Flanders Moss NNR
We were delighted today to host the Callander ‘Walk in the Park’ health walk group at Flanders.
When we first put a path and viewing tower onto the moss the health potential of the facility wasn’t the first thing we were thinking of. But a flat level path, a viewing tower with plenty of steps and an exhilarating landscape all make the Moss a great place to exercise.
The Loch Lomond Countryside Trust run health walks all across the loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and beyond (more information here) and today it was the Callander group who stepped out at Flanders. It was a good opportunity for me to meet up with them a tell them a bit about Flanders as they marched round. And all rounded off with had a picnic afterwards.
Obviously the exercise and social chit-chat has lots of benefits but we also talked about the health benefits of the some of bog plants, sundews in particular. Folk lore says that the dew of sundew is excellent at prolonging your life span indefinitely so I had to watch the group carefully to make sure none of them were licking the leaves. And as ever there is a grain of truth in the tales from the past, as the dew of sundew is being now developed to benefit tissue engineering and chronic wound healing. More about the potential health benefits of sundews here . So all part of the Natural Health Service!
Close-up of a sundew leaf.
2 bogs, a swamp and some islands 