Day 4

 Today we set out into glen rosa to meet up with Corinna a local national trust for scotland ranger to do some habitat management . The type of habitat management that we took part in was bracken bashing this is where you flatten or damage the bracken around a newly growing tree. This helps the tree get much needed light in order to grow.

We were also given the task of each picking a species of plant and identifying it. We then had to find out more information about the plant and prepare a short presentation to tell the others in our group about it.

Throughout the day we had a typical Scottish array of weather, ranging from glorious sunshine to a sudden and torrential downpour of rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. Luckily this changing weather did not impeed out progress in clearing bracken as this sudden change in weather occurred in the return journey to the lodge - this did however mean returning in the rain.

Day 3

On the morning of day 3, we set out to do a beach clean on the local Brodick beach in front of our lodge. Before we set out, we completed a group risk assessment covering the main hazards within the categories of environmental, human, wildlife and rubbish. Once we geared up in our waterproofs - ready for the temperamental Scottish weather. We paired up, grabbed a litter picker and plastic bag and then set off. On reaching our start point further down the beach, we started searching for litter between the high tide mark and the gorse bushes at the back of the beach.

We found an array of litter including: crates, plastic bottles, tent poles and wipes. Overall, it was a very enlightening experience as it helped us to understand the importance of appropriate waster disposal and the impacts on the environment. After we disposed of the waste we also looked at a marine litter picking survey form and considered the range of waste that can be found on beaches - of which we found half of.

Later on in the afternoon, we went on a discovery walk around the grounds of Brodick castle. We found a variety of plants including: hydrangeas, redwood trees, rhododendrons, yellow rattle flowers, beech trees, pine trees and star moss. Although we couldn't enter the castle, as it was undergoing refurbishment, we found out the oldest parts of the castle date back to the 13th century. Whereas, the visible exterior was built in the Victorian era when the Hamiltons lived there.

Day 2

On day 2 of adventures in Arran, we were divided into three groups and sent off on buses to explore different areas of the island. One group traveled for twenty minutes to the north of the island to visit and discover Lochranza; another to the south of the island to Blackwaterfoot and the final group travelled to the village of Lamlash. Here, we were left to explore the wildlife, history and sights of the areas, to later present to the other groups.

After getting a bus from Brodick Pier to Lamlash, the group who were researching the area ventured into the more commercialised area of Lamlash. It is said by locals that Lamlash is the second biggest village on Arran, and this can be seen with the large numbers of coffee shops and gift shops, as well as a hotel, hospital and police station. During the stroll through this section of the village, the group found several historical landmarks, such as the Clearance Memorial, which acted as a reminder of the 86 people who were forced to move from Lamlash to Canada between 1829 and 1840.

Next, the group walked for several kilometres to the jutting headland at the north of Lamlash. On this walk, the group encountered lots of wildlife, especially in the 'No Take Zone' of the beach. This zone prohibited all removal of sea creatures from this section of water in Lamlash, and thus the group were able to see crabs, jellyfish, oyster catchers and herons.

The next group took a bus from Brodick Pier to Blackwaterfoot, in which they set out to discover some caves.  On discovering the caves, they found where a legend had once sought refuge.  He observed a spider attempting to to spin a web on the walls of the cave and from this found the strength to continue to fight for Scottish Independence.

The last group went to Lochranzar, which is at the top of the island. There we went on a adventure as we got off at the distillery, and set off towards the castle where on the way we saw some red deer and some osystercatchers then we walked down towards the pier were we had lunch, then after we had lunch we walked back towards the castle and walked towards Newton Point. On the way to the viewpoint we encountered a golf course that had been invaded by red deer. Other animals we saw during our trip are, Shags, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Pied Wagtail, Gannet, Buzzard, Rabbits, Sheep, common Gull, Swans, Ducks, Jackdraw, Common Tern.

Day One

The journey to the Isle of Arran began with the whole of the group meeting at Glasgow Central Station. With most of the group arriving by train and some by flights we all managed to find our way to the meeting point eventually. After an hour long train ride we eventually arrived at the harbour, for a rather calm trip across to Arran on the ferry. The weather of course was rain - what else can you expect from Scotland... but still morale was high within the group. Once our jobs for the night had been decided we all got setteled in and the chefs were swept off to the kitchen to begin dinner.  The dinner was nice and the night was spent playing cards with banter and jokes flying around the room to create a good atmosphere.

