Summer 2012

ROAD LESS

TRAVELLED

Discover the Ardnamurchan peninsula

Finding a better way to conserve an icon

JEWEL OF THE HEBRIDES A portrait of the colourful Isle of Coll

JOINING THE DOTS

How to create your own long-distance walks

PLUS: Boosting biodiversity by Loch Ness • The world of ultra-running • Learn a new watersport

www.scotoutdoors.com

Summer 2012 £3.80

BACKING BEN NEVIS

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WELCOME

A word from the editor

ith the crowds invariably concentrated on the main drag between Glencoe and Fort William, out of the way areas such as Ardnamurchan can be forgotten in the rush to visit Scotland’s well-known honeypots. More’s the pity, as a quick hop across Loch Linnhe on the Corran Ferry opens up a whole new world of exploration on a journey to the most westerly point on the British mainland.

Together with neighbouring Morvern and Moidart, it was our pleasure to revisit this fascinating peninsula while researching this issue’s Explore section. Ardnamurchan may not boast any Munros, but has other outdoor interests to burn. Turn to page 44 for more.

Elsewhere, our writers examine the complex conservation challenges surrounding Ben Nevis, a mountain that is proving too popular for its own good; get creative with a DIY long-distance walk in the Borders; hop over to Coll for a portrait of perhaps the most colourful of all the Hebridean islands; and highlight the incredible biodiversity hotspot that is Trees for Life’s Dundreggan Estate by Loch Ness.

We hope you enjoy the issue and that we provide some additional inspiration to fuel your travels and adventures this summer.

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Skara Brae p6

richard rowe editor, Scotland Outdoors Loch Ness p60

Winner Best small publishing company magazine PPA Scotland Awards 2009, 2010 Ben Nevis p30

p44 Coll p38

EXPLORE

Scotland Outdoors online

ARDNAMURCHAN

You can find our website at www.scotoutdoors.com Fife coast p22

Dunbar p54

Look out for special online features and sign up for our e-newsletter to receive regular updates

Join us on Facebook and tell your friends! www.tinyurl.com/somagfb You can also follow us on twitter www.twitter.com/scotoutdoors

Kirkcudbright p20 PHOTOGRAPHY: COVER: THE WINDING ROAD TO KILMORY, ARDNAMURCHAN, KEITH SHUTTLEWOOD ABOVE LEFT: SIGNAGE OUTSIDE THE SONACHAN HOTEL, WEST ARDNAMURCHAN, RICHARD ROWE

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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CONTENTS

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Contributors

Richard Baynes

Simon Wellock

Richard Baynes is a Glasgow-based writer, editor and radio producer with a focus on outdoor issues.

Here, Richard looks at the complex conservation challenges surrounding Ben Nevis – a mountain that is proving too popular for its own good. Backing the Ben, page 30

Simon Wellock is well-placed to lift the lid on the inner Hebridean isle of Coll. Having long worked for the RSPB, he moved to Coll in 2004 first as the RSPB warden and later started his own business, Coll of the Wild, providing wildlife holidays and tours.

Coll calling, page 38

CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAN KIMBER/ WWW.WESTCOAST-MOUNTAINGUIDES.CO.UK; VISITORKNEY.COM; PETER CAIRNS/2020VISION; PORT EDGAR WATERSPORTS CENTRE; DEAN BRICKNELL; FIONA RENNIE; ALAN WATSON FEATHERSTONE; JAMES CARRON

James Carron

Penny Bunting

Regular contributor James Carron loves blazing his own trail through Scotland’s hills and glens – often using existing tracks to make up his own long-distance routes. Here, he joins two historic thoroughfares to create a wonderful walk through the Borders.

Way to go, page 54

Penny Bunting is an environmental writer and smallholder living in the Peak District where she also runs an award-winning sustainable living project, Little Green Space. Inspired by the work there to date, Penny looks at the biodiversity hotspot that is Dundreggan Estate, near Loch Ness. Lost and found, page 60

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The Scotland Outdoors team Editor: Richard Rowe t 01721 588140 e richard@scotoutdoors.com Associate Editor: Ida Maspero t 0131 4676121 e ida@scotoutdoors.com Editorial Assistant: Hilary Little t 01721 588140 e hilary@scotoutdoors.com Copy Editor: Ruth Noble Editorial Board: Nick Williams, Chris Surgenor, Charlotte Manwaring, Andy Ross Advertising sales: Alison Fraser t 0141 946 8708 e alison@scotoutdoors.com Design & Production: CMYK Design e production@scotoutdoors.com w cmyk-design.co.uk

Scotland Outdoors is published quarterly. It is available by subscription and through in-room copies at high-quality accommodation providers; farm shops and galleries; ferries and airline lounges; leading wildlife and adventure travel companies; activity and visitor centres; outdoor retailers and other specialist suppliers. For a full list of stockists see: www.scotoutdoors.com ISSN 1757-224X All contents © Big Bend Publishing (2012) This magazine is printed on Claro Silk, which is FSC-certified and produced using ECF pulp.

Subscriptions: Hilary Little t 01721 588140 e subscriptions@scotoutdoors.com Printing: J Thomson Colour Printers Published by: Big Bend Publishing Port Brae House, Port Brae, Peebles, EH45 8SW, Scotland

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FEATURES

CONSERVATION

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Backing the Ben

Ben Nevis is both an icon of Scottish climbing and a major tourist attraction, with more than 100,000 walkers reaching the summit each year. Looking after the mountain, however, is proving a challenge, reports Richard Baynes

PORTRAIT Coll calling

38

Colourful, diverse and with outstanding natural riches, the Isle of Coll is one of the most bewitching of all the Hebridean islands, writes Simon Wellock

EXPLORE ARDNAMURCHAN EXPERIENCE Way to go

54

With a bit of imagination, it’s possible to use Scotland’s network of hill tracks and ancient rights of way to create long-distance walks that are every bit the equal of established trails. James Carron explains

WILDLIFE & ECOLOGY Lost and found

60

Penny Bunting discovers how woodland restoration work on a former sporting estate near Loch Ness is helping to create a biodiversity hotspot

44

Way out west

50

Peninsula pleasures

With an enticing mix of volcanic history, pristine beaches, ancient woodland and abundant wildlife, the Ardnamurchan peninsula has more than enough to tempt the traveller west, writes Richard Rowe

Although some shun Ardnamurchan because of its lack of Munros, it hardly matters given the sheer number of other options for enjoying this magical area

Visit our website for additional online features submitted by readers www.scotoutdoors.com

REGULARS

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Reader adventures Reader photographs of wild getaways

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Day in the life

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Innovations

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Competition

Big picture Skara Brae, Orkney

2020Vision More than just rivers Many British rivers still have poor water quality despite clean-up efforts and progress to combat pollution, writes Niall Benvie

News Outdoor news from around Scotland

Top six…

Places to learn a watersport Try a new watersport this summer and you might end up hooked for life

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Events Get active with our round-up of outdoorsy events

Board and lodging Seclusion and relaxed luxury have earned The Waterhouse near Kirkcudbright a loyal following of return visitors.

Ida Maspero discovers why

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The RSPB’s East Scotland Sea Eagle Officer, Rhian Evans, explains what it is like to work with Scotland’s largest bird of prey

A glance at some of the most innovative new products for summer and beyond

Win an exclusive outdoor weekend in Highland Perthshire courtesy of Highland Safaris and Cragatin House & Courtyard

Outdoor passions With a string of long-distance races under her belt, Fiona Rennie is a familiar figure in Scottish ultra-running. The fact that she suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2005 makes her continued exploits even more inspiring

Reading Our pick of some of the very best new outdoor titles

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OUTDOOR • ADVENTURES

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CHECK OUT OUR SELECTION OF THE BEST READER PICTURES SUBMITTED IN RECENT MONTHS

Who done it?

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1 Lochside views to Stac Pollaidh, Wester Ross, Rob Williams 2 Freddie & Flora Watts at Coillegillie, Applecross, Toby Watts 3 Taking a break, Loch Leven, Douglas Potter 4 Freezing cold start from Ryvoan Bothy, Cairngorms, Robert Hutchinson 5 Sand acrobatics, Luskentyre beach, Harris, Marie-Amelie Viatte 6 Young grey seal

yawning, Isle of May, Susan Taylor 7 Sheltering from the wind on Tiree, Corrie Cuthbertson PLEASE KEEP THE PICTURES COMING:

Show us what you get up to and we will publish the best pictures in our next issue. Just tell us where you are and what you are doing.

