More liveblogging of trip

[luzula]

Impressions of London:
OMG, this heat is unreasonable. /o\ More bearable when one is on the river bus, though. I'm glad there's an old British lady acting as tour guide to her (presumably) tourist friends pointing out all the buildings and features so I can listen in. She seems to be a Harry Potter fan.

I went to Greenwich, which was nice. Climbing the rigging of the Cutty Sark was fun, though expensive, and it would have improved the experience if the climbing guides had been able to answer more questions about how the rigging worked. Oh well. National Maritime Museum: interesting and also blessedly air-conditioned. I never got to the Observatory before closing time; I suppose there is a reason that the meridian is not painted on the pavement outside, namely to make people pay money to go in and photograph themselves on it.

First impressions of the Highlands:
I never realised the extent to which two invasive and introduced species have spread here! And I really resent how that obscures and changes the historical landscape. There are so many ugly spruce plantations and clearcuts here. /o\ Worse than in Sweden, because they're not even native here. And then there's the rhododendron: the hillsides are purple with that, instead of heather (well, the heather's there too, but not blooming yet). Not surprised it thrives; the climate is much like the Pacific Northwest.

In a way, I suppose one could see the spruce plantations as the culmination of what some of those improving 18th century estate owners were doing: they were so proud of their larch plantations and whatnot. But aesthetically and biologically I detest them. (A note here that I love the Norway spruce in its proper environment in the boreal forest!)

We passed through Fort William and looked at the site of the fort, of which there is sadly nothing left but bits of a wall. Now we are in a hostel in Invergarry. We took a walk and twenty meters from the house, I found heaps of the oceanic lichens Lobaria pulmonaria, Lobaria virescens and Degelia plumbea just growing there on a goat willow! OMG, AND WHAT IS THAT, IS THAT A STICTA LICHEN?? *dies of excitement* Those are extinct in Sweden!! Er. I'm sure regshoe was laughing at me.

We looked at the ruins of Invergarry castle, and imagined Keith Windham limping past it on the shore below, nervously looking to see whether anyone would come out. He probably could not care less about the Sticta lichen; if anything, he was disgusted by the water dripping down from it onto his head. <3

Comments

[sanguinity]

Sticta lichen: just one more bad thing in a very bad day! Poor Keith, even the Highland lichen are ganging up on him.

But surely it's not the Pacific rhododendron that's invasive there? That's pink, not purple, and also I would have suspected a Eurasian rhododendron anyway. (*pokes around the internet*) Ah, it's an Iberian rhododendron that's invasive in Scotland.

But yes about the two climates being similar: I've said elsewhere, I think, that my brain took "maritime mid-latitudes wet low mountains" and kept imagining them rainforested like the Olympics. It was quite a shock when I first realised most of those hills were/are naked. (Or what looks like naked to a PNW girl, anyway, I know they're really not.)

And your Cutty Sark climbing guide couldn't answer nerdish rigging questions? I am very disappointed in them!

[luzula]

You guys in the PNW also have Sticta lichens! So spoiled, most people there probably don't appreciate them at all...

Thanks for looking up the rhododendron! Huh, Spain and Scotland don't really have similar climates, it seems strange that it would thrive here.

I lived for two years in Seattle as a kid, and have been back to visit as an adult, so I have seen the Olympics! No, not much like Scotland. : )

And your Cutty Sark climbing guide couldn't answer nerdish rigging questions? I am very disappointed in them!
Me too! Well, I now have a good idea of how shrouds and ratlines work, at least. And it was quite interesting to go out on the yard, the rope you stand on was quite well-balanced and there was a good handle on the yard.

[sanguinity]

*looks up PNW Sticta* These are not immediately familiar to me, but I'll keep an eye out for them now when I go out hiking.

I didn't realize you lived in Seattle for a while! I grew up on the western side of the Sound, a few hours from Seattle by bridge or ferry.

Glad to know the footrope felt secure! Someday I mean to do a stint on our local tall ship, and I would like to go up in the rigging at least once (because how could I not??), even though I'm a bit sketchy with heights.

[china_shop]

We took a walk and twenty meters from the house, I found heaps of the oceanic lichens Lobaria pulmonaria, Lobaria virescens and Degelia plumbea just growing there on a goat willow! OMG, AND WHAT IS THAT, IS THAT A STICTA LICHEN?? *dies of excitement*

*hearts and hearts*

So glad you're having fun! ♥

[luzula]

I am! : D My feet are very tired today though.

[sovay]

Those are extinct in Sweden!!

I think it's incredibly cool to see something like that. What caused them to go extinct in your part of the world?

