Sunday walks

Today we walked round Valleyfield woods, near Culross. There used to be a mansion house there, which has since been destroyed. We walked through the echos of the gardens, and landscaping which is beautifully overgrown. The gardens were tended by David Douglas, namesake of the Douglas fir, who tragically died at age 35 when he fell into a wild cattle pit whilst walking in Hawaii and was maulled to death by a trapped animal. Luckily no bears or boars or pits in the woods today. There were bits of buildings, and the walls of the hot houses are still intact. There is a boating canal too, which I'm sure at one time would've been quite something. I spotted a very fat mouse in what was left of the hot house climbing up some plants, and we stopped for a while to watch his struggle. I think that particular rodent will overwinter fine in his hole with the reserves he had on his back.

Read more here: http://www.avocadosweet.com/floating-bob-and-the-forgotten-mansion-the-story-of-valleyfield-woods/