The timber treatment company would have charged far more than I have available in my renovation budget so there was no other choice but to take on the job myself. Not a complicated process but hard work and time consuming. The first task was to lift the top boards, raising them one by one and sawing through them before pulling them up. This took a couple of hours and then it was time to move to the original boards below. Care had to be taken and sawing through and removing them had to be done two at a time checking after each pair that there were no water pipes or electric cables running across the room. This part of the job took somewhat longer and quite a few of the boards ran under walls due to the changes in layout over the years.

Once all of the old boards together with the plaster board and artex which would have been the old ceilings from the room below had been removed it was time to give everything a clean up. The spaces between the joists were swept to remove any debris and then the whole area was vacuumed taking great care not to lose balance and put a foot through the ceiling below.

The following day with the area clean and dust free it was time to spray treat all of the joists and other exposed timber with woodworm treatment. For good measure later in the day a second treatment was applied to use up what was left in the pump spray.

We did think about laying new floorboards which would be varnished to a beautiful finish but as it is likely the room will be carpeted it was decided that boarding it would be a better option as this would strengthen the whole floor. Boarding has been laid and another layer of plywood will be screwed on top to give further strength and ensure that the floor is level.

To see a selection of photos taken during the process click on the image above and view all of the images. Additional photos will be added once the plywood is down.

The new floor is being laid by Clydebuilt Joiners Glasgow.

Another walk myself and Branston have been doing a lot recently is up around the Clootie Well at Munlochy through Hill O’Hirdle Wood. The Clootie Well itself is quite creepy and not actually a well at all – the water runs down the hill and onto something that looks like a small butler sink. From the area where you park you walk up between the trees and you see items of clothing and rags tied to the them some with messages written on them. The idea of a Clootie Well is that if you have an ailment you dip a piece of clothing in the well and then tie it to a tree. As the rag rots away so the ailment fades away. There are lots of local variations of the custom and Wikipedia explains what Clootie Wells are in a lot more detail.

For the Hill O’Hirdle Wood walk you go back down to where you park and follow the path. The first part is very steep and probably not recommended if it’s very wet as it can be a bit slippery. At the bottom of this part you walk over a little wooden footbridge which presents you with the option of taking the walk clockwise or anti-clockwise as it’s a circular walk. We generally go clockwise first but then walk round again going the way. The benefit of this is that you see different things and from a different perspective.

One thing you do notice is that it is so peaceful and normally we are the only ones there. As you follow left there is a small stream that you can walk with an almost sandy bank. Branston likes to paddle in this part. From here the path rises quite steeply again until you reach the higher point. There is an option to go left here but after 200 yards or so it’s a dead end and it’s always pretty muddy. It best to go right and continue along until you reach a point where you can continue straight on or take one of three paths to the left. All three eventually lead through to a country road we normally take the first path, walk along to the end and then cut across on a smaller path till it meets up with on of the others and go back to the main walk on that.

Once back to the main walk follow the path left and this then starts to gently slope back downhill until you reach the other end of the stream. This is another part of the walk that Branston likes as he can have a good drink and paddle around waist deep to cool down. From here you continue around the path until you arrive back at the wooden footbridge. At this point you either go back around the walk in the opposite direction or across the bridge and back up the steep path to the parking area.

The Clootie Well & Hill O’Hirdle Wood Walk – perfect for a peaceful summer afternoon.

Branston (my Border Terrier) and I walked Fairy Glen for the first time yesterday and despite it being a bit damp and chilly we both thoroughly enjoyed it particularly Branston. It’s quite a simple walk of 3.75km through a wooded glen which took us less than hour although when you return back to the starting point you can carry on along the footbath all the way to the beach which we did. We walked along the beach towards Chanonry Point but turned back at the caravan park then returning to the car park which added another 3.75km to the walk.

To get to Fairy Glen you travel through Rosemarkie on the A832 towards Cromarty. Go along the High Street and past Mill Road and the Plough Inn pub on the right. About 200 metres after the pub there is a car park on the right (Google Map). After parking start the walk which is to the right of the information board which gives information about the walk and the wildlife. You follow the path and bear right onto the smaller path which takes you to the edge of the stream.

Although it was raining very slightly we stayed dry as the walk is well covered by the canopy of the tree. You follow the footpath and eventually you reach a bridge made of wood and then along to a large pond which mirrored the surrounding scenery. Further along you cross over the water on another bridge and you then get to the first water fall which is Fairy Glen’s waterfall.

After the first falls you go up a wooden staircase and across an incline. This is the trickiest part of the walk especially as it was a bit muddy from the rain. A bit further on you get to the second waterfall which was beautiful. There is a path that goes further but this takes you up to the main road so we suggest you do what we did and return the way you have come and enjoy the walk from a different perspective.

A very relaxing walk in a pretty and peaceful location.

Beach Cottage B&B is a great new bed and breakfast in a beautiful location by the waters of the Moray Firth famous for dolphins at Chanonry Point.