Invaders of the Tarset bastles

That's the lichens, not the people!

It was the first day of the Haltwhistle Walking Festival today. I was on the team for Walk 3, a special interest walk from Black Middens bastle on the edge of Kielder forest.

You can see that it was very sunny. It was really like a summer's day, once the morning chill had departed.

Gordon Beakes, guided us through the classification of lichens and explained lots about them in a way we could understand.

Did you know that Evernia prunastri,  a fruticose lichen,  is used in perfume to help it "stick" on the skin and stop rapid evaporation? It also forms the "bass notes" of many perfumes.

My blip is of the group (3 had to cancel, 2 for Covid) on the outside stairs to the living quarters of Black Midden bastle. These stairs would be a later addition. In the original design, the family ascended to their rooms using a ladder, which was then pulled up. The animals were in the ground floor. In the lawless times of the Reivers, these defensive households were the best way to protect people and stock.