Email your high-resolution images to: richard@scotoutdoors.com

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Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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Village people PHOTOGRAPH: VISITORKNEY.COM

Skara Brae, Orkney The islands of Orkney offer some of the richest archaeological sites in Europe. But even within the many ancient wonders of The Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, Skara Brae, the best preserved prehistoric village in Europe, stands out.

The site was discovered in 1850 following a raging storm that, once passed, revealed an almost intact 5,000year-old village. Then, as now, the discovery is all the more incredible because of the preservation of stone furniture, including beds, dressers and fireplaces, as well as tools and decorative carvings that between them provide a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of those who lived here all those centuries ago.

Since then, Skara Brae has enthralled generations of archaeologists and visitors, providing a tangible link to lost millennia. The seven houses and one workshop appear buried into the sand but in fact the later houses were part-submerged in midden – decomposed refuse – to help insulate them from the wind.

The white sand beach of Skaill Bay that runs along the edge of Skara Brae is a stunning sight in its own right, but at the time the village was inhabited the coast would have been around 800 metres further away from the domestic buildings. Protection has been in place since the 1920s to prevent further erosion of the coastline and damage to this incredible snapshot of history.

RICHARD STRACHAN, SENIOR ARCHAEOLOGIST, HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Getting there Skara Brae is in the care of Historic Scotland and is open year round. It is 19 miles northwest of Kirkwall. Historic Scotland members have free entry. Admission from April to October includes access to Skaill House and is £6.90 for adults, £4.10 for children and £5.50 concessions.

Other places to visit in the World Heritage Site are the Ring o’ Brodgar, Maeshowe Chambered Cairn, the Stones of Stenness, The Watch Stone, the Barnhouse Stone and the Barnhouse Settlement. For those wanting to see an active excavation, tours are available at the Ness of Brodgar and at Links of Noltland, Westray. www.bit.ly/skarabrae

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BIG PICTURE •

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2020 VISION • RIVERS

More than just… rivers MANY BRITISH RIVERS STILL HAVE LAMENTABLY POOR WATER QUALITY IN SPITE OF CLEAN-UP EFFORTS AND PROGRESS TO COMBAT POLLUTION. WE ALL HAVE AN UNDENIABLE PART TO PLAY IN IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF RIVER CATCHMENTS, FOR OUR OWN BENEFIT AND THAT OF AQUATIC CREATURES, SAYS NIALL BENVIE PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX MUSTARD; ANDY ROUSE; GUY EDWARDES; LINDA PITKIN

can always tell when a dairy farmer I know is about to have a routine inspection visit from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) – his shoulders drop, a scowl settles on his face and there are dark mutterings about interfering bureaucrats. To many farmers, SEPA might just as well spell ‘hassle’. The agency investigates nitrate leaching, sediment run-off and a whole host of other agricultural phenomena that may have an adverse effect on native wildlife. Farmers are soft targets and it is easy to draw a direct correlation between inappropriate practices – such as pointing potato drills downhill towards a river – and their consequences, which might include silting up a bed of freshwater mussels.

Whatever your view on the priorities that should prevail, it is clear that the UK’s environmental agencies – SEPA and its equivalents across the border – are following plans designed to bring UK rivers up to the standards set by the new European Water Framework Directive, adopted in 2000. About three quarters of English and Welsh rivers still fail to pass muster. In Scotland, the picture looks much healthier, with 89% of rivers classed as unpolluted.

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What is much harder, and politically more sensitive, is to collar the real culprits whose choices continue to impede progress towards cleaner rivers: all of us. Excessive abstraction for industrial, agricultural and sometimes domestic use, and careless disposal of chemicals and pollution by sewage are ways in which we all, however passively, contribute to poor water quality. This is not the responsibility only of those living beside rivers; it is a collective one that belongs to everyone using the catchment. We can start to take responsibility by asking ourselves this: “If I had to depend on the river as my only source of water, would I do what I’m about to do?” If the answer is “no” then we are part of the problem rather than the solution. It is easy in a country noted for its high rainfall to be profligate with water – by, for example, sprinkling water cleaned to drinking standards on golf greens – but in treating the resource this way we risk losing sight of how precious it is, not only to us but to the animals and plants that form part of a river ecosystem.

Throughout history, rivers have acted not only as a source of water and fish but as conduits for people and goods, sources of

energy and fertility, places of recreation and imagining. Stories with rivers as their setting – The Wind in the Willows and The Mill on the Floss – are woven into our cultural life and form part of a national identity. Rivers have a value beyond their mere economic worth and deserve to be understood as something other than a set of potential problems needing to be managed.

But given what we ask of rivers today, some management is essential if the other animals that need them are to thrive. And, unsurprisingly, creatures that deliver an economic benefit get priority. According to Scottish Government statistics, fishing for salmon and sea trout alone is worth about £74 million annually to the Scottish economy – part of the £113 million generated by all types of angling (a figure that exceeds the revenues earned from golf tourism). Another beneficiary of river clean-up campaigns has been the otter, which is finding its way back into ever more river systems, thanks to a combination of decreased levels of pollution and improved protection.

An imaginative approach to a wider restoration of river ecosystems is being trialled

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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in a £100 million project centred on the scattered woodlands, wetlands and grasslands around the headwaters of the Thames in Gloucestershire. The aim is to reconnect these places to encourage a free flow of animals and plants between them, to allow them to function as an ecosystem. This is conservation on a landscape scale and it is being funded, perhaps surprisingly, by developers.

This is how it works: developers – or anyone else who needs to make good the environmental damage they cause through their activities – can buy ‘conservation credits’ in the form of shares from the Environment Bank. Its role is to “deliver mitigation and compensation schemes associated with planned development”. In practical terms, these shares offer developers the chance to meet statutory environmental standards by investing in restoration projects, such as the Thames Headwaters one.

The success of the whole concept hinges on the relative conservation value of the two sites concerned: if the development is on a piece of inner-city wasteland with poor biodiversity, rather than leaving a small part of it green, more good can be done by buying shares in a high-quality restoration scheme and developing the whole of the inner city site. If, in contrast, the area earmarked for development already has a high conservation value, a conflict over their relative values is unavoidable. Conservation credit schemes may be far from ideal, but at a time when public funding for habitat restoration is under intense pressure, they provide a practical way forward.

www.scotoutdoors.com

River of life (clockwise from facing page): the River Coe, Glencoe; European otter; black-tailed skimmer; freshwater pearl mussels; female Atlantic salmon migrating upstream

Back home in the Scottish Borders, the quality of water in the River Tweed is better than ever these days, thanks to ongoing

work, led by the Tweed Forum, to improve the ecological health of the river on a catchment scale. The success of iconic species such as Atlantic salmon and otter in the Tweed, as documented by 2020Vision photographers in autumn last year, is testament to this holistic and collaborative approach to river restoration. g

About 2020VISION the north, Peter Cairns has been busy photographing red squirrels in acrobatic midair leaps; he will shortly be taking to the air himself to photograph the extensive pool systems and peat bogs of Sutherland’s Flow Country. Mark Hamblin's quest this spring was to capture enigmatic black-throated divers in Wester Ross, one of the bird’s few UK strongholds.

This is the fifth in a series of articles following photographers on assignment for 2020VISION – an ambitious communication project that aims to demonstrate what a wilder Britain could look like and how people could benefit from it.

2020VISION’s flagship book has been delivered to the publisher after the mammoth task of sifting through the thousands of project images. The book, published on 1 August, features facts, figures, stories and of course images to entertain, engage and inspire.

Earlier this year, 2020Vision photographers headed to the UK’s saltmarshes, where vast numbers of birds spend the winter. Peter Cairns, Mark Hamblin and Will Bolton covered the Solway and Morecambe Bay, where ambitious work is afoot to enhance these vast areas of mudflats. In the pine forests of

The best and most inspiring images in the 2020VISION collection are being added to the Wow Factor series on the website. A new photo is uploaded every day and the series will run for the next year. For more on the project, including the Wow Factor gallery and the book, visit www.2020V.org

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OUTDOOR • NEWS

Coastal path complete

AT THE end of March, the newest leg of the Fife Coastal Path (featured in the autumn-winter 2011 issue of this magazine) was opened for use. This means the waymarked route is now Scotland’s longest continuous coastal path, at 117 miles, as well as being its oldest and most popular.

