for me on the next walk).

March is frog spawn time and sure enough, here is some.

I assume it is frog spawn and not sago from someone's lunchbox.

Maybe it was Susan's as she seems very happy, and who wouldn't be to lose some sago?

A pre-Brexit sign, I assume. European money aiding regeneration of natural woodlands. You may wonder what we have put in place to support that now? Well, it turns out this is all about building resilient woodlands taking into account international environmental standards. As is the way in the UK, this is now under review, which is now an overdue review, having been due to publish by the end of last year!

Here is the ever resilient and lonely Sandra.

Meanwhile, Dave leads the step dancing along the track.

Someone seems to have decided they've had enough tramping through the byways and given up altogether. Gives a whole new meaning to a shoe tree.

Looks like Easter has come early, but I guess it is really a painted stone, nestled in a little bundle of Oakmoss, which doesn't grow only on Oak trees.

And here is a happy little chappie in the woods.

Some more happy ducks and drakes, mainly Aylesbury ducks and one cross that I cannot identify.

Like ducks to water, they have gravitated to water. 

 

Spring would appear to have sprung, perhaps a little early.

After the walk, they hit the bar - the Milk Bar, that is.

It looks like it was a very good walk, so well done to Dave and Sandra for the organisation. Thanks also to Robin for sending me the photos and my apologies if I have mixed them up.

See you all in April in sunny Lochaber!