9th and 10th Dec 2010 Blarbuie Woods, Lochgilphead

My lunchtimes, while on violence and aggression update training, are often spent in the Blarbuie woods in the grounds of the Argyll and Bute Hospital. The charity-led consortium which runs the woods have been creating and improving paths, seats and observation points to watch the woods’ wildlife, reclaiming the old garden as a tree nursery, and adding wooden sculptures so that walking through the woods is an ever changing experience. My walks this time were over snow covered paths.
The first sculpture one sees, reads “In memory of all who sought and found sanctuary within Argyll and Bute Hospital and of those whose lives ended here from 1863 to the present day”. An uplifting and at the same time sobering statement. The woods around the hospital were integral part of the original Victorian asylum and the A+B Hospital still caters for users of the mental health services