New waymarkers guide walkers along the 16.5 mile extension between the Tay Bridge and Newburgh. The route traces the Tay estuary but also takes in some higher ground, offering views of the river, and is punctuated by historic landmarks such as Iron Age hill forts and ruined abbeys.

Amanda McFarlane, Chief Executive of the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, which manages the Fife Coastal Path, said: “The addition of the northern extension is the completion of a longheld ambition to deliver a coastal walk that starts and finishes at the Kingdom’s borders. We would like to thank all the landowners for their help and support; without them, the extension would not be possible.” An updated map of the coastal path, taking in the extension, has been published to mark the completion. www.fifecoastalpath.co.uk

Comfy new camper

My cover shot, Keith Shuttlewood LOOKING ACROSS TO EIGG AND RUM FROM THE WINDING ROAD TO KILMORY, ARDNAMURCHAN

I visited Ardnamurchan for the first time about three years ago while on a 3,000-mile cycle camping trip around Britain, and totally fell in love with the place. I promised myself I'd return one day with plenty of time to take photos. So, in early May this year, we hired a cottage at Sanna Bay for a week. The weather was gloriously bright, though chilly. Every evening we'd walk to the beach and have the place to ourselves, with nothing but the sounds of the sea and a cuckoo calling in the distance – absolute peace and tranquillity.

Ardnamurchan is a photographer's paradise – what I find so special about it are the clear light, the glowing colours, the stark contrast between the ruggedness of the hills, the fine white sands and the sea. The peninsula has that sense of remote wilderness; it has a mood and a character all of its own that I hope to capture in my photographs. http://shuttlewood.photoshelter.com

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Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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Tube map of the Munros

A NEW vehicle custom-made for the Scottish campervan rental scene was launched at the Scottish Outdoor Pursuits Show in April. The Hylander is the brainchild of Stephen and Catherine Bunn of Highland Campervans in Inverness.

Based on the chassis of a Hyundai iLoad, the conversion features topclass features to make life on the road extra comfortable – these include twin water tanks which can be removed for easy refilling and a powerful heater to make it an allseason vehicle. The new camper also uses the latest technology, such as a crash-sensor gas system.

Since starting their rental business five years ago, the Bunns have dreamt of creating their ideal campervan. “We wanted to build a campervan that not only suits our hire fleet, but also one that we could sell to others,” said Stephen. In designing the Hylander, they worked closely with two other Scottish hire companies; one of them, Big Tree Campervans in Perthshire, recently added the very first custom-built Hylander to its fleet (pictured). www.highlandcampervans.com; www.bigtreecampervans.com

www.scotoutdoors.com

Natural winner A CAPTIVATING close-up of a female otter on Mull proved a winning shot for Inverness-shire photographer Marcus Conway, earning him the title of Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2011. Other category winners in the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2011, announced at the end of March, include an entangled lobster, a lone silver birch and sunrise over the isle of Eigg.

The competition attracted over 2,000 entries from around the world across five categories – Scottish Landscape, Scottish Wildlife, Scottish Botanical, Natural Abstract and Environmental – so picking the winners was no easy task for judges Neil McIntyre, Lorne Gill and Niall Irvine.

Conway’s otter image won the Scottish Wildlife category before judges declared him the overall winner. “It was a wonderful encounter with one of Scotland's finest mammals and to have been made Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year has made the moment even more special,” said Conway.

The winning images will be on display until next year in a touring exhibition – for dates and locations, see the website. Entries are now open for the 2012 competition, which also includes Student and Junior Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year titles. www.scottishnaturephotographyawards.com

Second bothy for Jura IN MID-MAY, the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) opened a new bothy for use on the Inner Hebridean island of Jura. Earlier that month, an MBA work party had done major work to the shore-side lodge to make it wind- and watertight.

Though there is still much to do, the Cruib bothy is now open for use by hikers and joins Glengarrisdale in the north to become the second bothy on Jura.

The former lodge is situated on the shores of Loch Tarbert, in the centre of the island. It has been made available by Ruantallain Estate and will be maintained by MBA volunteers; its opening brings to 79 the number of buildings maintained by the MBA as open bothies. Due to stalking activities between July and February, visitors are advised to contact the Estate if they plan to use the bothy during this period. www.mountainbothies.org.uk PHOTOGRAPH: SCOTTISH WILDLIFE TRUST

A FORMER geography teacher recently published an alternative map – inspired by the London Underground map – of Scotland’s 283 Munros and other spectacular wild places.

Peter Burgess of East Ham in London has created the MunrOverground map following the success of his first Harry Beck-inspired topological map, called Tubular Fells, of the Lakeland Fells. Burgess said of MunrOverground: “Like Tubular Fells, it’s certainly a little out of the ordinary, but I hope it shows the relationships within the Scottish landscape in an enlightening and eccentric way.”

The new map groups the mountains into a number of lines, including the Skye Line, the Knoydart, Skye and Affric Line and the Southern Hills. Added to these are other natural wonders, such as the Linn of Dee, Sandwood Bay and Fingal’s Cave, and long-distance paths including the West Highland Way, Sutherland Trail and Great Glen Way. The John Muir Trust and Scottish Mountain Rescue will receive a £1.50 donation from every MunrOverground map sold. The A1 poster is for sale at £10.99 from www.tubularfells.com

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OUTDOOR • NEWS

New reserve on bonnie banks

A NEW NATURE reserve will be created near Gartocharn on the southeast shore of Loch Lomond after RSPB Scotland, in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority, bought 563 acres there at the end of April.

The land, rich in woodland and wetland habitats and comprising the floodplain of the Endrick Water, was part of the Wards Estate, which was put on the market in separate lots last year.

The land purchased is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and much of it falls in the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve. Considered to be one of the best examples of an intact mosaic of floodplain wetland habitats in Scotland, it is home to otters, ospreys in summer, and to breeding and overwintering waders and waterfowl, in particular Greenland white-fronted

and greylag geese. There are also nationally rare plants such as the endemic Scottish dock.

RSPB Scotland will manage the new reserve in partnership with SNH and the Park Authority, and hopes to open it up for visitor access and enjoyment.

Andrew Bachell, SNH Director of Operations, said: “Our new partnership means that this important reserve will be an even better place for wildlife and for people. We hope to see this reserve reaching its full potential as a community and visitor asset in the national park.”

RSPB Scotland is providing much of the total purchase price, around £1.1 million, and has launched a public appeal to raise funds. Also contributing to the cost is a £172,000 grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF). To donate to the appeal, go to www.bit.ly/rspbwardsappeal

In trees we trust IN MAY, the National Trust for Scotland announced that it was half-way through a major native woodland restoration effort at Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve, which is popular with hill walkers. Over 51,000 sub-montane trees, including birch, willow, rowan and alder, have already been planted on the lower slopes of Meall nan Tarmachan, and by the end of the year that figure will reach 100,000.

The £250,000 tree-planting project, funded through the Scottish Rural Development Programme, is part of a long-term plan to help increase biodiversity by restoring native broadleaf woodland lost due to management for sheep and deer. Property Manager Helen Cole said: “In Scotland we often think that the mountains are supposed to be treeless, but that is not the case. Like many upland areas in Scotland, the effects of grazing animals have restricted some plant communities to cliffs and inaccessible ground.”

The planting project will create open, fragmented woodland spread over 350 hectares of hillside. www.nts.org.uk

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Path repairs on track URGENT REPAIRS to the Steall Gorge path in Glen Nevis, Lochaber, are set to start in late autumn this year, thanks to £25,000 in funding won in an online competition organised by the European Outdoor Conservation Association. “Steall Gorge is really important to a lot of people, which is why it’s vital to repair the path and keep it safe to use,” said Fran Lockhart, John Muir Trust (JMT) Nevis property manager. “This money will go a long way towards covering the cost of the work, and helping to protect the adjacent fragile woodland and montane habitats.”

In July, JMT will launch a major funding appeal for Steall Gorge and other footpath repair projects. Though all footpaths on JMT properties receive routine low-key maintenance, the Trust has recruited specialist staff this year to proactively deal with maintenance issues on Steall Gorge and other well-used routes, before they become too serious. For more about the appeal, go to www.jmt.org (and see page 31 for a major feature on Ben Nevis)

Seabird Centre vision unveiled THE SCOTTISH Seabird Centre in North Berwick has announced its long-term vision to extend its building under the brand ‘National Marine Centre’. The self-financing attraction, opened in 2000, welcomes over 250,000 visits a year and generates over £2million for the local economy.

