24 EWN 22 - 28 June 2023
km² (195,342 mi²) is the land area of Spain
Herd heroes Anna Ellis A SMALL herd of tradition al cattle will be helping to bring wildlife back to Northern Ireland’s highest peaks following a devastat
ing fire two years ago. In April 2021, flames rav aged 720 acres of land in the Mourne Mountains in what was to be one of the biggest fires of its kind
recorded in Northern Ire land. An area once brimming with flora and fauna was scorched, vegetation de stroyed, and species diver sity reduced. Since then, the National Trust, which cares for much of the area, has been trialling different methods to rejuvenate the land and bring it back to full health for the plants and animals that live there. The area is a Site of Spe
NEWS Image: National Trust / Joe Cornish
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DESTROYED: Slieve Donard, Mourne Mountains.
cial Scientific Interest and home to beloved animals including the Irish hare, and rare plants like the pale butterwort and starry saxifrage. Now, the charity is work ing in partnership with its tenant farmer to add a herd of Luing cattle to its restoration efforts. The
herd of six cows will tram ple bracken and chomp through the dominant pur ple moorgrass that has sprung up since the fire, providing the space for na tive plants and heather to return, and creating habi tat for newts, lizards, groundnesting birds and hares.
Flying Scotsman Looking up HIS Majesty The King cel ebrated 100 years of Fly ing Scotsman and 50 years of the North York shire Moors Railway. On Monday June 12, Flying Scotsman, the world’s most famous lo comotive, hauled the Royal Train into Pickering Heritage Railway Station as part of its centenary tour of the UK and to mark 50 years of North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Flying Scotsman, which turned 100 on February 24,2023, had been spe cially prepared for the oc casion: its roof painted white and new lamps fit ted to the cab, in line with the tradition of haul
ing the Royal Train. Judith McNicol, Direc tor of the National Rail way Museum, said: “To have Flying Scotsman haul the Royal Train in its centenary year and in the first year of His Majesty’s reign is a huge honour. “It takes a dedicated team of people, with im portant heritage skills, to keep this engine running as it is the oldest steam locomotive on the main line.” She added: “We are deeply appreciative of His Majesty’s interest in and support for our historic railways and the skills needed to maintain them.”
THE Royal Institutions for Chartered Surveyors UK (RICS) have expressed a more posi tive outlook for house prices, despite rising interest rates that are expected to impact buyers’ affordability. RICS’s re ported that new buyer in quiries, prices, and expecta tions for the market were all less negative in May compared to previous months. Despite their positive out look for the property market, RICS warned that an increase in mortgage rates could con strain the market in the future. While new buyer inquiries registered at minus 18 per cent in May, the least negative reading in a year, the measure of house prices rose to minus 30 per cent, marking the third consecutive increase.