The Fence line summit at Meall a’ Choalais looking up Loch Leven
The images are courtesy of Peter Weir, Glencoe, who worked as Forestry Commission ploughing tractor driver for many years but here was working as one of the fencing team erecting a fence line in the steep, high mountain country in Glencoe Forest.
This very spectacular view shows the fence line topping the ridge on Meall a’ Choalais well above Ballachulish village at an elevation of 460m. The ridge carries on to Sgorr Dhearg at over 1000m. The view shows only a small part of Ballachulish Village (most hidden by the ridge) and its recently landscaped slate quarries but view extends to Glencoe Village a little further on and the main road bearing right heading for dramatically scenic Glencoe. The distinctive Pap of Glencoe dominates the village the slopes of which run down steeply to Loch Leven. The loch heads eastwards and around the bend to the BA village of Kinlochleven. Note the style for hill walkers and climbers to get over the fence.
Peter comments:
“The fence we were building went from Ballachulish around the forest then over that steep bit on the Sgorr Dhearg ridge then into Glenachulish. Then around the top of the forest to the bealach (560m) between Sgorr Dhearg and Bein a Bheithir. After that down into Glen Duror. We had to walk up the mountain, spread out the fencing material and build 100 metres of fence a day to make a wage. With the fence being up so high up on the mountain there was not much soil for posts. We had a Cobra drill to drill the rock in places and insert metal posts and then heat up sulphur and mix it with something else to make the metal posts firm. There were a lot of tools to move along the mountain.”
“There is quite a story with the high top fence. Myself and my mate Neil Black (from Appin) were building that fence and we had the posts in and the top and bottom wire attached to the fence posts. Out of the blue it started to cloud over and a big thunder and lightning storm appeared all around us. We called it a day and passed through between the top and bottom wire to get down the hill when all of a sudden there was a massive bang followed by a almighty flash which light up the wires on the fence. The ground shook. We were only about two metres away. That’s what I would call a close one.
Another time when I was hill ploughing in Glendaruel high up on the crest of the hill the same thing happened. Again a massive thunder and lightning storm started. Back then there were no cabs on the tractor so I jumped off and went to shelter beside the diesel boggy. I had a young banksman and he was on one side of the boggy wheel and I he was on the other side. Again an almighty bang and flash. The lightning hit the studs on the boggy wheel which shook the ground around us and left a burnt mark on the studs. That was another near one.”
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Groups: Forestry Areas