The construction of an extension would provide more facilities for locals and visitors, and additional space for school groups taking part in its environmental education programmes. The original architects of the award-winning building have produced concept sketches of the extension, which they say would complement and enhance the existing centre.

Its working title – the National Marine Centre – was chosen to reflect the growing role of the Seabird Centre in marine conservation awareness and education.

The Seabird Centre’s Chief Executive, Tom Brock OBE, said: “This is at a very early stage with no funding or detailed plans, however initial feedback on the idea has been extremely positive and we are keen to engage with as many people as possible to get their ideas and thoughts.” The Centre is inviting public feedback on its plans, see www.seabird.org

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Feel the Forth

© SIMPSON & BROWN

NEW THIS YEAR on the charity cycle ride calendar is the Tour de Forth, which takes place on Sunday 19 August. The event, in aid of Edinburgh-based international humanitarian charity Mercy Corps, offers riders four routes along the Forth estuary, starting or ending at Ocean Terminal in Leith. The circular classic route of 70 miles takes riders over the Forth Road Bridge and from there via Culross to the Kincardine Bridge, where they cross back to the southern shore of the estuary and return via Bo’ness and Blackness. A timed sportive along the same route is on offer too. The 35-mile demi starts at Kincardine Bridge and runs along the southern shore to Ocean Terminal, while the family route takes riders on a leisurely 22-mile circular to South Queensferry. Mercy Corps Events Coordinator Lisa Seymour said: “This is is a fantastic new event that everyone – from biking beginners and families right through to cycling fanatics – can take on. It’ll be a chance to experience the beauty of Scotland right on Edinburgh’s doorstep while raising money for a fantastic cause.” Registration is open at www.tourdeforth.com

Wildcat keeps a claw in AT THE END of April, the Cairngorms Wildcat Project announced its key findings and achievements as it came to a close. In the course of its three years, the innovative project provided a valuable insight into Britain’s only native feline – nicknamed the Highland Tiger – and helped to make the public more aware of its plight in the face of extinction.

Camera traps set as part of the project revealed previously unknown populations of this enigmatic species in parts of the Cairngorms National Park, but also showed that, in most places, wildcats lived side by side with feral domestic and hybrid cats – a confirmation that the main threat to the species is cross-breeding.

At the start of the project, experts estimated there to be around 400 individuals.

The project has shed further light on wildcat numbers and distribution, with evidence suggesting that they are very rare in the eastern side of the National Park (Donside,

www.scotoutdoors.com

Deeside and the Angus Glens), but do still live in Badenoch & Strathspey, Perthshire and possibly Glenlivet. In total, there were 465 potential wildcat sightings, both inside and outside the National Park.

The project also aimed to encourage more responsible cat ownership through voluntary neutering and vaccination, while the involvement of cat welfare charities saw an increase in the number of feral cats neutered in the National Park.

Though the three-year project – a partnership between the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland, and funded mainly through SNH’s species action framework – has come to an end, research, education and outreach continues under the Highland Tiger campaign banner, with reports of sightings welcomed. www.highlandtiger.com

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14 Top 6 Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 6 30/05/2012 16:45 Page 14

TOP SIX • PLACES TO LEARN A WATERSPORT

Splash into it NEED A SUMMER CHALLENGE OR LOOKING FOR AN ACTIVE HOLIDAY? HOW ABOUT TRYING A NEW WATERSPORT – YOU MIGHT WELL END UP HOOKED FOR LIFE! HERE’S OUR PICK OF PLACES TO LEARN THE FUN WAY PHOTOGRAPHY: HARRY NEWTON PHOTOGRAPHY; GALLOWAY ACTIVITY CENTRE; PORT EDGAR; SCOTTISH WATERSPORTS CENTRE; LOCH INSH WATERSPORTS; COAST 2 COAST

1

Tiree Kitesurf Academy, Inner Hebrides

With its wild beauty, sparkling beaches and near-guaranteed wind and waves, the Inner Hebridean isle of Tiree has long been a mecca for surfers, windsurfers and, more recently, kite surfers. Former UK kite surfing champ Helen Thomson’s business is a relative newcomer to the clutch of watersport schools on the island. The miles-long white sand shore of Gott Bay is her base for tuition at all levels – from one-hour kite flying taster sessions to advanced wave jumping. Or you can sample the latest craze, SUP (stand-up paddleboarding, a cross between surfing and paddling) on a one-day course. www.tireekitesurfacademy.com

5

Loch Insh Water Sports Centre, near Aviemore

Set on the Spey, surrounded by woodland and the superb scenery of the Cairngorms, Loch Insh is a family business offering mixed-activity family fun days, single sport courses and instructor courses in windsurfing, dinghy sailing, power boating, canoeing and kayaking, all run by fully qualified instructors. The splendid setting makes it a great choice for an outdoor break, with on-site accommodation in the bed-and-breakfast lodge or selfcatering chalets… and plenty else to do in the area. www.lochinsh.com

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2

Galloway Activity Centre, Dumfries & Galloway

With rolling wooded shores, Loch Ken, on the edge of Galloway Forest Park, makes an attractive spot for an active day or getaway.

This established centre combines an extensive fleet of dinghies, windsurfers, kayaks and canoes with friendly, qualified instructors to introduce even the most hesitant to the joys of the water.

Simply dip your toe in with a fun, two-hour taster session or family multi-activity day, or go all the way with a residential RYA course.

Lochside accommodation includes the bunkhouse, camping and ‘glamping’ in a yurt, tipi or chalet. www.lochken.co.uk

6

Coast 2 Coast Surf School, East Lothian

A short hop east from Edinburgh is Belhaven Bay, the base for this well-regarded outfit offering tuition in surfing, body boarding and SUP for everybody, from total novices to old beach hands. For the more adventurous, C2C also runs tours to the Western Isles, combining surfing, body boarding and SUP. “We might paddle to an uninhabited island on a SUP, towing surfboards to surf un-ridden beaches and points… just super cool adventures!” says proprietor Sam Christopherson. www.c2csurfschool.com

3

Port Edgar Watersports Centre, South Queensferry

What it lacks in natural splendour, the Firth of Forth makes up for in convenience, ideally located for those in the Central Belt. And besides, sailing beneath the mighty Forth Rail Bridge is quite awe-inspiring. Port Edgar is a large, well-equipped centre offering the full spectrum of courses for children and adults in dinghy sailing, kayaking, power boating and keelboat sailing. New taster sessions for this year include a family sailing experience and multi-activity day or weekend.

Port Edgar also runs one-day river and sea kayaking tours to favourite spots elsewhere. www.portedgar.co.uk

4

Scottish Watersports Centre, Cumbrae, Ayrshire

Set on the island of Cumbrae, surrounded by safe waters but with easy access to the open sea, this is Sportscotland’s national training centre for watersports.

Sailing, power boating, windsurfing, kayaking and more are offered across a full spectrum of accredited courses – from tryout days for novices, to week-long courses and even instructor training. For residential courses, accommodation is provided in comfy lodges. The Centre is also a good choice if you want to sample yachting – be it on a weekend cruise or five-day RYA course aboard one of its two yachts. nationalcentrecumbrae.org.uk

Essentials

As with learning any new skill that carries a risk of injury, it’s wise to choose professional instructors. So before booking, check that the instructor or school is qualified with or accredited by the appropriate body. The RYA (www.rya.org.uk) is the body for all boating (dinghies, keelboats, power boats) as well as windsurfing; the International Kiteboarding Organisation (www.ikointl.com) and British Kite Surfing Association (www.britishkitesurfingassociation.co.uk) are the ones for kite surfing. For paddle sports it’s the British Canoe Union (www.bcu.org.uk) and for surfing, body boarding and SUP, it’s Surfing GB (www.surfinggb.com)

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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16-17 Events Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 5 30/05/2012 16:47 Page 16

OUTDOOR • EVENTS

Inspirations - what’s caught our eye for the months ahead • A new wildlife hide beside a small lochan allows wildlife enthusiasts, and aspiring photographers in particular, to get close to ospreys and otters in the heart of Aviemore.

Gordon Macleod, former Spey ghillie and now owner of three fishing lochans in the area, has built the hide himself and now offers guided early-morning visits to view ospreys swooping for fish, and evening outings to look for otters. “These are real close encounters, so no need for large lenses to get a wonderful osprey shot,” he says.

Groups are limited to six to prevent disturbance.

Booking essential. Call on 07563 744306.

