Black Wood of Rannoch

The Black Wood of Rannoch is one of the very few remaining parts of what was once a forest that covered much of Scotland, the so-called Caledonian Forest. The whole of what is today Rannoch Moor was covered in woodland, which then was slowly reduced due to wind, weather and human activities.

Most of the trees you can see today in Scotland are either relative newcomers from other countries or they're planted (some admittedly hundreds of years ago). But this wood, consisting largely of pine trees is ancient; maybe as much as 9,000 years old, which is when we knew the pine came to Scotland. The trees themselves are only a couple hundred years at most, but the wood has been here for millennia.

Tree.


Another tree. Have I mentioned that I love pines?


On the beach I found this fireplace. One can almost be forgiven for imagining it has been here since 5,000 BC. Sigh.