After a very misty start to the morning, it had cleared up fine and the sun was shining by the time  folk met at the Geo for the first Deerness Community Walk. After introductions and a quick  photo shoot, the party of thirteen adults, 2 bairns and 2 dogs set off at a leisurely pace along the  track towards Newark.

Very soon it became apparent that with the sun shining everyone was in  good spirits and there was a lot of yarning going on. Just beyond Easdale (Marlene and Ivor’s  house) the group stopped for a while as a great deal of discussion took place about the  historical and archaeological significance of this whole area around Newark. Although perhaps  best known as the site of an extensive medieval cemetery, there is evidence of human activity  going back to the Bronze Age. The exact location of Coventrie’s Mansion was also debated, but it  is believed it was at the front of Easdale and some remains of the Chapel are still visible, sitting  precariously on the edge of the low banks. All along the route Pauline had the binoculars at  hand, watching out for the bird life and telling us what she had spotted. 

Crossing the footbridge at the burn mouth the source of the burn was mentioned, as were the  two water-driven threshing mills that operated along its route in bygone days, namely at  Schoolhouse and Millhouse.  

Walking further along the track evidence could still be seen of tangle gathering days in the form  of slightly raised rock-built structures on which the tangles were laid out to dry. 

At around 11 o’clock we reached the parking area at the Aikerskaill road end where folk  blethered a bit more, admired the stone-built wall and the more recently constructed stone seat  before retracing our steps to the Geo where we arrived back at approximately 12 o’clock. 

Huge thanks to all the folk who turned out for the walk and made it such a success. Special  thanks to Mike for taking the photos and to Pauline for sharing her knowledge of the birds and  plant life along the way. 

The proposed date for the next walk was set for Thursday 24th April (Route to be decided) Please watch out for further details.