Return to Carrifran

A mate and I went to Carrifran to join a Borders Forrest Trust volunteer group planting willow at 750m in the upper Firthhope valley. This is right on the margin that can be planted, and hopefully they will do better than some of the juniper and other planted montane scrub I saw which has not survived. On the gentle scree slope (top left) there's less competition from grasses, and damp earth below the surface means that the willows have a better chance. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay for the whole weekend since camping up there last night would have been wonderful. Indeed, it was a bit of a race back for a dinner party with friends in Edinburgh.

This incredible project, started 17 years ago, aims to "re-wild" a very pretty glen in the Borders by eliminating sheep and then planting local species of tree appropriate to altitude. I think that it's largely finished now that 600,000 trees have been planted. Lower down the valley [see extra] they are well established, and when they come into leaf it's a wonderful sight.