FOULA HERITAGE RANGER SERVICE

GUIDED WALK NO 4 - Airstrip to the 'Sneck ida Smaallie'

(You may wish to use the toilets at the airstrip before setting out....)

The area between the airstrip and the church is a favourite breeding ground for Arctic skuas, but they are under continuing severe pressure from bonxies encroaching on their territory.

The Baxter Chapel (1) was built towards the end of the 19th century - the money was gifted in memory of a Congregational gentleman named Baxter by his two sisters. The building is maintained by the Church of Scotland but there is no resident minister.

A little south of the church there is a ruined planticrub built on a prehistoric site called Crukaitrin (Katherine's shelter). A folk tale describes this as the site of the home of Katherine Asmundder, the last Norse 'Queen of Foula'. You can also see remains of ancient dykes. Archaeologists think this site may date from the Iron Age.

Nearby is the South water tank. Fresh water is tapped from springs at the back of the Mill Loch, gathered at the pumping station at the Mogle bridge, then pumped uphill to 2 tanks, one each at the South and North ends of the isle - these gravity feed the water supply to every customer. The Foula public water scheme was installed in 1981.

Walk along the 'Braidfit road', an old access track built by the Braidfit crofters before the South end roads were completed. The land all around here is shallow and stoney. It was 'scalped' - the turf and soil carried in to the crofts and used for bedding in the byres for cattle before being spread on the land. In contrast the croft land inside the township dykes is green and fertile.

The heather in this area grows in a close carpet - the sea-facing sides of the clumps are grey and dead because of exposure to salt-laden winds in winter. If you're lucky you may also find white heather in this area. Look for crowberry (berry heather), tormentil (bark), spotted heath orchids (muldoories), pink white or blue milkwort, heath rush, common sedge, and heath bedstraw.

Watch out for ringed plover (known locally as Sandy Loos) which often nest in this area

Above the Braidfit House (2) outside the dyke there is an archaeological site - the date and usage is unknown. There's a small boat-shaped ring of stones above it, possibly the remains of a Norse boat burial site.

Look at the old stone 'cru' (sheep pen) and styaggie (lead-in wall) built on to the back of the Braidfit dyke. Sheep were gathered from far west in the hills and driven down into this pen. There's a restored planticrub at the west end of the styaggie - kale seed is sown in August, and the plants grow and harden off between September and the following April when they're set in the kale yards to mature by the following October. Other planti-crubs can be down seen along the side of the burn.

At the corner of the Braidfit dyke near the old well, or down in the boggy patch near the burn, those interested in plants may find butterwort, sundew, and lousewort. You may also be lucky enough to find lesser twayblade.

Running westward there is an old track built by members of the International Voluntary Service (IVS) in the late 1980s to assist access to the Wastin Cru at the Sneck ida Smaallie. As you follow this track westwards you can see remains of old mooldie cusses.

All around is bonxie breeding territory. About 20% of the world's population of bonxies breed in Foula. There are about 2500 breeding pairs in Foula and approximately 3000 non-breeders. They don't mate till they're about 3-4 years old.

About half-way along the Daal you can still see the Brig ida Daal (3), the remains of the old Mill dam. When the water was released from here it turned 7 mills along the Hametoun burn, before it reached the sea.

The Daal is a U-shaped glacial valley rounded out by the ice-cap which spread out from the Shetland mainland and pushed through. Sphagnum moss is plentiful in the Daal, and was collected during the World Wars for its medical properties. This is one of the components of the build-up of Blanket Bog in Foula. Look out for meadow pipits, sky-larks, wheatears and snipe. As you walk you will see Foula sheep grazing - they are the pure Shetland breed, and care is taken to preserve the whole spectrum of natural colours and markings. On the side of the Noup you can see the snaa-buls, built to enhance the natural shelter in places where the sheep gather for protection from the weather during snow and bad weather.

A little west of the farthest west peat banks you can see the remains of a circle with a few stones sticking up - its not known what it was for, but further investigation into Foula's archaeology may find an explanation.

At the far west end of the Daal notice how the vegetation changes to maritime sward, sea plantains, buckshorn plantains, ribwort plantains, sea pinks, sweet vernal grass, sheep's fescue, and Yorkshire fog. Go to the nearer end of the spectacular Sneck ida Smaallie (4), formed when a big chunk of rock slid outwards to form the crack. Listen for wrens singing, and look for red campion, (Sweet Williams) sea campion, (Anchor Kegs), scurvey grass (a very large form grows on the cliffs) and moss and ferns in the Sneck itself. BE VERY CAREFUL NEAR THE EDGE.

Further west below the Broos ida Humareens in the flatter slopes of Lusabrek you can see the drystane dyke of another extensive snaa-bul. The remains of old "cooey dykes' run uphill on the north side—they prevented cattle grazing on the scattald from straying into steep dangerous parts of the hill. On the grassy slope on the south side of the Smaallie you may see puffins, razorbills, guillemots and shags. You may see gannets flying by, or sitting on the ledges out on the nose of Waster Hoevdi.

And a little further south on a small plateau below the edge of the maritime sward is the remains of da auld Wastin Cru (5), a stone-built sheep pen - the sheep were driven down from the higher hills, across the Brig ida Smaallie and followed by one man and a dog along the steep narrow path under the cliffs and into the pen.

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