Skyhill

The big spring freeze!

Saturday and Sunday, 23rd and 24th March, 2013

Some unusual spring photos taken during two walks in Skyhill plantation.

 

On Saturday we walked up to photograph the view of Ramsey from the edge of the fields above Ballagarrow and then Tim returned home because he was tired after shovelling the drive.  Danny and I continued up the hill towards the top south west corner of the plantation.  Danny was very reluctant and made it obvious that he thought we should have returned to the house with Tim.  I didn't blame him because Schippies don't have very long legs and some of the snow drifts near the top of the path were over a foot deep.  We were the first ones to walk up this way.  Before we messed up the pristine snow, there were only a few rabbit prints.

 

I planned to walk along the mountain bike track on the western edge of the plantation.  Some of the trees looked amazing but there was thick snow under the trees.

 



Danny refused to go any further and went on strike.

 



 

 I could have spent hours exploring in the plantation but Danny obviously wasn't happy - so I took him home.

 

On Sunday Tim and I decided to walk up the hill again - without a dog.  Danny had other ideas and refused to come into the house when we called him so we had to take him with us again.

 

I took this photo across the glen to Brookdale plantation and North Barrule from the top of the garden.

 

 We climbed up through the trees to the wall at the top of the hill and I took this photo of Tim and Danny climbing over the snow-covered stone wall.

 

 Much to Danny's relief, the mountain bikers had already been up in the plantation and their tracks through the snow on the other side of the wall made it much easier for a small dog to walk along the path.

 

 

 

I think the best of the Ramsey photos is this one that Tim took.  There was hardly any snow in the town but the surrounding hills are pretty.

 

 

 

 I wanted to see the view of upper Glen Auldyn again so we walked along the mountain bike path that Danny refused to walk along yesterday.  This is another of Tim's photos.

 

 

 

The view up the glen was spectacular.  Our only regret was that the sun wasn't shining on the top of Snaefell.

 

 

 

I used the zoom to photograph the pool at the old quarry.  We have walked up there through the snow in previous winters but I think it would have been difficult to get up there in these conditions.

 

 

 

In the full size photo on the computer it is possible to pick out a few sheep up by the snow covered pool. They must be having difficulty finding food but were lucky to be alive - so many sheep have been lost in the drifts.