The Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland is generally very much under-recorded, and we hope to remedy this to some extent by visiting various woodland sites in Dumfries-shire, most of which are, unusually for this area, on base-rich soils.
On 21 May, meet at 10:00 h at the lay-by near Stenhouse Cottage next to Stenhouse Wood SSSI (NX 797931) on the minor road that turns off north-west from the road between Tynron and Moniaive. In the afternoon we shall move on to Chanlockfoot SSSI (NX 802990).
On 22 May, we move to the east of the county, to the Penton Linns SSSI (NY 433773) near Canonbie. Meet at 10:00 h in the lay-by at Penton Bridge over the Liddel Water on the B6318 road. This site is designated for geological reasons, but being on limestone is potentially profitable for molluscs. In the afternoon we shall move on to Langholm, where there are some interesting woodlands by the River Esk. There is parking near the centre of the town at NY 363849.
Come dressed for the weather and with suitable stout footwear, and bring packed lunches. Detailed maps for the first three sites are available from the Scottish Natural Heritage information service website (http://www.snh.org.uk/snhi/), while details of the walks around Langholm are on the Langholm Walks website (); we shall probably start with Walk no. 2.
Places to stay near Thornhill can be found from the Visit Southern Scotland website (http://www.visitsouthernscotland.co.uk/), while the Langholm website lists accommodation in and around Canonbie and Langholm.
Adrian Sumner (01620 894640) (home)