Echlinville Apples

I spent an absolutely delightful day at Island Taggart on Wednesday, 11th September, 2019.

There were thirteen of us, National Trust volunteers; so we were ferried out to the 85-acre island in three or four sailings.

Taggart is a mere hop, skip and jump from the mainland; in fact it's almost opposite Simmy Island.

We picked fruit from the old Echlinville apple tree in the original orchard beside the derelict farmhouse at the top of the island.

Or, rather, obtained it by a degree of agitation with a long wooden pole.

The tree is quite large.

We also tidied around the apple and pear trees of the new orchard, in a small field near the said farmhouse.

It can be exposed here, so we erected wooden poles and supports for several of the small trees which had bent over due to the strength of the wind.

At lunchtime I picked some blackberries and, with three apples, the intention is to make an apple and blackberry crumble.