Linn Park

On 21st January half a dozen of us, including a couple of brave first-timers, went to Linn Park to help with the work on the Millennium Project there. Recently, 300-year-old limestone kilns had been found — they had been hidden by rhododendrons and no one knew they were there. It’s now planned to create a feature displaying these kilns to visitors to the park. A contingent of postal workers was also there that day; they greeted us amiably with, “You the Pagans, then?”

The first part of the day was spent clearing rhododendrons. This is extremely hard work, particularly since some of these bushes had very thick trunks — some needing to be sawed through three or four times because of the intertwining of the branches.

It was hardly a warm day, but we were all dripping with sweat by the time we stopped for some tea.

For the second part of the day, while the posties continued to attack the rhododendrons, we began work on a footpath to take visitors to the viewpoint for the kilns feature. The rhodedendrons still caused us trouble, though: substantial roots in the way of the path required a lot of hacking before they could be removed.

By 3pm, the change from that morning was remarkable. A wide swathe had been denuded of rhododendrons, and a good length of path had taken shape. Tiring work, but extremely satisfying.

Finally, the posties having returned to the Visitors’ Centre, we linked hands in the area cleared that day and meditated for a short while on the park, the spirits of the place and the ancestors. It was a tranquil and renewing end to an exhilarating day’s work.