A Visit to Glen Clova : Its Geology and Ferns. 2 



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Bilberry and the Mountain or Cloud-berry, JRubus cliamce- 

 morus, together with that pretty Alpine plant with silvery 

 leaves, Alchemilla cdpina, grow everywhere amongst the 

 heather which covers the hills here ; and we saw also a great 

 many of those rare Alpine species for which Clova is such a 

 noted locality. 



Loch Brandy is about a mile and a half in circumference, 

 and abounds in pike and trout. From the summit of the hills, 

 which rise precipitately in a semicircle at the north of the 

 Loch to about 700 feet above it, one obtains, on a fine day, a 

 splendid view over the surrounding country to the south, along 

 the Clova Glen, across the valley of Strathmore ; while to the 

 east, north, and west are to be seen nothing but mountains, 

 and mountains beyond mountains, right away into the blue 

 distance. A shepherd whom, we met told us the names of a 

 great many, but with such a Highland accent that we could 

 catch only one here and there, amongst which were Loch-na- 

 gar, and Glas Miel, etc. 



But we must not omit to point out the best means of access 

 to Clova. We preferred travelling by sea from London to 

 Edinburgh, to being shut up in a close railway carriage for 

 twelve hours ; and so took a steamer from Irongate Wharf, 

 bound for Leith. We had a pleasant and quick passage down 

 of only thirty-seven hours, on board the " Oscar," one of the 

 swiftest of the Leith steamers, which are all noted for their 

 speed, the weather being almost too calm ; but on our return, 

 it was rather rough, which was a pleasant change. The 

 " Oscar" is 240 feet long, by 30 feet broad, and of 900 tons 

 burden. From the steamer one has a good view of a great 

 portion of the eastern coast. We had to give the flat shore of 

 Essex a wide berth, but approached land a little nearer when 

 passing Suffolk and Norfolk, though almost the only objects 

 to be seen on them were the Martello towers placed at inter- 

 vals along the shore, and the two lighthouses on Orford Ness. 

 At Cromer we first see cliffs. In crossing by the Wash we 

 lose sight of land for some time. While passing the bold 

 Yorkshire coast, we kept still closer to the shore, sighting 

 Flamborough Head, at 7*15 on the Sunday morning, having 

 left London at 10 the day before; next Filey Brig, Scar- 

 borough, with its ruined castle, Bobin Hood's Bay, then 

 Whitby, in the neighbourhood of which so many fossil ammon- 

 ites are found, and of which the popular tradition runs : — 



" And how, of thousand snakes, each one 

 Was changed into a coil of stone, 

 When holy Hilda prayed." 



The magnificent abbey, now in ruins, which forms a con- 



