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Natural Connections

Modern life in Scotland is increasingly busy. The connections our ancestors had with nature and the land are being lost. As leisure time shrinks, or is filled with hi-tech experiences, opportunities to experience nature become fewer. And yet it is possible to connect with nature on a day to day basis. All around us, the great web of life continues to hold its shape, and nature continues its eternal cycles. Keep looking, listening, smelling, touching - and keep experiencing natural connections.

Friday, June 25, 2004

Summer is back (!), with glorious sunshine for most of the day (although I think it’s still cooler than it should be, and the news is that the weather is to break again over the weekend). Working in Ayrshire for the second day running, I’m again amazed by the views across to Arran and Ailsa Craig, especially on a clear day like today. Both were deep blue against the pale blue of sea and sky. Ailsa Craig is particularly striking. It positively towers out of the water like a giant, isolated tooth, and can be seen looming up from well back up the A77. It is apparently a volcanic plug, composed of micro-granite, and exposed (like Bass Rock, Castle Rock in Edinburgh, the islands of St Kilda etc) by erosion of the softer rock that once surrounded it. There are some good, general views of the island at http://www.maybole.org/photogallery/ailsacraig/ailsacraig2.htm. Also, there is an interesting photo diary with images taken from the summit at http://web.ukonline.co.uk/mountains/ailsa.htm.
Drove back up the A77 to Paisley. Saw a Kestrel hovering over the rough grassland beside the southbound carriageway. Work is continuing on the upgrading to motorway, with massive earthworks at various points. I couldn’t help thinking what a fantastic opportunity it might have been to really improve what I have always found a very barren and uninspiring landscape. So much of the land between Newton Mearns and Ayr appears (to my eyes at least) to consist of unimproved grassland and open moorland, all nibbled away to virtually nothing by sheep. The scattered patches of blanket conifers don’t add anything much. But sympathetic planting of native trees, fencing off (and traditional management) of grassland to allow reversion to meadow, conservation of damp areas, the establishment of waterways, even the burying of short lengths of the road under tunnels could have really enhanced the whole corridor, both scenically and in terms of biodiversity. And why stop with the motorway corridor? There are vast tracts of land on both sides which could be “developed” in such a way. It remains to be seen what the developers will do. Certainly I have been impressed by the scale of planting of hedges along the upgraded M8, so maybe there is some cause for a little optimism.

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