Please take a photograph of your group "in action." Don't forget to ask for permission from everyone for the photo to be published on the web. Then email it to the address below and we will upload it to the gallery.
info@orkneyu3a.org
Walking Group One 25th April 2024
Five hardy souls collected today at Happy Valley for the first Hill Walk of the year .The temperature was cool with a North Easterly wind blowing and a hint of rain on arrival.
Off we set heading towards Russadale Quarry, spotting a Buzzard on the way.Turning into the footpath we remained sheltered from the wind all the way to the top of the hill.
The sun was out at the Quarry and a Greenshank was feeding at the edge of the Lochan. Then it was up the Peat road to the summit with spectacular views across Stenness and Harray Lochs, plus a view of the Closed Road beyond the Watch Stone. On the other side we looked over the Flow and down towards the Oil Platform and South Ronaldsay
Then it was back down after a stop for a snack and finally a walk around Happy Valley itself. The Daffodils planted by James and others were looking lovely and the Bluebells are days away from opening. Then it was on to a well deserved lunch at the Pier Cafe, having walked 4 miles and gone up 800 feet (and down again )
The next walk will be on Friday 24th May and hopefully more hills and views.
Keep moving.
U3A Botany Group - July 2022
by Caroline - 08:17 on 02 August 2022
In sunny weather but a snell breeze, seven of us had a forage round Houton Head last Tuesday and found a few treasures and many old favourites. The setting is beautiful, with a view from one end of Scapa Flow to the other. And feeling almost close enough to touch, we looked across Bring Deeps to Scad Head on Hoy.
The terain, old croft land, is a mix of heath and grassland, dipping down to cliffs and occasionally giving access to the beach.
Our finds included devil's bit scabious, mouse-ear, prickly sow thistle, spear thistle, marsh thistle, tormentil, eye-bright, thyme, dog violet (leaves), marsh ragwort, self-heal, sheep's sorrel, creeping willow (complete with berry-like orange galls on some leaves caused by the sawfly Euura collactanea), bell heather, ling, dock, sneezewort, yarrow, Yorkshire fog grass, heath spotted orchid, angelica, cat's ear, bird's foot trefoil, hogweed, horsetail, toad rush, autumnal hawkbit, cuckoo flower, primrose (leaves), heath rush, sea arrow grass, slender St John's-wort, green-ribbed sedge, lady's bedstraw, northern marsh orchid, gorse, crowberry, cross-leaved heath, bracken, meadowsweet, tufted hair grass, tufted vetch, eared willow, sea rocket, mat grass, glittering wood moss.
The group split up on occasion so I will have missed some finds but hopefully I have noted most.
Angelica
Toad Rush
Sea Rocket
Creeping Willow Gall of Sawfly
Add your comment
Please note that whenever you submit something which may be publicly shown on a website you should take care not to make any statements which could be considered defamatory to any person or organisation.
