August 14, 2005
Rosebay willow weed
Here in the Trossachs the roadsides are lined with a tall magenta-coloured wild flower called rosebay willow weed or herb (Epilobium angustifolium). It’s known as fireweed in the States because it grows on sites with a lot of wood ash. It was also celebrated for taking over blitzed bomb sites in London during and after the war.
It’s indigenous. I don’t remember seeing so much of it in previous years and I don’t know whether it’s so common in the south.
www.wssa.net/photo&info/larrymitich_info/fireweed.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 01:10 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
May 22, 2005
Leum Uilleim
Looking down from Leum Uilleim across Rannoch Moor Photo © SCH
Yesterday I drove to Bridge of Orchy with some friends from Callander, and we took the West Highland Line to Corrour Halt to walk up Leum Uilleim or ‘William’s Leap’, a Corbett opposite the station overlooking Rannoch Moor. Leum Uilleim is 906 metres - almost a Munro - but as Corrour is already 406 metres, the climb is fairly easy.
We experienced a comprehensive demonstration of Scottish weather including sunshine, hail, and five or six showers accompanied by five rainbows. Of these one was a intense double, and another we saw from above shimmering over the peat.
It was interesting to see many old tree stumps in the peat - clear evidence of recent environmental change.
Loch Ossian, near Corrour Station on the West Highland Line Photo © SCH
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:19 PM | TrackBack
April 23, 2005
The Brack
The Brack Photo © SCH
I spent today away from the computer and the election - hill walking. The Brack is fine, rocky Corbett (787 metres high) in the Arrochar Alps, next to the considerably more famous Ben Arthur (‘The Cobbler’). The scenery here is more rugged than the Trossachs. The Brack is a mountain of grass and grey sculptured boulders inlaid with gleaming quartz, a place with lots of ‘corners’.
Lochan near the summit of The Brack Photo © SCH
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:32 PM | TrackBack
April 18, 2005
Primroses
Wild primroses have apparently disappeared from many parts of Britain and Ireland but they are still flourishing in the woods around Callander.
Primroses in the woods beneath Callander Crags / Photo © SCH
Primroses (detail) / Photo © SCH
www.englishplants.co.uk/primrose.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:13 PM | TrackBack
March 12, 2005
Callander's A84
According to an AA Motoring Trust report, the the 44-kilometre A84 from Stirling to Lochearnhead, via Callander, is one of Britain’s five most dangerous roads, and the worst in Scotland (except for two much shorter roads, the A889 near Dalwhinnie and the A99 at Wick).
During 1998-2000 there were 38 fatal or serious collisions, with a further 29 during 2001-03. The most common form of collisions was head-on (45 per cent) followed by run-offs (17 per cent), junction collisions (14 per cent), or accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists (14 per cent).
Where are the accident danger spots? As far as I know none are marked, although I am not used to driving the whole length of the road. If this were France, there would be black and red accident victim silhouettes erected beside the road showing where fatal accidents had occurred. That would be a bit offputting for the tourists, but it would be good to know where the dangers are. Perhaps we also need a special speed limit?
Detailed maps available at the AA Motoring Trust show where Scotland’s other dangerous roads are located. Looking at the map of Britain as a whole, the roads in southern England appear to be the safest.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4329455.stm
www.aatrust.com/aamotoringtrust/roadsafetypdfs.cfm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:12 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 21, 2005
January floods
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have released some photographs of the floods in Callander in early January. They were taken from a Piper aircraft (see 7 January). SEPA report that the Teith River was at its highest level since 1992.
Please click to enlarge the images.
From above the Callander Crags, northeast of the town Photo © SEPA
From above the Callander Crags Photo © SEPA
Towards Callander from the southwest Photo © SEPA
Posted by Simon Holledge at 07:20 PM | TrackBack
February 08, 2005
Fundraising
We were all asked to contribute ideas for fundraising at the January SNP AGM. After the tsunami relief appeals, the SNP may not rank so highly as a charity, so perhaps the SNP should concentrate on events designed to boost party membership and collect membership fees?
I have little knowledge of local venues. I don’t know about the particular interests of local people. I have no list of SNP-friendly local businesses etc. No doubt my ideas will be impractical for one reason or another, but here are two of them!
Callander/Doune is a scenic area in the centre of Scotland with good road and rail connections, broadband, and plenty of accommodation. To me that adds up to a conference centre, so my first idea to suggest a series of small weekend conferences or seminars to raise local awareness of the SNP, attract new members, and also contribute to developing policies.
Subjects such as global warming and nuclear energy, the viability of renewable energy, reforestation, reform of the NHS, media and information strategies for political parties, Scottish productivity, and modernizing Scottish education, might attract sufficient interest from non-governmental parties for them to take part without demanding fees, together with SNP politicians, and members of the public.
The John Muir Trust held a fundraising ‘Wild Land’ conference at Pitlochry on 21-23 October last year, charging members 60 pounds a day (conference only, no accommodation). Non-members were charged about 100 pounds. The John Muir Trust had the use of a 500-seat theatre. No doubt we couldn’t organize anything on such a large scale, but that might not be necessary.
My second suggestion would be to run a festival of political or Scottish films with an SNP slant. This is now easy to do with DVDs. The discs once collected could be loaned to other branches.
The Callander Youth Project (Summer Cinema Programme) have been doing something similar at McLaren High School. Last summer they showed 24 films. Film showings were also popular Democrat fundraising events last year in the States.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 08:03 PM | TrackBack
January 22, 2005
Callander Hills
On Creag Bheithe Photo © MMH
A very enjoyable out of the hills today in fine, cold weather on a couple of snow-capped hills just north of Kilmahog: Meall Garbh and Creag Bheithe.
