An Eventful Day: Scottish Landscapes Combined with Animal Rescue

 Calf stuck in mud


Today, I planned a 6 mile hike starting and finishing Barrhead Railway Station near Glasgow.The route initially rises (over rough ground) to a height of 600 feet (180 m) which provides panoramic views over Paisley and the Clyde Valley. On the way down there is a rapid flowing burn (stream) with waterfalls. There is also a compact site of prehistoric rock carvings. 

Although very wet and slippery underfoot I made it to the top whereupon chanced upon a calf stuck in mud in a field adjoining the trail. The poor animal may well have been there for some time.

Instinctively, I tried to get through the barbed wire fence to reach the calf but achieved little other then a ripped jacket. I then had to navigate round the edges of the field until reaching an access gate from where I was able to reach the calf. As the images show this was a substantial animal. However, after much pushing and heaving I was finally able to free the animal from the jaws of the mud.Surprisingly, the calf did not run off but just stayed on the firm ground, probably due to exhaustion.

I then called the SSPCA (animal rescue) to advise what had happened, hoping they could track the farmer from the animal's ear tag. Interestingly they asked for my position using WhatThreeWords, which I gave them.

Calf after release from mud 

 

After a while the weather started to deteriorate (cold and wet)  so I left a HiVis marker on the fence next to the animal, informed the SSPCA what I had done, and returned home in deteriorating light conditions. All's well that ends well!

Notwithstanding my engagement with the calf, I was fortunate to obtain some useful landscape images  from my high elevation position. These can be seen below.

Rainbow over Paisley 

Paisley from Fereneze 

 

More information

For information on Scotland's extensive history,wildlife, geology, sightseeing and much more please refer to the publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is also available via Kindle.

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reconstructed Roman Villa

Image
This evening, I am reporting on my visit earlier today to a meticulously reconstructed Roman Villa in Somerset, England.   Funding for the project was provided by a South African billionaire. Specific features of the reconstruction project which is known as 'Villa Ventorum': Employed hundreds of architects, builders, archaelogists, mosaic makers, fresco painters and experts on ancient plumbing. The new build was built close to the remains of the original villa which dates from AD351. Incorporates the only working hypocaust system in Europe to create authentic Roman underfloor heating. Thne system also provides heating for the internal baths. Designed to appear to visitors as though still in use. Mosaics and frescoes have been made below the top standards of the time (e.g. Chedworth ) to reflect the social rank of the resident family. Incorporates a Roman 'fast food bar' allong the lines of that found in Pompeii . (Core of above information sourced from the Times newspap...
Read more

Fort Augustus, a popular visitor site on southern tip of Loch Ness

Image
Loch Ness from flight of locks at Fort Augustus, Scottish Highlands This evening, I am posting information on Fort Augustus, a busy tourist village on the southern tip of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Summary information on Fort Augustus as follows:- Population about 650 persons. Distance, about 160 miles from Edinburgh and 35 miles from Inverness entailing journey times of 3.5 hours and 1 hour respectively. Well endowed with hotels and other accommodation plus shops, restaurants and visitor attractions. From here visitors can avail of boat trips on Loch Ness. Home to an impressive flight of five locks on the Caledonian Canal. Latter dates from 1822 and is now primarily used by pleasure boats. Closely linked with the 18th century Jacobite uprising in that (a) the village was renamed Fort Augustus (after Prince William Augustus, third son of King George II) consequent upon construction of a British military (redcoat) fort in 1742 and (b) the same Pri...
Read more

York, England and its Roman origins.

Image
Street decoration in York York is an ancient city in northern England. Here visitors can connect with the city's growth over the past 2000 years, from the Roman period then Viking, medieval and modern. However, this post places an emphasis on the Roman period. Roman York York was known as Eboracum. Consistent with other Roman forts the plan at York was based on a playing card design with strong external defences and a grid of streets inside. Hadrian visited in AD 120 in context of initiative to build his famous wall. Initially York was garrisoned by the Ninth Legion and subsequently the Sixth Legion. Roman HQ building The civilian section contained public buildings such as bath houses and temples plus fine houses for the wealthy. The Emperor, Septimus Severus used York as a base for military campaigns in the north during 208-211. In AD 306 the emperor Constantinus I died in York and his son Constantine the Great was acclaimed emperor by the army. R...
Read more