Ae, Dumfries an Gallowa

Ae (pronoonce't /aɪ/ or "eh”) is a veelage in Dumfries an Gallowa, soothwast Scotland. The village is locatit on the edge o a 15,000 acre man-made conifer forest, an is aboot 9 mile north o Dumfries.

Ae, Dumfries an Gallowa
The veelage o Ae
Ae Location within Scotland
Population	200 (approx)
OS grid reference	NX983891
• Edinburgh	70 mi (110 km) NE
• Lunnon	340 mi (550 km) SE
Cooncil area	Dumfries and Galloway
Lieutenancy area	Dumfries
Kintra	Scotland
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Post toun	DUMFRIES
Postcode destrict	DG1
Diallin code	01387
Police	Scots
Fire	Scots
Ambulance	Scots
EU Pairlament	Scotland
UK Pairlament	Dumfries an Gallowa
Scots Pairlament	Dumfriesshire

History

Robert Chambers wrate aboot the Ae aurie in 1826, descrievin it as a muir wi a glen (kent as Glenae), whase woners wis "lang-fame't for broils, battles, an feats o acteevity". Chambers wrate that the majority o the men in the aurie wis employed in fermin an transportin guids on horseback atween the veelage an Glesga, as weel as the ceetys o Cairl an Manchester. Thir "lads o Ae" haed a reputation that preceedit thaim, bein famous for "cudgel-playin an boxin at ilka fair an waddin the aurie haudit.

The veelage o Ae is ane o the youngest veelages in Breetain, haen been foondit in 1947 bi the Forestry Commission.

Geography

The veelage is situatit atween the Watter o Ae an the Goukstane Burn efter thay hae flowed oot o the Forest o Ae. The population is aboot 200, wi 50 dwallins. Faceelitys in the veelage includes a public hoose (forgane a post office), a schuil, an a community haw.

Experiments at Ae includes successfu afforestation o umwhile bogs, thocht tae be unplantable afore. Plantation haes been estaiblished at a heicht o 1,750 fit an aw. The forest consists o mainly Sitka spruce, but thare is larch, Scots pine, an Norway spruce an aw. Thare is a hantle o wildlife, includin deer, tod, maukin, whitrat, cushat, yorlin, spur-hawk, jay, pheisant, paitrick, an ferret.

Toponymy

In 1787, the aurie's name wis written wi the ligature Æ. By 1826 the name wis written Ae that, bi repute, is the shortest place name in the Unitit Kinrick. Houiver the Scots Gaelic name o the island o Iona comprises a single letter, I.

The name likely comes fae the Auld Norse wird aa, meanin "watter, river".

Muntain bikin trails

Near til the veelage is the local aurie heidquarters o the Forestry Commission. The commission haes been instrumental in developin a muntain bikin centre, that provides access tae cycle trails o various difficulty. Tae cater for veesitors, thare is a smaw café an a bike shap.

Wheelchair accessible walks

Thare is a 3.5 mile lang wheelchair accessible circular trail alang the Ae riverside fae the main car pairk whaur thare is disable't pairkin. The paith is wide an generally flet an consists o a combination o cinder an compactit graivel tracks wi no mony law sticks, an slicht slents. The route is suitable for manual wheelchair uisers, juist follae the yellae post merkers. Thare is the option o pairkin at the upper/owerflowe car pairk an aw shortenin the walk tae less nor 2.5 mile avydin the first pairt o the trail that is skare'd wi vehicles. For the muir adventurous wi "aff-road" wheelchaires the yellae trail can be extendit bi follaein the greed muntain bike trail merkers up tae Dan's Puil an back.

Sources

• Reader's Digest Association (1990), Book of British Villages, London: Reader's Digest, ISBN 0-276-42018-7, OCLC 35330841
• Chambers, Robert (1826), The Popular Rhymes of Scotland, W. Hunte
• Great Britain House of Lords (1787), Journals of the House of Lords / Great Britain, Parliament, House of Lords, 38, HMSO
• Pye, Kenneth; Croft, Debra (2004), Forensic geoscience: principles, techniques and applications, London: Geological Society, ISBN 1-86239-161-0

External links

• Video footage o Ae Village