By Bernie Bell

It occurred to me that there are now two walks in Happy Valley – or, putting those two together – three. 

It used to be the case, that for a walk in Happy Valley we’d park in the car park, walk down the track to the house, turn right and walk along by the river to the end of the public right of way, then double back up along the path through the trees, past the house, up along the river to where the path ran out, then back again the same way – and a fiiiine walk that was, too

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Now, thanks to the efforts of the ‘Friends of Happy Valley’… https://www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/happyvalley/ , there are more choices about where to walk.

One option is to park in the car park, walk down to the house, turn right and down the valley as before, but now, when the right-of-way comes to an end, you can go up a flight of wooden steps just past where someone has been building a wig-wam.

and placing whirly bits of wood

then along a board-walk across the field, passing willows with catkins

to a small pond – complete with taddies at this time of year, then back to the car.  Or vice-versa.

The other option is – from the car park, cross the track and through a big metal gate to walk through quite recently planted trees

Many of which are already showing their fresh new leaves, and even flowering

then down along by the river

seeing trees in bud

and bursting into leaf

Plus spring flowers

Back up past the house to the car park.  Or vice versa.

OR – combine the two for a longer walk, depending on how you feel.

We combined the two, and waxed lyrical about all the new life bursting out around us on a fine day last May.