walking the rainbow trail: Loki in Glen Hinnisdal

The rain, even heavier than yesterday almost went off in the afternoon so Grey Granite and Rufus set off to explore Glen Hinnisdal, following the tarred road up the glen. The first part of the glen put Grey Granite in mind of Norway, the river rushing, peaty brown and foaming, down the glen over rapids and little waterfalls, the hazels and willows gave a Nordic feel to the glen. Loki was surely shape shifting in the clouds that hung low ahead of us. Shortly the glen widened in to a wider strath and we could see the white croft houses of Balmeanach and Peinlich sprawling ahead of us. Like yesterday our walk was fragrant with myrtle and heather, great banks of it in infinite shades of purple and mauve on the north side of the glen, hazels, willows and Midwest on the south side towards the river. Here and there swathes of bracken were turning bronze and down by the river rowans glowed, not with berries but with bright flaming leaves.

The road rose and fell with the contours of the glen, passing over frequent rushing burns, swollen to noisy cataracts. Small waterfalls roared and tumbled down the glen side and we could see a long mares tail of falling water at the head of the glen.

We passed several sheep fanks and grass covered rectangles of stone, the footings of abandoned dwellings. At Peinaha were the remains of a township consisting of a group of roofless buildings, enclosures and field walls. Grey Granite noted a rowan and a bourtree growing at opposite ends of the township, protection against witches and evil spirits but felt that trolls could well be lurking in the ruins.

Almost at the end of the road, by a spectacular braided waterfall, we came upon a memorial to Donald MacDonald born at a croft there in about 1750, pupil of the legendary MacArthur pipers and the first person to publish pibroch music.