• The Cross at Kingussie – an acclaimed restaurant with rooms – has teamed with local operator ARC Guiding to offer two-night wildlife experience packages in and around the Cairngorms National Park. www.thecross.co.uk; www.arcguiding.com • The John Muir Trust is once again running a busy programme of volunteer work parties at its properties around Scotland – an excellent opportunity to learn more about the Trust’s work, while also spending time in some of Scotland’s finest areas of wild land. Members and non-members all welcome. www.bit.ly/jmtcwp PHOTOGRAPH: GORDON MACLEOD

All summer

9–23 June

Walk @ The Top, CairnGorm Mountain

Ochils Festival Free events for the whole family celebrating the landscape and heritage of the Ochils and Hillfoots – family history, heritage walks and Ochils fairytales, as well as botany on the River Devon, foraging and survival skills. Events take place at various venues. www.ochils.org.uk

30 June–1 July Alliance Trust Cateran Yomp Yomp with the best of them in aid of soldiers’ charity ABF and others with a choice of three distances, all on the gorgeous Cateran Trail in Highland Perthshire and Angus.

gorgeous surroundings of the Falkland Estate. www.bigtentfestival.co.uk

28 July Out There, Torridon ‘Steerage’ is the theme of Torridon’s first annual outdoor literature festival, taking place at Torridon Community Centre.

Among others, Lewis-based former coastguard turned poet and storyteller Ian Stephen tells tales of his island-to-island sailing voyages, and Assynt author and poet Mandy Haggith explores the connection between trees and writing. www.croft7.com

18 August Monster Swim, Loch Ness

www.soldierscharity.org/yomp

21 July Wicked Wolf Triathlon, Carrbridge

PHOTOGRAPH: CAIRNGORM MOUNTAIN

Following the success of trial walks over the past two summers, CairnGorm Mountain is once again offering its guided Walks @ The Top – a two-mile, 90-minute walk on a high-level circular route to the summit of Cairn Gorm from the Ptarmigan Top Station. Two walks daily at 10.20 and 13.20 (booking advised). www.cairngormmountain.org

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A fun, multi-sport challenge in the Carrbridge area with a kayak around the infamous Wolf of Badenoch’s ruined castle, a mountain bike race and a woodland run.

And if that’s not enough, there is a ceilidh afterwards. All in aid of Cancer Research UK. www.wickedwolftriathlon.co.uk

An open water event with options to swim either the one-mile Big Yin or the halfmile Wee Nessie course – both great opportunities to experience this famous loch from a very different perspective. www.visitlochness.com

21–22 July Big Tent Festival, Falkland, Fife Scotland’s best eco-festival is back after a year’s break with more top music, arts and family-friendly activities – all in the

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

16-17 Events Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 5 30/05/2012 16:47 Page 17

• Those looking for a perfect island hideaway this summer should consider dropping in on Sanda (pictured), off the Kintyre peninsula. The island has recently ‘re-opened’ as a rather swanky resort destination following extensive refurbishment of its three cottages (which operate as a hotel) and fine-dining restaurant. The island can be booked for exclusive use, or the cottages reserved individually. www.sandaislanddreams.com • Keen sailors will lick their lips at the holiday experiences available on the Curanta Cridhe, a luxurious 50-foot Discovery catamaran that plies west coast waters. Available for charter, the catamaran has accommodation for up to six people plus two crew members and is fully catered to an extremely high standard. Breaks from two to 14 nights available. www.capriceyachtcharter.co.uk P

• Launched in association with Tiso and Alpine Bikes, Adventure Buddy is a new personalised guiding service for those looking for partners in grime while out mountain biking or trail running – all within an hour or so of the Central Belt. Adventure Buddy is led by Gary Tompsett who some might know as one of the brains behind the fiendish Mighty Deerstalker adventure race in the Borders.

www.adventurebuddy.me.uk

PHOTOGRAPH: SANDA HOTEL AND RESTAURANT

18 August Great Wilderness Challenge, Poolewe Returning to its usual stomping ground (following a year in Kintail), the Great Wilderness Challenge once again offers hill runners a range of courses on which to test themselves, including the 25-mile ‘big one’ from Dundonnell to Poolewe. www.greatwildernesschallenge.info

19 August Tour de Forth, Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Spend a Sunday cycling along the River Forth with route options for every level of cycling enthusiast in this brand new event being held during the Edinburgh Festival.

Participants can choose from a 70-mile classic route, a timed sportive over the same distance, a half route and a shorter family challenge – all raising money for Edinburgh-based charity Mercy Corps. See page 13 for more. www.tourdeforth.com

PHOTOGRAPH: ANDY MCCANDLISH

A packed programme of inland and coastal events designed to showcase this often overlooked part of the country. Choose from serious walking to horse-riding, overnight wild camps, guided mountain biking, coasteering and much more. www.angusahead.com/autumnadventures

1–2 September Angus Autumn Adventures

30 September Baxters Loch Ness Marathon Run 26 miles (and a bit) along Loch Ness, finishing in Inverness, in one of the most scenic races of its kind in Scotland. www.lochnessmarathon.com

15–16 September Scotland Coast to Coast Run, paddle and cycle your way across Scotland in a weekend on a 100-plus-mile route that starts on the beach at Nairn and ends with a paddle up Loch Leven near Ballachulish. Competitors can race solo or in pairs, while there is also an option to complete the course in a single day. Good luck with that one.

PHOTOGRAPH: ANGUS COUNCIL

www.scotoutdoors.com

www.scotlandcoasttocoast.com

PHOTOGRAPH: LOCH NESS MARATHON

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18_SUBS Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 5 31/05/2012 14:34 Page 18

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summer ads_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 16:32 Page 19

SEA TOURS DEPARTING FROM SHIELDAIG

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the Hebridean Isles of Rona and the Shiants

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Bear Grylls eat your heart out

Health Professionals – vacancies in New Zealand

Ancient forests, mountains, glaciers, roaring river gorges, tranquil lakes, spots to fish, kayak and tramp, mountains to ski down, great tracks to mountain bike, space to burn, fresh air to breathe. ‘Coaster’s’ have it all there is no arguing that.

As a medical specialist on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand you literally can do the lot. Paradise is on your doorstep, it’s a great place to raise a family and you’ll find career opportunities to complement it all.

The West Coast District Health Board provides primary care services from 13 different locations and a wide range of secondary care services from our hospital in Greymouth. Our geography makes it a unique place in which to work and live.

While we specifically seek Consultant Psychiatrist, Anaesthetist, General and Emergency Physician, Rural Nurse Specialist, House Officers and General Practitioners, whatever your specialty don’t hesitate to contact Liz Hill at recruitment@westcoastdhb.health.nz call +64 3 378 6677 or visit www.westcoastdhb.org.nz

20 Board 7 Lodging Summer 2012_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 16:49 Page 20

BOARD & LODGING • THE WATERHOUSE, DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

The Waterhouse The self-catering lodge (from £210 for a short break) sleeps four and the Boathouse wigwam accommodates two more (preferably booked together).

Optional home-cooked meal with the hosts from £16 for two courses, including wine. Garden open to the public by arrangement under Scotland’s Gardens scheme. www.waterhousekbt.co.uk

Getting there Tranquil hideaway (clockwise from left): pond-side setting of The Waterhouse; the galley kitchen; views from above Stockarton

On the B727 at Stockarton, about 3.5 miles out of Kirkcudbright and 7 and 10 miles from Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie respectively. Detailed directions supplied upon booking.

In the area Mountain biking

Slice of paradise ULTIMATE SECLUSION AND RELAXED LUXURY SET IN LUSH GARDENS HAVE EARNED THE WATERHOUSE NEAR KIRKCUDBRIGHT A LOYAL FOLLOWING OF RETURN VISITORS. IDA MASPERO DISCOVERS WHY T’S just past 7am on a bright but chilly spring morning. Waking up slowly, with freshly brewed coffee in hand, we gaze out over the tranquil pond where a moorhen is pottering among the reeds. The woodpellet stove purrs, quickly filling the room with a pleasing warmth. Slanted rays of early light fall through the large floor-to-ceiling window, bringing the vibrant spring colours of the garden right into the living room.

It’s like waking up in a greenhouse, only much more cosy – the distinguishing feature of The Waterhouse is its outside-in feel. It’s also inside-out, as comfort extends outdoors – the previous evening we’d watched from the warmth of the hot tub (on the deck beside the pond) as the evening light gradually faded and a crescent moon was joined by numerous stars.

