Tag: Outdoor Journeys

Lyme Disease

Here in the outdoor team we are very busy and so the blog has been at a bit of a stand still. This time last year we posted advice about ticks and it has come up again, we would recommend everyone to watch the BBC Programme Disclosure: Under the Skin

BBC Disclosure: Under the Skin

The programme explains how there has been an increase in the incidence of Lyme Disease and how anyone using the outdoors can guard against catching this terrible disease.

When we are working with young people outdoors it is important we understand there are ticks everywhere potentially including the school estate.

The current NHS Scotland guidelines can be found here Current NHS Scotland Guidelines on Lyme Disease

The Forestry Commission have an excellent informative web page on tick identification:

Forestry Commission Identifying Ticks

We also continue to recommend the NHS Highland video if how to remove a tick:

If you need more help or advice please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Outdoor Team.

Exploring the Moor with Tong School

The class were doing a project on black houses and wanted to look at and explore the moor behind the school. Tim first looked round the village to see if there were the remains of any black houses on the crofts but sadly in Tong he couldn’t find any, so the decision was to have a walk out onto the moor, look at how it was different to the rest of the village and how the land might be being used.

The class used the Outdoor Journeys model developed by Simon Beames at Edinburgh University as a start point to prepare. Tim went into the class and they looked at the map and discussed the potential hazards, wrote this out before completing their journey plan to be left a the school before they set off. (Here are the CnES versions of the documents; Journey Plan, Hazard Assessment)

The walk went out of the school up the road, left out towards Craignish and the followed the peat tracks past the fank to the 42m high point. Then before turning to head for the wind turbine and then back down Barraidmhicille Mhoire to the school.

It was a very frosty afternoon so frozen puddles were a great source of interest with everyone looking at the ice and then jumping on it to smash it.

As part of the project to look at how people lived in black houses the class learnt the song Eilean Fraoich, they thought it would be good if they stood on top of some peat banks and sang the song.

On the way round the moor the class looked at the plants and birds they saw, it was so cold they came to the conclusion that was why they didn’t see many birds apart from seagulls.

The cold wasn’t bothering the cattle we  saw near to the end of the journey.

The journey ended back a the school and the inevitable ‘wellies off scrum’ and lots of smiling faces.

Tong School Visit to Arnish Gun Emplacements

Just before the end of the school term, as part of the project on the wars and into the Iolaire disaster, a trip to the gun emplacements at Arish Point was organised by Tong School. Tim went along to help and tell a few stories.

The bus dropped the classes at the carpark below the Bonny Prince Charlie cairn and they walked along to the emplacements.

The ruins of the emplacements gave a great opportunity to explore and to talk about what it must have been like to be based there on a wild winter night. We also looked across at the Beasts of Holm and talked about the Iolaire disaster.

  

The gun emplacements housed two 6 inch coast guns, had a watch tower and two search lights in smaller enclosures. How effective the guns would have been is questionable; when the Dutch Submarine Zeehond failed to respond to the challenges one of the guns was fired, it missed and the shell bounced over the water, embedding itself in the wall of Sandwickhill Cemetery. Much to the embarrassment of the Navy but to the huge amusement of the young people form Tong School when they heard the story.

Although the daylight at this time of year is short it does allow for some amazing skies which we took the chance to enjoy before boarding the bus to go to the museum for a visit.

Environmental Studies with Breasclete School

Tim went to Breasclete School to explore the croft land next to the school, there were plenty of invertebrates including a spider who was ‘snacking’ on a fly. The young people used the Field Studies Council fold out charts to identify the species and plants they found and collated the information using cameras and drawing.

Environmental Studies with Tong School

Tim was asked by Tong School to show them how they could use the moorland, a short walk from the school, to look at the fauna and flora they could find there.

The class wrote their own journey plan to get out to the moor and they organised the class to get there. When they arrived at the moor using the Outdoor Team’s environmental box they researched the plants and invertebrates they found documenting them with photographs and drawings.

Questions about Ticks and Lymes Disease

We are in the middle of the busy season, with the team out and about working with schools and young people in the outdoors. There are often questions about ticks and Lymes disease, we thought it would be useful to post some information about what to do if you are bitten by a tick and things you can do to prevent being bitten.

It is important ticks should not stop you going outside but to take a few sensible precautions to prevent being bitten and if you are, what to do about it.

See the source image

Lymes disease if carried by ticks which latch on and then take a blood meal. The Comhairle have produced a leaflet with information on the disease (CnES Tick leaflet). More information can be found on the Lymes Disease Action web site.

There is an excellent YouTube video produced by NHS highland on how to remove a tick with Dr James Douglas

There is also good advice from the NHS Scotland web site:

Be tick aware

Ticks in Scotland can carry the germ that causes Lyme disease

Ticks are small spider-like creatures that can be found on bushes and undergrowth in Scotland’s countryside, parks and gardens from spring through summer and well into autumn. Most ticks that bite people are unlikely to be carrying the germ that causes Lyme disease, but there’s no way of knowing at the time. So, it is best to:

  1. Try to avoid being bitten by ticks
  2. Remove any ticks that do bite as quickly as possible

How to prevent tick bites

You can reduce your chances of being bitten by ticks by:

  • covering skin which may come into contact with plants
  • wearing long trousers tucked into boots and long sleeves
  • using an insect repellent containing DEET
  • trying to stick to paths and avoid dense undergrowth
Hopefully this helps and if you have any questions contact your GP or if you need more information contact the Outdoor Team.

 

The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark

On the 20th February, before the evenings got too long, Mrs Mackinnon and her P1-4 class from Sir E Scott Primary came out for a night walk with Isi. They had been reading The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark as the basis for their project for the term, and wanted to experience the darkness for themselves – away from lights and buildings. We walked from the playground area in the Aline woodlands, down to the shores of Loch Seaforth and back again – a long way for little legs!

It was a very cold but calm evening, and the sun had just set as we left the carpark. We found lots of interesting things to talk about on the way, and the children especially liked seeing the snow on the Cliseam and other hills being lit up by the sunset. We spent a few minutes being very quiet to see what we could hear. We didn’t find any owls, but they were all surprised at just how quiet it was. When we got to the picnic bench by the loch, Isi gave everyone hot chocolate or juice, and a biscuit to keep them going for the return leg.

We looked out across the loch, which was very calm and looked like glass. On the way back, we turned off our torches and spent some time looking at the stars. We managed to find the Plough, Cassiopeia, Orion’s Belt, and some pictures the children made up themselves. Isi also had to remember some of her physics from school on the rest of the walk as the children had lots of questions about everything from the moon to black holes!

There were lots of smiling faces when we got back, although I suspect that they all slept well that night.

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