Dumfries & Galloway Holiday - IMG INT!

As per usual I couldn't resist making a big massive blog post for you all! (and also as per usual, it contains more photos than you can shake a stick at so apologies in advance! :P)

Oh and please excuse any switches in tense - I wrote each entry on my phone before I went to bed. XD

 

Rainbows ftw!

Day 1. Friday

There were loads of really interesting cloud formations that week.

This is with the tide in - when it's out all you can see is mudflats!

The view from the front room - Kippford

The journey down was lovely and after unpacking and getting everything put away we wandered down the road to the pub (not 200 yards away!) for a very nice meal as the sun set, before heading back to the house after dark.

It was wonderful to be able to look up at the sky and see nothing but the deep darkness of space, punctuated by millions of stars and planets visible at last without the eternal orange haze of the city's light pollution, nor listen to the ever present hum of traffic and the distant roar of planes going over above us. Instead all we could hear was the water gently lapping at the shore and the melodic calls of Oystercatchers and the occasional Curlew. Many people look forward to a holiday spent clubbing or lying on a crowded beach for hours but this, this is perfect for me; just peace and quiet and nature at its best.
 
First night's scrabble win went to mum (as usual) Her word of the night was 'civets' which earned her rather too many points for my liking!
 
Mum: 1
Dad: 0
Me: 0
 
Day 2. Saturday
 
As the weather was due to be reasonable we headed into Castle Douglas to investigate the charity shop and - one of my personal favourites - the junk shop. (The main inspiration for 'The Midden') 

While the charity shop wielded no results, I bought a book for my cousin from the junk shop as well as a little copper milk churn that I thought might look nice in the aforementioned Midden.

By a long way however, my favourite shop in Castle Douglas is 'The Gemshop and Craft Centre' - a fantastic place that I wish had a twin back home! The ground floor has pens, paints, pastels and drawing pads, easels, frames and fancy arty farty stuff galore, with a little section at the back entirely dedicated to wool and knitting. If that wasn't enough, the upstairs has rubber stamps, beads, Fimo, wire, feathers, marbles, sewing equipment and a huge selection of fabrics as well as more scrapbooking paper than you could shake a stick at! Half of the floor is made up of display cases filled with gemstones and fossils - all for sale. I have very fond memories of rummaging around a little chest of assorted stones and crystals for a good long while as a child, trying to pick out the best pieces to fill the little £2 plastic bag they provided.

As it was, I had no need for them at the moment so instead (and heavily resisting a LOT of stuff) I came away with nothing but a fat quarter of very vibrant fabric (to be used for a rug for a future!Julip) and a little leaf shaped paper punch which I intend to use to make some nice little 1/12th scale autumn leaves for seasonal yard scenes.
 By the time I'd bought those and we'd stocked up on locally produced sausages, bacon and black pudding (tomorrow's breakfast, nom!) and headed off to Threave for lunch the weather had turned and we sat down to a fantastic view of the outdoor seating getting hammered by a hailstorm. Suffice to say, our initial plan of going for a wander in the gardens was somewhat curtailed by that event and we ended up just going home.


 
The rest of the day was spent lazing around and enjoying the open fire in the living room. I managed to nab the laptop and did a bit of internetting which was nice as my phone gets zero signal down here, leaving me feel rather cut off from the rest of the world. No bad thing some may say but I like to be able to keep up with the forums and things!
 
Another two games of scrabble later and yet again, no wins for Dad or I. I had some positively excellent words but someone always managed to block them the turn before!
 
Mum: 3
Dad: 0
Me: 0

 
Day 3. Sunday
 
One of the reasons we chose this holiday cottage to stay at was for the delightfully unusual visitors it gets nearly every morning. We've had good views of them here before but they had nothing on this!


 
Dad had left some peanuts out the night before and replaced the now missing pile in the morning. I however, made the first official sighting of the holiday. (Save for the dead one we found at the side of the road the previous day. :()



At first there was just one, a greyish red one with an injured foreleg (Nemo)





but he was soon joined by two more; a big lollopping fluffy one (Norm)



and finally a really dark one I named rather unoriginally Red.

Most of these shots are probably of the same squirrel as they didn't all turn out fantastically well but I assure you, we did see more than just one!


