Last night before I had a chance to put the wildlife camera out the hedgehogs had already left their houses to forage for food. We saw Horace in the undergrowth hopefully consuming some of the many slugs and snails that live in our garden. It really is a paradise for hedgehogs as we have very little grass and lots of overgrown shrubs and trees so there’s plenty of space for hedgehogs to hide. Perhaps that’s why this morning they weren’t in their houses. They chose somewhere else to sleep during the day. They may have left our garden overnight and that would be fine although I’d feel a bit sad if we never saw them again. I’ll put the camera out tonight and point it at the food bowl to see if either of them appears.
It was hot today. Aboyne got up to 28C so it was maybe a little daft to go for a walk on the Glen Tanar estate. It was sweltering. I’ve never been to Glen Tanar before but it’s very pretty with plenty of walks through forest, farmland, and around the Water of Tanar. The water level in the river was quite low so we couldn’t really have a proper swim there although I did go in at one point just to try to cool down.
This next gallery of photos were all taken on the Glen Tanar estate.
Still desperate to cool off in the water we stopped at Birsemore Loch in the hope of swimming but it wasn’t really suitable. The water looked a bit murky and there weren’t any good “beaches” to enter it. I think it’s most used for canoeing. I did get a better look at Queen Mary’s house though which sits right on the shore of the loch.
The next few photos are Birsemore Loch and Queen Mary’s House.
In the end we went to Cambus o’May to swim. It really is a perfect spot as the forest goes right up to the river so there are plenty of shady spots for a picnic. On the south bank there’s sand and a beach with a gentle gradient into the water. It’s also right next to the Camus o’May suspension bridge which is not only picturesque but is also a good jumping in platform for the more adventurous.
rachel.blog 
Did you jump in from the suspension bridge? 😀
I was in Wales on a school trip last week. It was nice and cool in the water (although we had wetsuits.) I wouldn’t go out for a walk round here today!
I’ve never been to Wales but I’d love to visit one day. It looks very beautiful and I’ve heard there are lots of nice swimming spots.
There are groups who swim regularly but I’m not in any of them. Try searching for wild swimming Scotland on Facebook – you might be able to get some information there. Cambus O’May is wonderful as are the beaches to the north of Aberdeen. Try Balmedie. Enjoy!