From Creag Bheithe looking northeast Photo © SCH
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:45 PM | TrackBack
January 18, 2005
Kildean Market
Kildean Market Photo © SCH
The four best things about Callander are the air, the water, the view of Ben Ledi and Kildean Market, or alternatively (if that is too Callander-centric) the three best things about Stirling are the castle, the Wallace Memorial and Kildean Market.
Kildean is a fruit and vegetable market where you can buy (by the box, or by supermarket-sized packages) fresh produce at reasonable prices. Surprisingly it’s also possible to buy exotics: passion fruit from Kenya, lichees from Madagascar, sweet tamarind from Thailand, bitter gourd from southeast Asia, papaya and chayotes from Brazil etc.
Familiar and exotic Photo © SCH
They also have other foodstuffs: meat, jams and chutneys, oatcakes, bird seed and lots of other things. My only criticism is that their cheese is all plasticy, sub-Tesco stuff. Scotland has some great cheese (Arran, Bishop Kennedy, Dunsyre, Lanark Blue, Kebbuck, Mull, Strathdon etc.) and it would be good to see it sold there - whole and uncut if necessary.
The market is very informal, prices are handwritten and customers take away purchases in old cardboard boxes. It’s located just off the M9, on the northwest edge of Stirling and held every Thursday from about 7.30 am to 3 pm.
Only on Thursdays Photo © SCH
Posted by Simon Holledge at 05:53 PM | TrackBack
January 07, 2005
Flooding
Flooding behind Main Street Photo © SCH
Callander was flooded today. Instead of a convergence of two rivers, we now seem to have an enormous loch, stretching across from the Meadows Car Park to Bridgend. The water reached the bottom of Main Street, opposite the Dreadnought Hotel, entering at least one shop. I don’t know if any houses have been affected.
Callander’s main car park under water Photo © SCH
Several roads have been closed today including the main A84 from Doune through Callander to the north and the A821 between Brig O Turk and Aberfoyle. I’ve heard that the only road out of Callander is the B822 via Thornhill.
Across ‘Loch Callander’ from Bridgend Photo © SCH
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:19 PM | TrackBack
December 25, 2004
Merry Christmas
Ben Ledi from Callander Photo © SCH
Merry Christmas to Skakagrall readers from a beautiful white Callander. This is a view from the bridge looking over to Ben Ledi, the fine, 879-metre mountain lying immediately west of the town.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:33 PM | TrackBack
December 17, 2004
Snow on Ben Ledi
Ben Ledi from the southeast Photo © SCH
Glorious day in Callander. We woke to see snow on Ben Ledi and later drove round to Loch Venachar to see the mountains from the south side.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 06:31 PM | TrackBack
December 14, 2004
Rubbish
The air is better in Callander than in Edinburgh, and the water is a lot purer. (The Auld Reekie supply - at least in the New Town - is yellowish, almost brown in a full bath.) Not only that but surprisingly the refuse collection here is also much better.
Stirling Council separate household rubbish from garden waste and cardboard, and collect recyclables (glass, steel and aluminium tins, PET bottles, paper and clothes and other textile items).
When we lived in Edinburgh we could take some items to the local Tesco dumps for recycling, but collecting directly from people’s houses is more efficient.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:31 PM | TrackBack
December 03, 2004
Where is Callander? II
Yesterday I was wondering why so many people, including the Bank of Scotland and Scottish Gas, think that Callander is in Perthshire and not Stirlingshire, although Stirling Council are providing all the services here.
Today I found the ‘Vision of Britain’ site. Despite the inappropriate name, this is an excellent map site, with a wealth of information about the political geography of Britain.
I now understand that all the Scottish counties, including Perthshire and Stirlingshire, were abolished In 1975. They were replaced by ‘district/unitary authorities’. Confusingly many areas are still called X-shire or Y-shire, and there are still bodies called ‘county councils’, even though counties no longer exist.
Perthshire and Stirlingshire were changed into ‘Perth and Kinross’ and ‘Stirling’, dropping the ‘shires’ and redrawing the boundaries. Those villages and towns, like Callander, in the southwest of former Perthshire evidently decided to keep their traditional addresses, rather than completely lose any kind of county designation at all. The shires dated back to the late medieval period, so it’s not surprising that many people still want to maintain them - at least in name!
www.visionofbritain.org.uk/index.jsp
Posted by Simon Holledge at 02:11 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
December 02, 2004
Where is Callander? I
Well, it is located on the Highland Boundary Fault, an emphatic geological uplift between the lowlands and the highlands of Scotland. It looks impressive in the diagram, a narrow column of rock thrust up through the surface of the earth. It was once at the bottom of the ocean and fossils of sea creatures can be found around the town.
That’s perfectly scientific. Unfortunately when it comes to political geography, things are not so clear.
Our local constituency is Stirling, and I’ve verified that our wheelie-bins are emptied by Stirling Council. On the other hand when we gave our new address to the Bank of Scotland, their database, relying on the post code, insisted we were in Perthshire. This doesn’t seem to be a unique error: since then we have come across a number of Callander businesses including Perthshire in the address and indeed Perthshire appears on correspondence from Scottish Gas.
Checking the history of the town I found that Callander was indeed in Perthshire, but only until 1975 when the boundaries were changed. That’s a long time ago. Do we have a group of Perthshire irredentists at work here? Perhaps bankrolled by the Halifax Bank of Scotland and Scottish Gas? Something to ponder …