Den Clump

The stone bridge crosses a small creek.

This mud bank is the Sure as Death Bank. It gave its name to the net fishing station of that name (or was it the other way round ?) I am standing on the end of an old sewage pipe encased in stones and concrete, marked on the map as "breakwater", having struggled through several hundred yards of a jungle of 8 foot high reeds. From Fife place name data Link : "While it might be reasonable to suppose that this ominously named sand-bank in the Tay posed a deadly danger to shipping, the explanation given in OS Name Book (39, 4) is humorous and benign: ‘ A small sand bank visible at low water; and is insulated. It is so called from the fisherman who first fished on it having asserted that he caught fish on it; and then confirmed it by the common phrase “Sure as death, I have.”’"

Tay estuary coming into sight.

A supplemental image taken when standing on the stone and earth embankment which would have formed the "harbour" of Port Allen. The reeds are last year's growth partly flattened by the Winter, and the mudbanks are showing up well as it is a particularly low tide.

I'm standing on the matted remains of some of last year's reeds ( holding me above water ) with my camera held above my head, to give you as best a view of the Tay mudbanks as I can from that position.

Lodge The Carse of Gowrie No.871, Errol, Perthshire, Scotland.

At Errol in Perthshire

The High Street in Errol, with a number of buildings constructed of brick - a brickworks once operated nearby at Inchcoonins - see Geograph image NO2323 : Brick and Tile Works.

Farmland near Inchcoonans, waterlogged in places after several days of wet weather.

One of two beehive kilns at the disused brickworks in Inchcoonans - now listed buildings(*). These were capable of firing up to 100,000 bricks simultaneously. A number of brickworks were situated in this area - an example of the relationship between geology and land use - local deposits of alluvial clay can be seen on the Geology of Britain viewer: Link * Reference: British Listed Buildings; Inchcoonans Road, Errol Brick Company Brick Stacks and Kilns, Errol. Link

The former brickworks at Inchcoonans - with new building work in progress in March 2013.

A track running through farmland towards the north bank of the River Tay - now part of a footpath around the village of Errol.

Farmland north of the River Tay, with oilseed rape just coming into flower in May 2013.

Housing in the village of Errol, viewed over the fields of New Farm, with oilseed rape coming into flower.