The Lady Of Vision.
Just east of Killin, Ben Lawers rises above the north shore of Loch Tay in Highland Perthshire. Had it been just 17 feet higher it would have been able to join our elite band of hills over 4,000 feet high. As it is though, at 3,983 feet above sea level, it’s the highest in Perthshire and one of the county’s most popular climbs. Munroists are well rewarded for their effort in climbing Ben Lawers as to reach the summit the track first crosses the 3,619-feet high summit of Beinn Ghlas which is itself a separate Munro. That’s two for the price of one.
You want to pick a good, clear day to tackle Ben Lawers as the views over Loch Tay and the neighbouring range of the Tarmachans are quite exceptional. You can see across the whole country from the North Sea to the Atlantic simply by turning your head. Besides the distant views, lime-rich soils make these hills perfect for Arctic-Alpine plants. Alpine lady’s mantle, moss campion, mountain forget-menot and some, like the saxifrage cernua, that aren’t found in the wild anywhere else in Britain.
For a brief period, Ben Lawers did actually poke its head above the 4,000 feet mark. It’s not easy to improve on Nature but in the late 1800s one local man by the name of Malcolm Ferguson, along with some of his friends, decided to make up for Mother Nature’s shortfall by building a massive 20-feet tall stone cairn on the summit thus raising it to 4,003 feet. The cairn, however, is no longer there.
Lawers takes its name from the Gaelic for “the noisy one”, no doubt referring to the Lawers Burn that tumbles down the hillside to spill into Loch Tay at the village of Old Lawers. From the summit we’ve a fantastic view over Lochan nan Cat from which the Lawers Burn begins its journey.
Bu hikaye Evergreen dergisinin Spring 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Evergreen dergisinin Spring 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Anglesey's Beacon
South Stack Lighthouse.
Wiltshire's Strange Place Names
The county of Wiltshire is famous for unusual ancient sites such as the standing stones at Avebury and Stonehenge, and the man-made mound of Silbury Hill. It also has its fair share of places with strange and amusing names. Blue Vein, Knockdown and Bleet are just a few.
Escape To The Lake District
The early months in the lead up to summer offer the perfect chance for the first warm weather getaway of the year. Spring wafts in with the promise of summer bursting forward, and a trip to the mountains makes it extra special.
Music Makers
When it comes to ceremonial occasions nobody does it better than the British and there is nothing finer than a colourful procession supported by one or more military bands in full flow.
Then & Now
Banbury Market Place, Oxfordshire
On The Air
Well-loved programmes from the world of wireless.
Cinemagic
I love the history and grandeur of my little London retreat; some say it is too big for me alone, but I love the space.” Ava Gardner’swords might perhaps conjure images of some bijou bolt-hole nestled in the heart of the capital, but the beautiful Hollywood star was actually referring to her 3,000 square foot home on the first floor of 34 Ennismore Gardens in Knightsbridge. It was here in this elegant garden square flat that she spent the last decades of her life enjoying a surprisingly quiet existence.
Rural Rides
How many of us search for a dream, and then spend a lifetime fulfilling it? Clough Williams-Ellis spent 20 years seeking the ideal location to build his Italianate village and 50 years building it. Originally he thought an island might be a possible location, but it was only when he came to an untamed peninsula on the breathtaking Traeth Bach tidal estuary that he realised he had finally found his chosen spot.
The Literary Pilgrim
Browsing recently in a charity shop, I came across a copy of a book I had at home on my shelf of treasured children’s books. I was young when I first read it and it proved to be a seminal book, one to which I have been indebted ever since. First published in 1937, it was written by a Wesleyan minister who roamed England in a horse-drawn caravan, writing as he went of the countryside and its wildlife. He called himself Romany.
Almanac
The Lady Of Vision.