Bealach Loch Appin.
The images are courtesy of Peter Weir, Glencoe, who worked as Forestry Commission ploughing tractor driver for many years, on the squad and for a time in the timber harvesting team.
He comments: ‘This is now a Hydro Loch with a wee bit of ice on top.
Years ago, I cut fire breaks around the Loch with a large tractor and a heavy-duty heather cutter on the back. Which reminds me of a very close one.
We were burning fire breaks along the side of the forestry fence as back then the trees were very small and had lots of under growth. The reason for the fire break was the farmer wanted to burn his hill. We burnt the bit along the fence on the farmer’s side and put the fire out, so we thought. We continued to burn the heather and grass well away from the forest. The hill fire was going well when we happened to look back at the burnt area that we thought we had put out and it was alight again. To our horror the fire and had gone through the fence into the area beside the forest. The three of us ran back and climbed the fence and by luck we managed to put the fire out. That could have been a very serious forest fire in Appin!’
Groups: Forestry Areas