[luzula]

Well, they were on the edge of their distribution anyway--they're an oceanic species. And then the few forests where they lived were clear-cut...

[sovay]

And then the few forests where they lived were clear-cut...

That'd do it!

(I didn't know if it was climate-related.)

[chestnut_pod]

What good luck to see cool lichens!

[luzula]

Indeed! : D

[isis]

Your lichenthusiasm is adorable!

[luzula]

Awww, thanks! <3

[garonne]

So cool that you got to climb the rigging!

Re: rhododendron, did you ever hear about stories like this https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41282392

[luzula]

Yes! I now have a good idea of how shrouds and ratlines work, at least. And it was quite interesting to go out on the yard, the rope you stand on was quite well-balanced and there was a good handle on the yard.

*boggles at the rhododendron story*

[mergatrude]

♥ ♥ ♥

[luzula]

♥!

[weevil]

Many of the spruce plantations are oppressive - they were generally planted between or after the wars because of demand for fast growing timber. Not all have been well managed (eg not thinned at the right times, making them even darker), although these days the Forestry Commission is better about native species and wildlife. Some of those unprofitable plantations have been taken over by local community groups and are now a source of firewood - prob not the ones you see in the Highlands though!

I hope you have time to see Glen Affric, I've planted a lot of native species there with Trees for Life.

[luzula]

Oh, interesting, thanks for the info about the spruce plantations! I see that Glen Affric is not that far from us, but we've got the trip planned already...we are going to the native pine forest that is on the south shore of Loch Arkaig one day, so we'll get to see that, at least.

[antisoppist]

I'm glad your trip to the UK is providing exciting biology for you.

My mum loved Greenwich and whenever we had foreign visitors, she always made us all take them there so it became a bit of a family joke. We used to walk through the foot tunnel under the Thames but a river bus sounds excellent in the heat.

[luzula]

I'm sure the Highlanders are all used to these cool lichens, but they're exciting to me... : )

I had no idea there was a foot tunnel under the Thames! Huh. The tunnel under the Channel, that I took to get here, feels a bit like science fiction to me...

[starshipfox]

The spruce plantations are so awful. We have them everywhere in Ireland too, though there is some movement to reintroduce native woodland. At least the rhododendrons are pretty sometimes, and some pollinators can make use of them, even if they're not the best.

I'm glad you got to see some good lichen as well as fandom locations though :)

[luzula]

Oh, interesting, I didn't know you had the same issues. Did a search and saw that they're mostly American Sitka spruce...one wonders if native trees couldn't soak up carbon as well.

[starshipfox]

I believe that the reason for clearing the native forests was mostly political here: land-owners thought that forests gave rebels too much scope for hiding, and also for ambushing soldiers. This was in the 18th century. I wonder if something similar gave rise to the loss of native trees in Scotland, or if they were just cleared for sheep farming? In the last century, the Sitka spruce have mostly been planted in order to be used in the construction industry, so they grow for 20 years and are clear-felled in cycles, but there are plans to plant native woodland and after one final clearing of the Sitka. It would make such a huge difference to the landscape!

[luzula]

At least according to regshoe, Scotland was probably completely wooded during the warm period 6000-4000 years ago. And then the cooler climate combined with deforestation by humans led to the spread of peat bogs which I suppose outcompeted the woods?

I hope you do get some native woodlands instead!

[hyarrowen]

Like ou, I went round the Maritime Museum but didn't get to the Observatory. I wish I had, of course, but it was on a hill. I bet you got further up into the rigging of the Cutty Sark than I did of the Enterprize!

[luzula]

Well, of course it's on a hill, to see the stars. : P

I would have liked to have gone higher, but it was a set tour, unfortunately. Well, at least I know what shrouds and ratlines feel like, and the arrangement that allowed you to go out on the yard was surprisingly well balanced--but I suppose it has to be, if you're to work the sails while you stand there.

[hyarrowen]

Well, of course it's on a hill, to see the stars. : P

I call it dashed inconvenient!

I was surprised at how hard and tarry the rigging is - there's no flexibility in it at all. But I'm too bad at heights to face going out on the foot-ropes. Such a nuisance.

[cahn]

Ooh, so fun to hear about your trip! (Even if it took me forever to comment on it :D )

Yay for National Maritime Museum being interesting and also air-conditioned! But boo for invasive species :(

But also I am charmed by your enthusiasm for lichen :D (I, like Keith, would probably not have noticed it.)

[luzula]

Oh, no worries! Glad you appreciate the posts. : )

I imagine the majority of people would not have noticed the lichen...