People have been feeding them here for years so they are ridiculously tame, enabling me to take photographs I could never have imagined of wild squirrels.

Later we were joined by a fourth one ('Tufty' according to mum; 'Scruffy' according to me.)

What a bruiser!

Dad and I spent a significant amount of time photographing them through the window. It was such a privilege - and a rare one at that - to get so close to such an iconic and beautiful creature and its definitely the best view I've ever had of the Reds.

They came so close that I was able to get some fantastic photos, including The Shot - a perfectly focused portrait as his eyes locked onto the lens of the camera with only a pane of glass separating us.






I even saw a Nuthatch briefly too - again, the best view I've ever had of one, if only for a few seconds.



Oh and a very brief glimpse of a Jay too!


 
If that wasn't enough excitement for one day, there was a place I'd been wanting to revisit ever since I got Nigel back in 2008 - the Red Kite feeding station at Bellymack Hill Farm.

I remember going there a good few years ago and being blown away by the sheer volume of Kites present at the one time - a number I'm told has been significantly increasing with every passing year. (Up to 100 birds at a time!)
The next feed was at 2 and as today was the only day we were guaranteed good weather, we leapt on the opportunity.

They'd built another hide since we were there last, although this was more akin to a viewing platform with an indoor cafe and toilets than a true hide. The cafe was a few weeks away from being finished but the viewing area was perfect as it overlooked the feeding table and gave fantastic views across the whole countryside.



To begin with there wasn't much in the way of activity although the more we looked around, the more we came to realise that we were being watched by at least thirty Kites; waiting patiently in the trees that surrounded the field.





By the time the farmer came out with the meat, that number had increased by quite a bit until, the volunteer guesstimated, there were about seventy birds in the air.



That number would be staggering enough if not for the fact that a mere thirty years ago we would have been looking at more than triple the entire UK population.



Red Kites were wrongly persecuted for hundreds of years for killing lambs and game birds (they're nearly exclusively scavengers) and were very nearly wiped out in the UK by the 19th century with only a tiny population desperately clinging on in Wales.
The reintroduction programme that began in the late eighties is the longest running and most successful of its kind in the world. Where once in 2001 there were no Kites at all in Dumfries and Galloway, the current total is between 300-400 birds! The feeding station we went to only really attracted birds from the surrounding ten miles so that should give you an idea of the numbers involved!







 
The volunteer who spoke to us all told us a bit about their feeding behaviour at the site. They are fed every day all year round at the same time and while it looks like a lot of food is being put out for them, thanks to their numbers and they way they hunt, most of them only get a taste.

The wing tags signify where the bird is from - left wing shows where the bird hatched (in this one's case Dumfries and Galloway) and the right,the year it was born - 2003 for this one - and the numbers identify the individual bird.

http://gigrin.co.uk/redkitetags-explained.html





Just prior to the meat being laid out, the Kites start gathering on the trees surrounding the field, then, when they see it, all take off and fly around for a good twenty minutes or so before descending in an extraordinary 'feeding frenzy' which in itself only lasts a couple of minutes.

After picking up the food they'll eat on the wing and stay in the air for another twenty minutes or so to recharge their batteries as it were, having expended all their energy in a few frantic minutes.

In for the 'kill' -------->

I took SO many photos, most of which were horrific but considering that I only had a macro lens (specifically designed for close up work!) I'm really, really happy with what I ended up with.










We watched a couple of frenzies but headed off just prior to the third and true to form, the minute we turned out of the car park the whole flock swooped down once more, leaving us with a stunning view to leave by.
We will definitely be going back to the site the next time - although hopefully with something other than a macro lens in tow!

(Bonus puppy picture because of reasons)



Our final destination that day was Barstobrick - an interesting combination of equestrian centre (which I have yet to try out) and wildlife area with great walks, ponds and moorland to explore. We saw an Adder the last time we visited but it was far too cold and dull to even be in with a chance of seeing any reptilian life this time. As it was we made do with some newt tadpoles and a rather lovely cob after coffee and a cake.








 
No scrabble that night as we were all rather knackered. :/
 
Day 4. Monday
 
Seeing as it would probably be the last day of sunshine, we decided that today was to be a beach day.
We'd been to Carsethorn many a time as, while not the most beautiful or sandy of beaches, it provided a good walk and the opportunity to find a nice selection of fossils.





