Lungwort lichen

Some more photos - mainly of Lungwort ...and other temperate rainforest species....from Crinan Woods.

Usnea sp plus others...

Mosses, lichens and ferns.

Trees dripping with Usneas.

Peltigera sp and ferns.

Crinan Woods

A good little walk, which well waymarked, led us from Crinan, through the temperate rainforest of Crinan Woods. What a superb place! 

As soon as we arrived we were struck by the sheer luxuriousness and vibrancy of the lichen flora - the Lungwort lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) was stunning!

There were a few fungi - Fly Agaric and various Russula sp as well as a very soggy Cep. 

After climbing up through the woods there were 'views' along...

....and across Loch Crinan.

A meandering path took us over the top and back down ...

....to the Crinan Canal where the pleasant tow path walk took us back to Crinan itself. 

From the tow path across to Duntrune Castle.

The Crinan canal enters the sea. 

Dunadd Fort: The Seat of Gaelic Kings

 Our final prehistoric site visit was to Dunadd Fort. Situated on the top of a prominent rocky outcrop, Dunadd Fort was a royal power centre of Gaelic kings from the 500 - 800s AD. 

A good view over Moine Mhor - 'The Great Moss'. 

There were three carvings to look out for: the footprint, the Wild Boar and the Ogham markings.  

The footprint: this may have been used during inauguration ceremonies for new kings, symbolising the new ruler's power over the land. 

A Wild Boar - you may have to use your imagination to see this one! 

The Ogham inscription (early medieval alphabet).

What a river! 

The fort is atop the outcrop and here we are looking down through natural terraces that used to have formidable stone walls on top of them. 

Baluachraig Rock Art

And a short walk from the carpark for the previous site was this spectacular sheet of rock...the symbolism of the marks remains a mystery, but similar symbols are found in other parts of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Portugal and Spain.

Nether Largie South, Dunchraigaig Cairn and Ballymeanoch Standing Stones

Just along from Temple Wood is Nether Largie South - another burial cairn but this one has an accessible chamber...

A short drive away and we were at Dunchraigaig Cairn...another pile of stones, with a slight opening...

Ad then on to the spectacular Ballymeanoch standing stones ....

More cup and ring marks...

Kilmartin: Nether Largie Standing Stones and Temple Wood

After visiting Kilmartin Museum, which really is excellent, we headed off to see some of the prehistoric sites ... those that we could get to after last night's rain, that is! I'm not going to just regurgitate information on these sites, but leave it to you to research if you want to go beyond the photos....

The stones are arranged in a unique X shape. 

Cup and ring markings showing clearly.....apparently there are 23. Although it was built 3200 years ago - the cup and ring marks are thought to be 1500 years older.

After the standing stones, we walked across to Temple Wood.....

The artist's interpretation of these sites really help you to imagine what the sites were like....

The site has two stone circles.

The Temple Wood Stone Circle's use began before 3000BC, when it was just a circle of timber posts, which were replaced by stones at a later date. .

The Cist - that held the burial remains.