A stay at The Waterhouse is as much about the gem of a garden as the attractive timber lodge accommodation. Since he came to Stockarton, outside Kirkcudbright, around 25 years ago, former art teacher Martin Gould has created a verdant Eden on the acre of land below his cottage. He’s carved out terraces, crafted stone features and created ponds by diverting a stream. Exotic ornamentals are mixed with vegetables in natural, woodland-style plantings. The entire garden is sheltered by trees, creating a microclimate – it’s a little slice of paradise tucked away into the folds of rolling countryside.

The Waterhouse is billed as naturist-

I

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MARTIN GOULD; IDA MASPERO

friendly, though the shelter and seclusion of the garden sees even non-naturist guests dispensing with their kit to soak in the pondside hot tub or sun-bathe on the deck on warmer days.

The timber lodge itself blends perfectly with its surroundings and oozes hand-crafted charm. Indeed, Martin designed and built it himself with the help of friends in 2006, and his wife Sharon masterminded the cosy interior of rustic oak finishing and furniture, and the earthy tones of natural clay paint on the walls. Other eco credentials of the building include a green roof with solar panels for hot water; sheep wool insulation and of course the wood-pellet heating. Some of his more eco-minded guests do tut-tut about the energy-intensive hot tub, says Martin, but I reckon it’s worth making an exception every so often.

The thoughtful extra touches reflect the owners’ tastes for simple luxury – a complimentary spread of home-baked bread and local, organic eggs and cheese on the table, fresh flowers dotted around and a wellequipped galley kitchen stocked with basics.

Behind the bedroom doors are fluffy robes, and the bookshelf is bulging with books and DVDs. The Waterhouse strikes just the right note for a tranquil getaway – enveloped in luxury and surrounded by nature, you soon cast off the worries of the world… and your clothes, if so inclined. g

Five of the 7Stanes mountain biking centres are in Dumfries & Galloway, with Dalbeattie 11 miles from The Waterhouse. www.7stanesmountainbiking.com

Walking Opportunities for walks abound – a leisurely stroll up the track from The Waterhouse takes in a series of small lochs, woodlands and views over rolling countryside. Or walk the coastal path between Balcary (near Auchencairn) and Rascarrel, or between Rockcliffe and Sandyhills, for views over the Solway.

Alternatively, head to the trails of Galloway Forest Park, or to the region’s highest peak, The Merrick.

Wildlife Once extinct in Scotland, the red kite now thrives in the area. You can spot this magnificent bird of prey along the nearby Galloway Kite Trail. The mudflats of the Solway are a mecca for waterfowl in winter – head to RSPB’s Mersehead reserve. www.gallowaykitetrail.com; www.bit.ly/mersehead

Adventure and multi-activity For a shot of adrenaline, head to Laggan Outdoor near Gatehouse of Fleet (home to the UK’s longest zip-wire, recently opened) or Galloway Activity Centre on Loch Ken. www.lagganoutdoor.co.uk; www.lochken.co.uk

Local food Nearby Castle Douglas, billed ‘the food town’, is bursting with artisan food outlets, while Kirkcudbright is home to a fleet of scallop boats – fresh catch for sale from the fishmonger opposite the quay. The Loch Arthur community at Beeswing, 18 miles from The Waterhouse, is renowned for its organic produce, farmhouse cheeses and breads. www.cd-foodtown.org; www.locharthur.org.uk

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

summer ads_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 16:33 Page 21

All year round camping accommodation in warm, lit and naturally insulated pods near stunning Glenshee, Blairgowrie & Perthshire Pods are insulated, have heating and lighting, comfy individual mattress and fleecy blanket.

Sleep 4/5 adults, just bring a sleeping bag.

Cooking and socialising opportunities in a traditional stone built bothy, pickup and drop off for walkers and to local hostelries in the evenings, equipment drying, bike storage and cleaning plus home cooked breakfasts and packed lunches.

Call 01250 882284 or 07881 620890 www.ecocampglenshee.co.uk

PINE TREES HOTEL PITLOCHRY Enjoy the peace and quiet of this former Victorian mansion. Pine Trees has 19 comfortable, well appointed rooms and one luxury suite, all non-smoking. The hotel is located five minutes walk from the centre of Pitlochry, but is secluded in its own garden and woodland.

Ample private parking within the grounds.

The garden restaurant serves fine food and wines and you may wish to savour a dram from the wide range of malt whiskies available from the bar lounge.

Special theatre breaks available during the season.

Braemar Highland Safaris Let us show you another Scotland, the real Scotland â&#x20AC;Ś Venture into the heart of the mountains in a 4x4. Come and enjoy the wildlife and learn more about the history, customs and folklore of this special area. Binoculars are available in the vehicle.

Special midweek and weekend break rates available throughout the year.

Roaring log fire to give you a warm welcome in the winter months.

Pine Trees is an ideal base from which to explore the many attractions around the Pitlochry area.

www.pinetreeshotel.co.uk info@pinetreeshotel.co.uk

01796 472121 t. 013397 41420 â&#x20AC;˘ www.braemarhighlandsafaris.co.uk

Strathview Terrace, Pitlochry, Perthshire, PH16 5QR

22 Day in the life Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 16:49 Page 22

PHOTOGRAPHY:

OUTDOOR • PEOPLE

Day inthe life of...

Rhian Evans RSPB’s East Scotland Sea Eagle Officer While most people tend to take a holiday in summer, I’m preparing for my busiest time of the year, getting ready to care for 20 Norwegian youngsters. But these aren’t children, they’re white-tailed sea eagle chicks that will form the final cohort of birds to be released on Scotland’s east coast.

Though this is my first year in the job as East Scotland Sea Eagle Officer, the RSPB, in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland, have spent the past six years reintroducing white-tailed sea eagles back to the east coast of Scotland, after they became extinct in the UK almost 100 years ago.

The first release took place in 2007, and every August since, between 15 and 19 birds have been released from a secret location in Fife.

New funding from Heritage Lottery Fund and local government LEADER has enabled the project to continue for another year. Being the sixth year of releases, and with this being my first year in post as Project Officer, I’m lucky that some form of routine has been established when it comes to obtaining the chicks and the associated logistical nightmare!

For me, it’s still a steep learning curve.

We have learnt a lot from previous translocations and releases. Sea eagles were first released on the isle of Rum in 1975, and now there are 57 breeding pairs. Currently,

22

we have a very similar success rate in terms of survival here on the east coast.

In June I will be heading over to Norway where the Norwegian Ornithological Society, our Birdlife International partner organisation, is busy monitoring the breeding success of around 200 potential donor pairs of whitetailed sea eagles. Norway is a global stronghold for the species, with around 3,500 pairs, and we are very fortunate that this population is helping to ensure the survival of the species in Scotland.

For almost a week of that trip, I’ll have the exhausting task of scaling trees in search of sea eagle nests. We only ever collect chicks from nests containing twins or triplets, so that one chick remains in the nest for the adults to raise. The eaglets are collected when they are around six weeks old and big enough to tear apart and eat the food that the parents bring to them. This means that when they are brought back to Scotland, I won’t have to handle them or have any other contact to feed them. The last thing I would want is for them to associate people with food.

The young birds are kept in specially built aviaries, where they are fed a diet of fish, venison and grey squirrels from the cull that is taking place in Aberdeenshire. Feeding the birds requires a strong stomach at the best of times, especially if you’re a vegetarian like me!

After about seven weeks, when the birds have reached fledging age, they are ready to be released. But before this happens, they will be fitted with coloured wing tags and lightweight VHF radio transmitters, each with their own frequency. The wing tags allow us to identify individual birds when we see them in the wild and to keep track of the birds’ movements and dispersal.

We regularly receive sightings from the public, and the fact that the birds are individually marked means that we get some good information back from this. The VHF

Flight to freedom (clockwise from left): a tagged young eagle is released from the aviary site; Rhian radio tracking released birds; a Norwegian eaglet arrives at Edinburgh airport

transmitters also allow us to keep a close eye on the birds’ dispersal. As well as a keen assistant, I also have a dedicated team of volunteers who regularly go radio tracking from the tops of hills across east Scotland, where it’s possible to pick up a signal for a bird up to 50km away.

After they’re released, I’ll leave food out for them on the roof of the aviaries so that they can come back and feed if they’re having a hard time adapting to finding food in the wild. If the young birds were struggling under normal circumstances, their parents would help them out with a free meal, so by leaving out food we are replicating the parents’ behaviour. I will maintain this ‘food dump’ until the end of December – by then the birds will all have dispersed away from the release site and will be confident enough hunting independently.

