It’s quite rare on Bute to find an easily accessible woodland walk beside an inland loch but this is such a one.  About a mile in total (there and back) it can be treated as a walk in its own right, or as an add-on to Walk 08 or Walk 23.  It’s best done when, as now, the loch level is fairly low and the gravel shoreline can be used as an alternative to the, sometimes rather wet, woodland path.

The walk starts at the eastern end of the Causeway (NS 081625).  Pass between the boat landings and the Bailiff’s Hut to reach the gateway giving access to the shoreline.  Most of the path is along the woodland edge, though there are some open glades as at the start. This, of course, gives variety to the flora on display.

Lesser Spearwort

Flowers of the open, grassy stretches include Water Forget-me-not, Marsh Bedstraw and three members of the buttercup family.  Meadow Buttercup and Creeping Buttercup have been referred to in Walk 23; the third member of the family is Lesser Spearwort.  A plant of wet places, its yellow flowers are similar to those of the buttercups, but look at its leaves and hence its name.

Water Forget-me-notThere are five species of forget-me-not likely to be encountered on the island.  Water Forget-me-not is perhaps the easiest to recognise, its flowers being generally larger than those of any of the other species.  Marsh Bedstraw is a scrambling plant with tiny white flowers;  although its stem and leaves are edged with small prickles, they are nowhere near as tenacious as those of Cleavers (‘Sticky-willie’), its close relative.

At the water’s edge, the dominant species are Reed Canary-grass and several types of rushes and sedges.  A tall grass with broad leaves, the former is easily recognisable but identification of the rushes and sedges can be more of a challenge (I certainly find so!).  So here’s one of the easiest to identify, the Common Spike-rush which lines much of the water’s edge.  Despite its name, it is actually a member of the sedge family;  each completely leafless stem is topped by a yellowish-brown spikelet, currently in flower.

Common Spike-rush in and beside the water

Common Spike-rush

Another sedge that features prominently in the shadier sections of this walk, and again which is one of the easier ones to identify, is the Remote Sedge.  A light shade of green, it grows in tufts with the female flower spikes well spaced out down the stem.

Remote Sedge 

Sections of the landward side of the path are dominated by Hemlock Water-dropwort, with its convex umbels of white flowers, and Hemp-agrimony, the latter still not quite in flower.  It’s a strangely-named plant, being neither a member of the Hemp family nor an Agrimony;  a tall plant with dark pink/purple flowerheads, it has large spear-shaped leaflets in groups of three or five.

SkullcapAlso on the landward side, look out for the attractive blue flowers of Skullcap.  According to Richard Mabey in his Flora Britannica, both the English and Latin names derive from the shape of the flowers, which reminded early botanists of the leather helmet worn by Roman soldiers.

The path ends after about half a mile and beyond this point it becomes very difficult to penetrate the dense woodland.  Enjoy the view across the loch to Kean’s Cottage (the only place on the route from which you can see it) and return the way you came.

Kean's Cottage (formerly Woodend)

Footnote: It was near this endpoint that I spotted a lone orchid in a bramble enclave.  After I took the photo, it occurred to me just what an amazing combination of species there was in such a small area.  I think I can see (flowers or leaves) Northern Marsh-orchid, Creeping Buttercup, Hemlock Water-dropwort, Gorse, Bramble, Nettle, Marsh Woundwort, Wood Dock, Water Mint, Siverweed and Compact Rush – there may well be more!

Species list:  almost all in flower (Hemp-agrimony is nearly there, while Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Knapweed, Water Mint and the Woundworts still have some way to go).