Alas, we had arrived at high tide so had only a couple of hundred yards to walk down! Seeing as we were there already, we decided to walk as far as we could then head off to New Abbey for lunch. It was just as well we did stay as we were treated to an absolutely fantastic view of a flock of Ringed Plover!



They let us get incredibly close before they all took off but it was just close enough to get some pictures.




 
The New Abbey Cottage Tearoom can be recommended SO highly I can't say more - excellent cake, good soups, wonderful toasties - what more could you want?!
Unfortunately the abbey that gives it its name (Sweetheart Abbey) is undergoing restoration work at the moment so I didn't get the chance for many photos.





It has a really rather poignant history; (from Historic Scotland)
 
'In 1268, Lord John Balliol died. His grieving widow, Lady Dervorgilla of Galloway, had his heart embalmed and placed in an ivory casket. She carried it with her everywhere.

She undertook many charitable acts in his memory. These included the founding of the Cistercian abbey of Dulce Cor (Latin for ‘Sweet Heart’) in 1273. When she too died in 1289, she was laid to rest in front of the abbey church’s high altar, clutching her husband’s heart to her bosom.

Sweetheart Abbey’s conception as a shrine to human and divine love is deeply appealing. So too is its attractive setting. The graceful ruin nestles between the grey bulk of Criffel and the shimmering waters of the Solway Firth, whilst its blood-red sandstone walls contrast with the lush green grass at their feet.

Monks from Dundrennan Abbey., near Kirkcudbright, established the new monastery. It was the last Cistercian house to be founded in Scotland. Within seven years of Dervorgilla’s death, with the builders still working on the abbey church, the Wars of Independence with England erupted.
 Edward I of England himself resided at the abbey in 1300, whilst campaigning in Galloway. After 50 years of bloodshed, the monastery was in a bad state. The bishop of Galloway bemoaned Sweetheart’s ‘outstanding and notorious poverty’. To the rescue rode Archibald ‘the Grim’, Lord of Galloway and 3rd Earl of Black Douglas, who financed wholesale repairs and rebuilding. Thereafter, little is heard of Sweetheart until its demise following the Protestant Reformation in 1560.

'
 
Appetites satiated for now, we headed back to Carsethorn where the tide had thankfully started to go out.



En route we took in the view from atop a hill nearby. (check out the 'grey bulk of Criffel' here)



While we had no more striking views of the birds, one has to admit that the scenery was worth capturing by itself.
I tried out the 'Photosynth' app on my phone and made a couple of panoramas. They're a little off in places but all things considered I think they're rather good! (and the app's FREE as well! :o)






 
We stopped for a chat with a nice man out walking his collie Grimsby and much hilarity followed at seeing his little routine. He would lie down on the sand, ball in mouth, then spit it out and nudge it with his nose so it rolled down the dune until it came to a stop. Then he'd get up reeeeally slowly and stalk it like he would a sheep before picking it up and repeating the whole process again. SO funny!



I remembered his antics from last year (photo above was from then!) but this was the first time we'd spoken to the owner which turned out to be a really entertaining conversation about the local area, family histories and a very old house of ill repute!
 
Further along we struck up another conversation with a fellow photographer who told me he wished he could steal my Plover photos. XD
 
Even with the light going there were still plenty of things to photograph...

Why yes, I did photograph this pebble because it looked like a pair of pants.
Problem? :P

 
As we were knackered and hungry the car practically drove itself to Rockcliffe where we had coffee and cake (in my case a massive slice of the nicest chocolate pound cake I have ever eaten) and I managed to take some really rather nice portraits of a very tame little Robin who I'm sure would have taken the crumbs from my hand if I'd tried.







As it was, I rather generously donated a crumb from that most delicious of cakes...







A short wander along the beach ended the day's adventures and we headed home for tea...



...and the obligatory game of scrabble!
 
Mum: 4
Dad: 0
Me: 0
 
*sigh*
 
Day 5. Tuesday
 
Today is a bit of a landmark as it'll be the first time I've ridden since last JULY!
Shameful I know but I had such a horrid time the last time I rode that it knocked my confidence a lot and I just couldn't face it. Riding at Barend Stables is different though, I've never felt over faced and the lessons always inspire confidence rather than draining it away. I just wish I could transport the place back to Glasgow!
 
