There is a mysterious, unique, wet and bleak…. yet beckoning and perhaps wildly romantic area of landscape in the far North East of Scotland that covers a large area of Caithness and Southerland known as the FLOW COUNTRY. Flow comes from the Norse word floi (marshy place) and aptly describes the most northerly peat blanket bog land in the U.K. Sounds uninviting but but it is a place we have tried to explore over many years but weather and other restrictions have conspired against us. Yes, we have skirted around the edges, seen many of the birds that the Flows are famous for….Greenshank, Golden Plover, Dunlin, spotted furtive herds of Red Deer on the horizon and a Male Hen Harrier hunting alongside one of the few roads that seem to border the Flows, … yet never cross it. It is still on our ‘hit list’ of must explore places and who knows 2012 may be the year.
On our last visit the weather was far from good not even offering atmospheric light being more “spheric than atmos”. But whilst heading back down to the Black Isle the clouds spread and gave us one relatively clear view back over the flows with Ben Loyal and Ben Hope just visible in the very distant horizon…so it was a quick grab for the camera and presto one shot….
Tormsdale, the Flows
Scale is not easy to convey, even the Wind Turbines seem dwarfed by the flat expanse they stand on. I have very mixed feelings about wind turbines, some liken them to the old windmills of pre Victorian times. Windmills though were placed in isolation where they were needed for the energy they produced. Move forward to current times and we don’t have wind turbines but ‘Wind Farms’ the size and scale out of proportion to many of their locations and miles away from where the energy is needed.
You could argue that here on the flows they do no damage….I wonder. There is of course the large and endangered bird population that rely on the peat bog habitat of the Flows…. and whilst many say birds are not effected by such big modern machines on their homeland….yes, I do wonder.
Nor can you not draw comparisons with the Forestation project of the 1970’s was launched. The planting of conifers and the required draining of large areas of the Flows was a conservation disaster. Forestation grew fast mainly for the Tax Benefits it offered the privileged rich who took full advantage of the of the potential financial gain rather than any environmental ideal. So I guess we must say thank you to Nigel Lawson for bringing to end this project. But perhaps a bigger thank you to RSPB and all those who have contributed to the funds to allow the creation of the Forsinard Flow Reserves. Conifers are being felled and slowly the Blanket Bog restored…or perhaps I should say restoring itself as I understand that rather than use heavy plant on this fragile landscape the trees, once felled and stripped, are being left to be consumed by the bog and help a very natural restoration process.
As to Wind Power and the future I cannot help wonder that again the Victorians were correct in abandoning wind and water power and searched for more efficient energy creation. But that is an entirely different discussion.
As to the Flows…..we will be back in hope rather than expectation that exploration this time will be possible.
8th January.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK………Just think only 50 more weeks to Christmas again…..ARGHHHH!!
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 