I’m hoping to be able to bring the maximum number of chicks back from Norway this summer to bring the total count released on the east coast in the course of the project to 100 – a nice round number. And soon, fingers crossed, we’ll hopefully see sea eagles breeding on the east coast for the first time in more than a century. Sea eagles don’t mature until they are five years old so I’m keeping a keen eye on the birds released in 2007 for any signs of breeding. Watch this space! g

Further details For more information about RSPB’s East Scotland Sea Eagle project, go to www.bit.ly/easteaglesproject or see Rhian Evans’ blog at www.bit.ly/easterneagles

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

summer ads_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 17:09 Page 23

SEEING IS BELIEVING

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Uniquely the Patches are applied direct to the footwear or insole NOT to the skin. Each Patch will provide protection for 300 miles of continuous wear, long enough for most walking holidays.

Loch Lomond Shores t One of the largest in-store selections in the west of Scotland t Our staff are friendly and knowledgeable

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Our sample was tested over a week long period and worked brilliantly.

(Scotland Outdoors Summer 2010).

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24-25 Products Summer 12_Innovations Spread v2 copy 30/05/2012 16:50 Page 24

OUTDOOR • INNOVATIONS

WALKING, CYCLING, PADDLING OR CAMPING, IT’S TIME TO UPDATE YOUR SUMMER KIT LIST. HERE’S A CLUTCH OF NEW GEAR AND APPAREL THAT HAVE COME TO OUR ATTENTION If you would like to submit details of innovative new products or send samples for testing, contact the Outdoor Innovations editor, Ida Maspero, at products@scotoutdoors.com

Base layer basics Smartwool and Odlo lightweight base layers

Ambler walking shoe, Keen With playful styling and distinctive round toe guards, Keen shoes are easily recognised by followers of the brand, renowned for its comfortable, multifunctional footwear. The latest addition to the range is the Ambler, a lightweight walking shoe rugged enough to tackle the trail, but good-looking enough for daily wear around town. It comes in a choice of two uppers – waxed suede or a breathable mesh.

We found the women’s model instantly comfortable and very versatile. It’s the sort of shoe you’ll find yourself wearing almost every day.

Technical features include a moisturewicking textile lining to keep feet fresh and dry; the KEEN.ZORB ™ insole, which gives good cushioning and shock absorption, and the grippy rubber outsole designed to cope with all sorts of terrain. Men’s, women’s and junior styles available in a range of colours.

RRP: £80 (mesh), £85 (suede) www.keenfootwear.com

What makes a good base layer? For me it’s next-to-skin comfort, heat regulation and the all-important wicking away of body moisture. Versatility is also a big plus.

Naturally, you’d adjust your layering in warmer weather – essential for summer are lightweight short sleeve or sleeveless numbers that can also be worn on their own.

Finding something that’s both flattering and functional can prove a challenge, so we were keen to test two ranges new this season – the Smartwool Next-To-Skin (NTS) lightweight collection, and the Odlo Evolution Light Trend series. We tested sleeveless tops from both ranges.

The Smartwool NTS lightweight top, like most of Smartwool’s apparel, is made with 100% merino wool – known for its natural wicking, heat regulating and odourresistant properties, and its luxurious soft feel. Both the men’s and women’s designs are sculpted for a flattering and comfy fit, with rib knit side panels offering optimal movement. The top feels great on the skin, and looks good enough to wear on its own (the range of colours is attractive too, and for women extends beyond the inevitable pink/purple palette). We love the slightly longer hem and wider cut around the hips – for women, this avoids unfortunate ‘ride-up’.

An altogether different but equally well-performing summer base layer is the new Evolution Light Trend range from Swiss sportswear label Odlo. The fabrics here are high-tech rather than natural, but similarly effective at wicking, heat regulation and odour control (thanks to silver ions woven in). Tight-fitting and seamless, with elasticised support ‘zones’ to keep those wobbly bits in place, these items can also be described as underwear.

However, the sleeveless top we tested while out running is good-looking enough to be worn solo, and comes in an eye-catching purple-orange-pink combination.

RRP: £44.99 (Smartwool) and £35 (Odlo) www.smartwool.com; www.odlo.com/en

24

HD birdwatching scope, RSPB Optics Since the high-definition (HD) optics range from conservation charity RSPB was launched four years ago, it’s proved very popular, no doubt reflecting the good quality of the kit but also its feel-good factor – profit from sales of the range goes towards RSPB’s conservation work.

The newest addition is the top-ofthe-range 82mm HD spotting scope, made by Viking Optics for RSPB. The large 82mm HD objective lens makes for maximum light transmission, while the locking 25-50x eye-piece provides

wide angle viewing across the whole magnification range. The magnesium alloy body is lightweight yet rugged and waterproof, and is filled with dry nitrogen to prevent the lenses from fogging up. Two focussing wheels allow you to focus quickly and accurately. The new scope is available online and to try at RSPB Loch Lomond Shores.

RRP: £1,298 www.rspb.org.uk

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

24-25 Products Summer 12_Innovations Spread v2 copy 30/05/2012 16:50 Page 25

Drybags with a difference

Lightweight jacket, Karrimor Well-known British brand Karrimor recently launched its first new range of technical jackets for over seven years.

We tested the lightweight XLite Helium, a weatherproof, packable outer layer. During testing on several walks, cycles and an early-season camping trip, it proved most versatile and wearable, offering comfort from the elements and teaming well with base and mid-layers.

The Helium uses Karrimor’s Weathertite Extreme fabric, which has an unusually soft feel to it but is waterproof (minimum hydrostatic head of 10,000mm) as well as breathable. Along with being extremely lightweight, the jacket has a number of user-friendly features – waterproof zips, a wired-rim, roll-away hood wide enough for a helmet, hem chord adjustment and venting pockets.

The other two styles in the new range

Lomo backpack drybag; Mammut drybag lamp

are the high-spec, technical Alpiniste and the soft shell Transition. They will be joined by further new releases in autumn-winter. Men’s and women’s styles available in three colours.

RRP: £119.99 www.karrimor.com

Njord Stove, Primus A twin stove that is light and packable enough for group camping trips?

Although sceptical at first, we were won over by the simplicity of this excellent little twin-burner stove.

Stable, genuinely lightweight and easily stashable thanks to its folding legs, the Njord accompanied our tester on several spring camping trips, and even served as an emergency stove at home following a recent house move. The one niggle is that the burners are a little too susceptible to being blown out by the wind, so choose your camp spot wisely. The stove is powered by a Primus PowerGas cartridge, although is also available in a Duo version which has a valve that fits most gas cartridges.

RRP: £47.50 (or £55 for the duo stove) www.primus.se

Wee Midgie repellent spray, Dekassa Mini in size but mighty in bite, the midge is the curse of Scotland’s summers and finding a truly effective repellent is a kind of holy grail for outdoor enthusiasts.

With the current market leader being rather nasty and sharpsmelling, many would welcome a natural alternative that really works.

Following the success of its midge-repellent candle and body butter, Scottish business Dekassa has expanded its range to include a compact spray, and re-branded the three products under the Wee Midgie label. The chief active ingredient in these all-natural products is bog myrtle, which has been used in Scotland as an

www.scotoutdoors.com

insect repellent for centuries.

Essential oils of lavender and lemon also help soothe the skin and keep bugs at bay. Unfortunately we weren’t able to test their effectiveness (the season’s onslaught had not begun at the time of writing), but the products are most pleasant to use, with a lovely, fresh lemony fragrance. Candle, body butter and spray are packaged together in the Wee Midgie Miracle Kit, and there’s also a new multipurpose towel printed with ten fun Wee Midgie characters.

RRP: £6.50 (spray) and £15.99 (Miracle Kit) www.dekassa.com

A drybag is essential gear for anyone wanting to take along a change of clothes, camera gear or a packed lunch for a day out sailing, power boating or paddling – in our case, with our sit-on-top kayak. In the past, drybags have been rather unimaginatively sack-shaped – fine for lashing onto your craft but not necessarily comfortable to carry any distance on land.

So it’s refreshing to see the new 30-litre backpack drybag by specialist Glasgow-based manufacturer Lomo Watersport. Made with tough waterproof material, it comprises two compartments – a spacious top-loading main sack with familiar roll-down top, and a small zippered pocket (not waterproof) on the outside, ideal for keeping something like sun cream to hand. What really sets this piece of kit apart from standard drybags is its well-made, comfortable carrying system with padded shoulder straps, padded hip and back pads and adjustable waist and chest straps. This is an ideal bag if you tend to go ashore and cover some ground on foot… and it’s very reasonably priced.

