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Penicuik–Dalkeith Walkway
The Penicuik - Dalkeith Walkway, situated in the county of Midlothian in the east of Scotland, stretches for 9.5 miles along the former Peebles Railway, Edinburgh to Peebles railway. The route passes through many of Midlothian's historic towns and villages. The gentle gradient and nature of the route allow easy access for walkers, cyclists and horse riders to explore and enjoy the spectacular landscapes and visitor attractions of the county. Route From the car park in Penicuik follow the signage crossing the Bowstring Bridge through Beeslack Wood then cross the Firth viaduct. This bridge has 10 arches, is 66 feet high and each arch spans 35 feet. Roslin Glen Country Park will soon be reached followed by the disused Rosslyn Castle station. Shortly after this the route passes the small town of Rosewell, Midlothian, Rosewell then after a mile or so Bonnyrigg is reached. A few miles further on, after crossing over the A7 road (Great Britain), A7 road, the outskirts of Eskbank are r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penicuik
Penicuik ( ; ; ) is a town and former Police burgh, burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River Esk, Lothian, River North Esk. It lies on the A701 road, A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills. Name The town's name is pronounced 'Pennycook' and is derived from ''Pen Y Cog'', meaning "Hill of the Cuckoo" in the British language (Celtic), Old Brythonic language (also known as Ancient British and the forerunner of modern Welsh language, Welsh). History In 1296, Thomas Rymer's ''Foedera'' mentions a "Walter Edgar a person of Penicok south of Edenburgh", which logically can only be what is now called Penicuik. Penycook appears as the name on John Adair's map of 1682 and the ruined old parish church, in the centre of the graveyard, dates from the late 17th century. Penicuik became home to an early paper mill, Valleyfield Mill, which was established by Agnes Campbell (printer), Agnes Campbell in 1709. The Pomathorn Bridge was a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dalhousie Castle
Dalhousie Castle is a castle in Cockpen, Midlothian, Scotland. Dalhousie Castle is situated near the town of Bonnyrigg, 8 miles (13 km) south of Edinburgh. The castle was the seat of the Earl of Dalhousie, Earls of Dalhousie, the chieftains of Clan Ramsay. History The patriarch of the clan was Simundus de Ramesie (Simon of Ramsey), an England, English knight of Normans, Norman descent from the Huntingdonshire village of Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, Ramsey. Simundus, a vassal of David I of Scotland, David, Earl of Huntingdon, followed his lord to Scotland in about 1140, when David inherited the King of Scots, Scottish crown. He is considered the founder of the Ramsay clan and the first to have lands at Dalwolsey. The first castle at Dalhousie was constructed by him. The red stone castle is situated in a strategic spot overlooking the River Esk, Lothian, River Esk. The drum tower, the oldest part of the current structure, an L Plan Castle, dates to the mid 15th century. The majo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 to 60 known taxa of which 11 are on the IUCN 2011 Red List of Threatened Species. They are typically short-lived pioneer species and are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern areas of temperate climates and in boreal climates. Birch wood is used for a wide range of purposes. Description Birch species are generally small to medium-sized trees or shrubs, mostly of northern temperate and boreal climates. The simple leaves are alternate, singly or doubly serrate, feather-veined, petiolate and stipulate. They often appear in pairs, but these pairs are really borne on spur-like, two-leaved, lateral branchlets. The fruit is a small samara, although the wings may be obscure in some species. They differ from t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but also can be found in Europe and the Americas. They can be found in deep forests near calm ponds and small rivers. The family contains 118 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey, usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates. Like other members of their order, they nest in cavit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among other animals. Otters' habitats include dens known as holts or couches, with their social structure described by terms such as dogs or boars for males, bitches or sows for females, and pups or cubs for offspring. Groups of otters can be referred to as a bevy, family, lodge, romp, or raft when in water, indicating their social and playful characteristics. Otters are known for their distinct feces, termed spraints, which can vary in smell from freshly mown hay to putrefied fish. Otters exhibit a varied life cycle with a gestation period of about 60–86 days, and offspring typically stay with their family for a year. They can live up to 16 years, with their diet mainly consisting of fish and sometimes frogs, birds, or shellfish, depending ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musselburgh
Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in origin, with ''mussel'' referring to Mussel, the shellfish.Musselburgh was famous for the mussel beds which grew in the Firth of Forth; after many years of claims that the mussels were unsafe for consumption, a movement has been started to reestablish the mussel beds as a commercial venture. The ''burgh'' element appears to derive from burh, in the same way as Edinburgh, before the introduction of formal burghs by David I of Scotland, David I. Its earliest Anglic name was ''Eskmuthe'' (Eskmouth) for its location at the mouth of the River Esk, Lothian, River Esk. Musselburgh was first settled by the Roman Britain, Romans in the years following their invasion of Scotland in 80 AD. They built a Inveresk Roman Fort, fort a little inland f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Firth Of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is a firth in Scotland, an inlet of the North Sea that separates Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. Further inland, it becomes the estuary of the River Forth and several other rivers. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meaning a narrow inlet. ''Forth'' stems from the name of the river; this is ('slow running') in Proto-Celtic, yielding in Old Gaelic and in Welsh. It was known as ' in Roman Empire, Roman times and was referred to as ' in Ptolemy's ''Geography_(Ptolemy), Geography''. In the Norse mythology, Norse sagas it was known as the . An early Welsh language, Welsh name is , or the 'sea of '. Geography and geology Geologically, the Firth of Forth is a fjord, formed by the Forth Glacier in the last glacial period. The drainage basin for the Firth of Forth covers a wide geographic area including places as far from the shore as Ben Lomond, Cumbernauld, Harthill, Scotland, Harthill, Penicuik and the edges of Gleneagles H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Esk, Lothian
The River Esk ( Brythonic: Isca (water), ), also called the Lothian Esk, is a river that flows through Midlothian and East Lothian, Scotland. It initially runs as two separate rivers: the North Esk and the South Esk. Route The North Esk rises in the North Esk Reservoir in the Pentland Hills, in Midlothian, a mile (1.6 km) north of the village of Carlops. It flows north-east past Penicuik and Auchendinny, where it is joined by the Glencorse Burn, flowing in a south-easterly direction from the Glencorse Reservoir.Ordnance Survey, 1:25000 map The reservoir was built by the Edinburgh Water Company in the 1820s, to supply compensation water to millowners on the Esk when they started to take water from the Glencorse Burn for drinking water supplies. The river continues through Roslin Glen and the Penicuik–Dalkeith Walkway, past Hawthornden Castle, Polton, Lasswade and Melville Castle. The South Esk rises at the southernmost extremity of Midlothian, on the western ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddleia
''Buddleja'' (; ''Buddleia''; also historically given as ''Buddlea'') is a genus comprising over 140 species of flowering plants endemicity, endemic to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The generic name bestowed by Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus posthumously honoured the Reverend Adam Buddle (1662–1715), an English botanist and Rector (ecclesiastical), rector, at the suggestion of William Houstoun (botanist), William Houstoun. Houstoun sent the first plants to become known to science as buddleja (Buddleja americana, ''B. americana'') to England from the Caribbean about 15 years after Buddle's death. ''Buddleja'' species, especially ''Buddleja davidii'' and interspecific hybrids, are commonly known as butterfly bushes and are frequently cultivated as garden shrubs. ''Buddleja davidii'' has become an invasive species in both Europe and North America. Nomenclature The botanic name has been the source of some confusion. By modern practice of botanical Latin, the spelling of a generic nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wildflowers
A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, even if it is growing where it would not naturally be found. The term can refer to the whole plant, even when not in bloom, and not just the flower. "Wildflower" is an imprecise term. More exact terms include: * native species naturally occurring in the area (see flora) * exotic or introduced species not native to the area, including ** invasive species that out-compete other plants, whether native or not ** imported (introduced to an area whether deliberately or accidentally) ** naturalized (imported, but come to be considered by the public as native) In the United Kingdom, the organization Plantlife International instituted the "County Flowers scheme" in 2002; see County flowers of the United Kingdom for which members of the public nomina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grasses
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and pasture. The latter are commonly referred to collectively as grass. With around 780 genera and around 12,000 species, the Poaceae is the fifth-largest plant family, following the Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Fabaceae and Rubiaceae. The Poaceae are the most economically important plant family, including staple foods from domesticated cereal crops such as maize, wheat, rice, oats, barley, and millet for people and as feed for meat-producing animals. They provide, through direct human consumption, just over one-half (51%) of all dietary energy; rice provides 20%, wheat supplies 20%, maize (corn) 5.5%, and other grains 6%. Some members of the Poaceae are used as building materials (bamboo, thatch, and straw); others can provide a so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mosses
Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hornworts. Mosses typically form dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations. The individual plants are usually composed of simple leaves that are generally only one cell thick, attached to a stem that may be branched or unbranched and has only a limited role in conducting water and nutrients. Although some species have conducting tissues, these are generally poorly developed and structurally different from similar tissue found in vascular plants. Mosses do not have seeds and after fertilisation develop sporophytes with unbranched stalks topped with single capsules containing spores. They are typically tall, though some species are much larger. ''Dawsonia'', the tallest moss in the world, can grow to in height. There ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
