A living legend (no exaggeration)

Today I was at Cow Green Reservoir at 0945 as instructed and a bit nonplussed because no one else had arrived for a wild flower walk with THE expert on the rare plants of Teesdale, Margaret Bradshaw.

She is 99 years old and still keen to teach people about her beloved Teesdale.

By 10 o'clock the others had arrived.

I first met Margaret on a nature walk about 20 years ago. She was indomitable then and you had to stand exactly where you were told (or else)! I think she has mellowed (a little).

She started the day with a talk about the landscape and, in particular, the Geology. As the day progressed, the Geology continued to be of prime importance. It was only if we understood it, that we would understand the plants.

Margaret's sight is not as good as when she was younger, so she has to get down on the ground and very close to see the plants. Her deafness is also an issue and I wished I could tell her that the ear moulds were not correctly positioned. (That would not have been well received.)

I learned a lot today. We started off very cold, then the sun appeared, then rain and more rain, but we still had a great time. There were only 4 of us and Margaret's supporter who used her car to ferry Margaret up and down the road while the rest of us walked.

I'm so very glad I went.

Her book "Teesdale's Special Flora" is brilliant.

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