And so this is where our jouney begins...

Operation Blackwaterfoot

The last full day of our residential began with some wacky beach art, in which we covered one of our team members in sand, turning them into a mermaid with wings (its a long story), using various pebbles and seaweed which we found scattered on beach, the out come was something else!

After we had let our creativity flow on the beach, we had to return to our lodge to prepare for the next part of our day, which was a large beach clean, taking place in the small village of Blackwaterfoot on the west coast of the island. We got through the risk assessment over lunch (it's as dull as it sounds!) and then set off on the bus.

As soon as we arrived, we met with a fellow conservationist, who supplied us with litter pickers and large bags to collect the rubbish in. We then began the beach clean. we soon found out there was a huge abundance of plastic and rope all over the place, and it didnt take long until our bags were practically full. We were out on the beach in the scorching sun for 4 hours, and many were susceptible to sunburns and the wrath of the midges. By around 6pm the workforce was laden with the treasures of the sea, ranging from dog toys to For Sale signs. Altogether we managed to remove a wooden pallet and oil drum from the beach and impressively fill 10 large bin bags with debris.

Folowing a well earned trip to the Harbour shop, we started our long and hot journey back to Shore Lodge on a very packed bus for our last dinner of homemade pizzas.  It has been a hard but great few days and an experience that we will all remember.  Thank you Lucy and Dave!

Rhodie Bash

 We set off at 10am on a surprisingly sunny day, heading towards our day of Rhodie Bashing, not completely sure what to expect. We met up with Jack who showed us the area of woodland we were to work on, clearing away a non-native invasive species of plant, the rhododendron. With saws and loppers in hand we set off to destroy every last plant we got our hands on.

The Arran Ranger; Jack, started burning the Rhodies and created a fire in the area, which we embraced a couple hours in to the bashing when we roasted marshmallows; some people even made smores with ginger biscuits and digestives.

Despite all of our efforts, the pesky midgies and wasps and any other little creatures hiding in the moss set out to thwart our tough labour. Despite this, we did not stop our strenuous task in hand and we carried on to clear large amounts of clever Rhodies which had covered most of the ground in which we were working on.

After 6 hours, we called it a day when the mud had gotten into our shoes, all up our legs, and just genually everywhere. Yet that didn't stop us from quickly posing proudly with the Rhodie pile still waiting to be burned.

To end our day Jack surprised us with chocolate bunnies to thank us for our hard work, which didn't last long. Overall, it brought great pleasure as well as awareness regarding the ecosystem on Arran.

It's the climb

We had a very active day considering it was Sunday, starting off with last minute preparations for our evening presentations on the importance of conservation in Scotland. This was followed by a long wait at the bus stop in order to reach the bottom of Goatfell - the highest mountain on the Isle of Arran. After being almost eaten alive by midges whilst waiting at the bus stop, a kind bus driver agreed to drive us, and the journey to the summit of Goatfell began.

The sign at the base of the mountain, implying that the summit was a mere 2.5 miles away gave the group new found optimism, soon to be shattered when we took in the steepness of the mountainside. A while after we started the trek, we stopped for a rest at the gate of an exclosure, funded by the National Trust of Scotland, and were asked to observe how many different species of plant we could see - our answers varied from 12 to 22.

The many different vantage points on the mountain gave the group false hope with regard to the location of the summit, but finally we reached the top, and the view of Arran and the mainland was the perfect reward.

After taking hundreds of photos, we began the trek downhill. This was easier on the leg muscles but the descent also meant we were more likely to slip, so we had to go with caution. Luckily, there were no casualties and we all reached the bottom in one piece, pointing out some interesting silver ferns and pine trees along the way.

Reaching the lodge was a blessing for everyone, and immediately after returning, everyone either collapsed on their beds, made a hot chocolate or stuffed their faces with biscuits - an exhausting, yet fulfilling Sunday!