It was a sunny day in August – we wanted to be out and about – but don’t take well to hot sunshine – a woodland walk seemed like a good idea so we headed for South Ronaldsay and Olav’s Wood…. http://www.olavswood.org.uk/
It’s a long time since we’ve been to Olav’s Wood – they’d just planted the trees in the top section – very securely strapped to supports against the Orkney wind. I remember some imaginative use being made of old tights as tree-ties.
The trees have grown, and it’s now a delight to be able to look up through them to the sky.
Or across through them to the light over the fields beyond
There are some unusual species for Orkney….
A Walnut
What will eventually be an Oak grove – keep the Druids happy
The Monkey-puzzle beckons
The folk who care for Olav’s Wood work with nature – when a tree needs to grow through a boardwalk and into a fence, they honour the tree.
Clean air encourages a moss garden
We came across a den in the Troll-Wood – I likes dens
And, nearby, the first fungi of the season
We got lost in the Maze, but it’s not hard to find the path again
Along by the stream
to a Fuchsia bush with dainty lilac coloured flowers….or are they fairies?
We sat on a little bench by a bridge and smelt the Meadow-sweet and Rosa Rugosa – listening to the birds singing
Back through the trees to the car and down to the nearby bay at Windwick – just because we didn’t want the outing to be over