Anyway, my mount for the ride was Rebel, a sleepy looking black cob whose name didn't exactly fill me with confidence!





I soon found out that he wasn't the bucking type, rather if he could get away with doing as little as possible he would!

Take this moment for example. I'd literally just got on and already he was making a beeline for the heap of haynets!





Getting him into anything more than a shuffling walk was hard work and as for trot, ooft! He was very heavy on the forehand and I felt like I was constantly supporting the weight of his head (as my aching back now holds testament to!) which of course meant that I was spending more time trying to keep him from falling flat on his face - or so it felt like anyway - than doing anything really productive.

I think my face rather says it all there. XD

We warmed up (read, *I* warmed up) in walk and trot before moving on to some circle work to engage his hindquarters. He was ok on the right rein but very stiff on the left and threw his head around a lot.





I know I'm no fine-boned Arab myself but god, was he a perfect example of the 'fat ploddy cob' or what? XD



Once I'd managed to establish a reasonably forward going trot (I think 'reasonably' is being generous, heh) I took him over the trotting poles to encourage him to pick up his feet.
To begin with that was hard enough as by the time I'd turned him towards the poles, he'd already dropped back to walk where I sadly had to resort to some Pony Club kicking and 'gitoawn-ya-big-lump-git-oooon!' ing.

ZOMG REBEL - YOU HAS MOVES!

Keeping him in trot wasn't easy but he did put in a bit of effort towards the end and I was very out of practice so I suppose I can't complain too much. I would have liked a couple of canters as I could tell from his other paces that it would have been really comfy but he wasn't for doing it and as I was knackered from trying to keep him going at all, I was happy enough to leave it there. The instructor assured me that he does have a fifth gear but he saves it for beach rides and when he goes, you know about it!

Given that I spent much of the lesson having to stop to get my breath back and constantly needing to encourage Rebel forwards, you'd have thought it would have been a really terrible lesson but after such a long break it was just what I needed. Granted, a slightly more forward-going horse would have been a plus but the effort made the final few decent trots well worth it. Had the weather forecast been nicer for the rest of the week rather than rain I'd have been sorely tempted to book another ride. (As it stands it's going to be foul and it wouldn't have been worth it as my glasses get covered in rain so I can't see and I can barely hear the instructor in the wind either!)

 
Once my muscles had stopped protesting it was back to Threave for a walk around the gardens and a much needed cake for afters. (Tiffin = nom!)





















 
We went for our evening meal at 'The Schoolhouse' (an old converted schoolhouse unsurprisingly) which was really, really nice (I'd highly recommend the venison burger. ;))



...and followed it up with yet another game of scrabble. (The results of which I'm sure you can guess)
 
Mum: 5
Dad: 0
Me: 0
 
Day 6. Wednesday
 
I'd gone to bed with a sore throat and woke up the following day with it feeling worse AND an aching back from riding to boot! The weather was horrible though so having a duvet day was marginally more acceptable. :p

Ahahahahagahahahshvvux! Success!
 
Mum: 5
Dad: 1
Me: 1
 
After a DVD we had another game, further cementing the idea that Dad and I's wins were nothing but flukes. lol
 
Mum: 6
Dad: 1
Me: 1

Day 7. Thursday

Thursday was another rainy day and we didn't really do anything other than go back into Castle Douglas for a few supplies (and another trip to the craft shop - £13 well spent! :P) and a foray into some of the charity shops we'd missed earlier on. (looooads of fabric for 50p! Bargain!) The rest of the time I spent coughing my lungs up on the sofa watching the fire. :(

Friday - Hometime!

Despite the weather, none of us really wanted to go back up north. Dumfries and Galloway really is a home from home and one week down there is never enough!
It's Sunday now and as I've managed to whittle down my photographs to the 300ish mark (as opposed to the 1500+ I actually took! lol)I'm finally able to share them with you all!
While my cold has improved, I think I'm going to give college a miss tomorrow to be on the safe side - I'm fine when I'm sitting in the same spot for ages but when I get up and walk around everything aches - back, ribs, head, throat, chest - and it sets off the coughing fits. :/

tl;dr

I had a lovely time, saw loads of really interesting wildlife, rode a big fat cob, ate too much cake and now feel like death. Yay!