A day out sort of Bushcrafting with MPWMBO continued...:-)

[w00dsmoke]

MPWMBO (politically correct version of Wife) and I decided yesterday was too good a day to waste even though she was loaded with the cold. so we drove up to the Trossachs (30 minutes away ) and started exploring. Loch Ard looked amazing, some of it was frozen but the wind kept the big open spaces free of ice. The view was amazing

Although the operator of the camera was a bit skewiff at times lol

It was soooo cold but in the sun it was T shirt weather for me and these icicles we found had started to melt (some were 5ft long!).

We stopped at Loch Chon and cleaned up a lot of rubbish left by other folk and we found the remains of a bag of half burned logs, so I taught MPWMBO how to light a fire as we decided we could burn all the dogs and clean it up a bit more while having some fun playing with the kk...yeagh what an excuse right

Happy with her fire but still choked with the cold! time for a brew up of hot choc!

And the view was amazing. What better place could you be for a brew up on a glorious day like this?

Man it makes me proud of my land! We do welcome visitors with open arms as long as you respect it. Unfortunately at every car parking bay the trees were hacked, burnt and the place full of broken glass. With visitors that do this who needs them? Unfortunaltey I'm ashamed to say it's my fellow countrymen who are doing it.
This photo shows the hacked axed and half sawn ancient old oaks, birch, alder and hazel in the background.

The next a close up of the base of one of dozens like this.

And a firepit that nature is trying to reclaim but is virtually all broken glass.

After a clean up and a walk to look for otter prints we went up the glen to Loch Arklet to look for eagles. We saw a buzzard, sparrowhawk and a peregrine falcon within 6 miles of each other. And waht another fine view to the Arrochar alps with Loch Arklet in the foreground and Loch Lomond hidden in a deep hidden trench in the distance and then the hills at Arrochar in the background!

Further on another great view towards the hills at the back of Loch Katrine.

The sky was amazing and the colour became more intense as the sun arced towards the sw.

And the last light of the sun turns the hill tops to an ember glow, giving us a last hint of warmth as the cold descends with the onset of night.It was cold. My uluru.

It was a great day exploring old and new haunts and a great uplifter of the spirit for when it's so often difficult to see the light and I hope these photo's give you some light for those that can't get out to enjoy a truly wonderous winters day!

 

[ANDYRAF]

Beautiful pics woodsmoke, I really am quite jealous.

Andy

 

[dwardo]

Lovely photos cheers.

Shame about those tree but im sure they will heal, what makes some muppet thing he can cut down oak and burn it ? That and being so close to a car park why cant they just take their crap home with them, its not like its a ten mile walk back to the car !

rant over..

 

[Doc]

Great pics (as you know it's my local area too).
Very clear weather. That last pic just gives you that 'going to be cold out here tonight' feeling.

It is sad to see the way that anywhere that is both beautiful and accessible gets damaged by people who are surely harming the very thing they love. I can only put it down to laziness and the very human failing of short term thinking.

 

[wicca]

Beautiful photos of a lovely land Woodsmoke. Just in passing, a local conservation area near me has a ban on the summer icecream seller who uses their carpark, from selling anything with a wrapper, ie: choc- ices etc: No canned or container drinks either. The difference from the old days when he first arrived is quite marked by the lack of rubbish left behind. This may be a common thing but it has certainly worked locally.

 

[Shewie]

Lovely piccies WS

Myself and andybysea were up at Loch Chon in January and I was surprised at the amount of broken glass and discarded crap lying about the place. We took in some bags of firewood and coal as we were warned that the area has been stripped by previous campers. I had a bit of a tidy up the morning we left but to be honest we could have spent all weekend clearing other peoples junk. I suppose it comes with the territory though when such a beautiful location is within chavs car camping distance.

You`re a lucky guy to live within a short drive away.

 

[BigShot]

Wicca - that sounds like a pretty good idea. Thankfully lollypop sticks aren't exactly a nasty pollutant either - what with being wood and all that.


As for the bad behaviour towards trees, broken glass and general scumbaggery.
I wonder if things will change as people get more used to being allowed to do things like make fires.

I know there will always be some idiots who don't get it, but then, there always have been... but maybe once the novelty wears off the majority might start being a bit more responsible.

I just hope things don't get so bad that the rules change in the mean time.

 

[Mooseman1]

Man great shots reminds me of the times i share with my wife, as for those local idiots all i can say is F$%^$$&&*&*^&^&*^&^*&*^&&*%£""$"£""£$$*&&*&**kers!!!!!! and i hope they are get washed away in a snow drift, but then the lads of the RAF would have to rescure their sorry bottom's.

 

[sandbender]

lovely shots

 

[w00dsmoke]

I managed to get a response from the District Forester for the area re my concerns. And the good news is that a scheme called Ironworks has been set up which is being led by the police to tackle these problems in and around the National Park and that one person was recently charged with cutting down a tree at Rowardennan.

The National Park has funded one Police Officer to assist in tackling this as well as to help educate campers in behaving more responsible, but particulalry school kids who may in future camp in the park. The FC did admit that tackling the problem at source for them has not worked in the long term hence the new police led initiative which appears to have teeth.

So...any bad bushcrafters cutting trees on the National Park had better beware..

This is great news and hopefully we can see the police taking a dim view on the behaviour that causes this much damage to our natural heritage.

 

[MartinK9]

WS - wonderful photographs of a beautiful place

 

[BigShot]

WS...
...I think the idea of getting to the kids to instill some responsibility in them is a fantastic one.

Since we don't have a large culture of responsible use of natural resources we need to start over, and educating the current crop of young'uns in proper use of the outdoors is possibly the best way.
Adding consequences into it in form of teeth/police is also a good idea if done properly.

It'll take time, but eventually the policing might not be as important and people will respect it for what it is instead of what might happen to them if they don't.

Cheers for the update