Situated between Stirling and Aberfoyle in a far corner of historic Perthshire, Flanders Moss is a vast expanse of ancient landscape. It is the largest lowland raised bog in Britain and the surface is a mosaic of sphagnum and other rare plants. Lying upon the Carse of Stirling, a natural floodplain of the Forth estuary, Flanders was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1982. An active management programme keeps the water table high and aims to reverse the negative effects of drainage and peat extraction in decades gone by.
We have visited the reserve several times and today we found the car park full of alpaca trekkers, ready to wander around the moss for a couple of hours. The animals are based at a nearby farm and this activity takes place every Saturday and Sunday. It's not exactly our scene and we swiftly decamped to the Tir na nOg holistic centre further along the A811. On the way we passed the surviving signal box at the site of Kippen Station on the old Stirling to Balloch railway. Tír na nÓg is a Gaelic term meaning land of eternal youth and the wellness centre is set within an attractive courtyard. There are two shops on site and a range of therapies and courses are offered. The Soup Dragon Café serves freshly baked produce along with daily specials. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch, followed by a look around the complex. Thankfully the Peruvian goats were gone by the time we arrived back at Flanders. The path from the car park passes through a small patch of woodland and brings you to a wooden observation tower, which offers panoramic views across the flat reserve. The fringes of the Trossachs are prominent in the distance. A circular wooden boardwalk runs for half a mile through the bog and passes several pools, where newts, lizards and dragonflies can be spotted. Scottish Natural Heritage finally managed to buy out the commercial peat cutting rights in 1995 and the landscape is now fully protected. Water levels have risen (the desired effect) and the removal of trees has allowed natural bog vegetation to thrive. Peat has once again started to develop, even in the most damaged parts of the ground. Flanders basically acts a giant sponge within the Carse of Stirling and is a vital carbon store. Much of Central Scotland was once marshland which made it difficult for invading armies to advance. Centuries of drainage improved the agricultural and residential prospects, but at what cost to the environment? No dragonflies were around today in early spring but these insects play a vital role in wetland ecosystems. Flanders provides the perfect habitat and is regarded as a hotspot for this winged species. Several colourful examples frequent the sphagnum-rich pools.
A raised bog forms over millennia and a shallow domed profile is created as the plants pile on top of each other. From the boardwalk, traces of long straight ditches can be seen. They were dug in the 1980s to aid peat removal and 40km of these channels have been dammed since the nature authority took control. Flora and fauna thrive during the summer and lizards can be seen basking on the wooden platforms. Peatland restoration works normally take place over the winter months, when pink-footed geese make the moss their home. The current extent of the bog is around 60% of what is was before 1750. Some parts have been lost to farming and forestry forever, but the ultimate aim is to recover as much territory as is practically possible. We did our usual circuit and found a healthy amount of frog spawn in the ponds. Around 8000 people visit the reserve each year. It is a place for quiet and peaceful reflection and gives us a glimpse into the way our country looked thousands of years ago. Tir na nOg, as they say.
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