Saturday 24 July 2021

Using citizen science as an excuse to cllmb hills 🙂 Gaëlle chose a Munro and ordered a sampling kit and we set off to collect soil samples for fungal DNA analysis as part of Plantlife’s Cairngorms Rare Plants and Wild Connections project with the James Hutton Institute. A perfect choice of Munro, standing clear of the coastal fog shrouding the south side of Glenshee. It was a leisurely walk up in the heat and by the summit of Carn Tuirc the remaining cloud had burned off. Not lunch time yet, we headed over to Carn of Claise. The first two samples were taken nearby, under moss and in grassland, taking care not to contaminate the sample with the DNA from our sandwiches! The third and a random fourth were further away so Greg and Berenice sunbathed on the summit. After the descent everyone went for a dip in the stream to cool off. Lovely day, and nice to meet a new face, Hi David!

• Report by Andrew