Some Views of Strathmore near Meigle

Yesterday, Monday 22nd June, I visited the Dean Water. I thought I would publish some photographs to show the kind of landscapes that predominate in this part of Strathmore.

Here we are looking North-East. A field of barley is in the foreground. The line of trees marks the bank of the Dean Water. Beyond is more barley. The hills in the distance are the foothills of the eastern Highlands.

The geology of this country is mainly Old Red Sandstone: the soils derived from these rocks, which were laid down as deposits in times when a desert climate prevailed, are among the most fertile in Scotland.

Strath Plastic is manifest in the great polytunnel on the left of the photograph. It is full of strawberry plants, waiting for Czech students along with Poles and Slovaks (and some others) to come and pick them. This track leads to the Dean Water and a rickety old bridge that crosses it. Running along this track is a sunken gas pipeline.

In the right foreground a pump sucks water from the Dean and conveys it to the polytunnels to feed the strawberries. A fine rain sprays out of a leak in the pipe. The A94 road from Perth to Forfar runs behind the hedge in the distance.

And here, amidst all this agribusiness, runs the Dean Water with its all too narrow riparian edge.

The trapper still has his apples on their sticks. As you see, one has been nibbled by something, perhaps insects? Would it not be wonderful if the co-existence of beavers and intensive agriculture could be demonstrated in this river, rather than hoping to trap and remove any beavers found living here?