Mammut’s new twist on the drybag is the Ambient Light, a 3-litre roll-top drybag made from translucent, food-grade material. It can be used to keep packed lunches and small items dry; or, with the accompanying T-Trail head-torch placed face-up inside, it makes a lantern. A nifty idea for overnight paddling expeditions, but not essential. Nevertheless it is good value – two high-quality bits of kit packaged together at a reasonable price.

RRP: £23.99 (Lomo backpack) and £45 (Mammut Ambient Light) www.lomo.co.uk; www.mammut.ch

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26 Competition Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 5 31/05/2012 09:42 Page 26

WIN Highland Perthshire

SCOTLAND OUTDOORS SUMMER COMPETITION Scotland Outdoors has teamed with awardwinning Highland Safaris and Craigatin House & Courtyard to offer readers the chance to experience the very best of Highland Perthshire, with a day spent exploring scenic ridges, rocky outcrops and sweeping vistas in your own exclusive private charter Land Rover before bedding down in one of Scotland’s very best boutique B&Bs. Sit back and make the most of numerous photo opportunities and then relax in a cosy mountain bothy high in the hills and enjoy a gourmet luxury picnic – plus maybe even a dram of local whisky. You could also take the wheel yourself and try out the UK’s highest off-road driving course, with your safari ranger (also a qualified off-road driving instructor) on hand to ensure that you get the most out of both this exhilarating vehicle and the challenging terrain.

The winner and a companion will also enjoy two nights’ accommodation at Craigatin

House & Courtyard (www.craigatinhouse.co.uk) in Pitlochry – a stunning early-Victorian house that blends traditional with contemporary design to offer city chic in a glorious rural setting. Pitlochry is also the perfect base from which to explore wider Highland Perthshire.

Based in the scenic Appin Valley near Aberfeldy, Highland Safaris is a market leader in the provision of quality Land Rover experiences.

Currently celebrating its 20th year of operation, Highland Safaris enjoys exclusive access to a number of prime Highland Perthshire estates.

With a company mission statement ‘to share our passion for the nature, culture, history and landscape of Highland Perthshire with individuals and groups of all ages’ you are guaranteed both a warm welcome and wonderful memories.

HOW TO ENTER To enter, see this page or visit www.highlandsafaris.net to find the answer to the following question: Highland Safaris is based in which Perthshire valley?

Please send the answer together with your name, address and telephone number in an email headed ‘Scotland Outdoors competition’ to competition@scotoutdoors.com

PRIZE DETAILS The prize is for a private charter Highland Safaris experience for two including gourmet picnic with two nights’ B&B accommodation at Craigatin House & Courtyard in Pitlochry.

The prize must be taken by 31 October, or by arrangement with both Highland Safaris and Craigatin House & Courtyard. The closing date for this competition is 1 August, with the winner notified shortly afterwards by email.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The draw will be made on 1 August and the winner notified directly. There is no cash alternative. The contact details you provide may be used for reservation and marketing purposes only by the providers of this competition (Scotland Outdoors, Highland Safaris and Craigatin House and Courtyard) but will not be shared with any other third parties, except when disclosure is required by law.

26

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

summer ads_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 17:06 Page 27

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28-29 Outdoor Passions Summer 12_Lukasz Warzecha 30/05/2012 16:52 Page 28

OUTDOOR • PASSIONS

Fiona Rennie Ultra-runner WITH A STRING OF RACES UNDER HER BELT, DUNFERMLINE-BASED FIONA RENNIE IS A FAMILIAR FIGURE IN SCOTTISH ULTRA-RUNNING – DEFINED AS ANYTHING OVER MARATHON DISTANCE. THE FACT THAT SHE SUFFERED A BRAIN HAEMORRHAGE IN 2005 MAKES HER CONTINUED EXPLOITS EVEN MORE INSPIRING What made you start running in the first place?

My husband, Pete, and I used to do karate and I started running to help build endurance for that. I gave up karate when pregnant with my daughter, but went back to running straight away. I ran a lot with my identical twin Pauline who has represented Great Britain in 24-hour races.

Do you think about much while running?

Some days you need to work things out in your head but that soon goes on the back burner. Usually, I’m just out there enjoying it. When running the Loch Ness Marathon with Pauline a few years ago there was one section where I told her to smell the water from the loch. She was pleasantly surprised as she’s usually more competitive and too focused in race mode to notice.

Tell me about a typical training week I am building up to the West Highland Way Race [a 95-mile run along the famous long-distance path] in June, which means running six days a week, covering 50–60 miles in all. Twice a week, I train with Carnegie Harriers, when we often do speed work. I’m not really built for it though – being an ultra-runner, I have no leg lift. I’m just a shuffler.

How many big races have you done now?

I’ve probably run 70 races of marathon distance or over.

That includes eight West Highland Way Races and four 24-hour events. I try to do two big ones a year.

The West Highland Way Race holds a special place in your heart. How did you first get involved?

When Pauline first did it in 1997, I provided support and was stunned at what people looked like at the finish. Pauline was clapped in and her feet were mushed. I thought there was no way I would do it, but I did, in 2003. The first race was the toughest as my feet were badly blistered. In long races you have to tend your feet regularly. I’d never had blisters before, but a blister is only skin; it’s sharp but doesn’t stop you running.

What is so special about the event?

Just seeing the scenery and hills, it’s such a privilege to be out amongst that. When on my own it feels like it belongs to me. The race is competitive but I never feel like I’m competing against anyone else, just myself.

What are the particular challenges of 24-hour races?

Your head has to be right. The races are usually on a loop and you just do as many loops as you can in 24 hours.

Some people can’t handle it, but the way I look at it, 24 hours is a long time for a run, but not in the scale of life.

It will end – it’s just 24 hours.

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You suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2005 and spent three weeks in intensive care. What do you remember of that time?

It came out of the blue. I was up early as we were setting off to run the Speyside Way 50k. I felt a pain at the back of my head and had to lie on the floor until the intensity of it passed. Getting up was hard and I noticed that my right leg was floppy and I had lost vision in my right eye.

My first thought was how am I going to run 50k like this?

I was in Edinburgh’s Western General where doctors put three platinum coils in the blood vessel that burst. It’s just like plumbing; they fixed a leak and now I can get on with it.

What role did running play in your recovery?

It was scary, but I wanted to get back to normal and that meant running. The first time out, I just ran a minute and walked a minute for 10 minutes. Nothing felt comfortable but it was a start. If I didn’t do it, I would have felt scared all the time.

Tell me about your first few races since returning to competitive running I didn’t really push anything for over a year. My first race [nine weeks after] was the Isle of Skye half marathon. It was my 100th half marathon, so I wasn’t going to miss that.

My first marathon – the Loch Ness Marathon – was six months after leaving hospital. I felt scared at the start, but great at the end. I just thought, ‘sick people can’t run a marathon’.

Has your attitude to life changed since your recovery?

Yes, probably. I don’t worry about the small stuff. I didn’t that much before, but I don’t at all now. Every day is a bonus.

In 2009, you were part of the Scottish team that won bronze in the 24-hour race at the Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra Distance Championships Yes, I qualified for the team following my very first 24-hour race in which I ran 116 miles – still my best ever distance.

I can still see the three of us standing on the podium with our medals. It was a very proud moment.

You were recently the subject of Running Wild, a short film made by your husband. Were you a willing actor?

I was probably a difficult subject and would have been a lot more polite had it not been my husband behind the camera. He shouted at me a lot: ‘Run up that hill again, this time with feeling’. But we are both pleased with the end result. It was voted favourite film at last year’s Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival.

How long will you keep running?

I’ll be running for as long as I’m upright and breathing.

For much more on Fiona’s running adventures and to watch Running Wild, visit http://fionarenniewhw.blogspot.co.uk

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

28-29 Outdoor Passions Summer 12_Lukasz Warzecha 30/05/2012 16:52 Page 29

Live to run (clockwise from top left): competing in the West Highland Way Race 2011; filming Running Wild at the Kingshouse Hotel; base camp at last year's new Glenmore 24 race; an enticing sign for any runner; enjoying the views, Highland Fling 2011; a pause in filming, Glencoe

www.scotoutdoors.com

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30-36 Ben Nevis Summer 12_Ben Nevis 30/05/2012 16:53 Page 30

CONSERVATION • BEN NEVIS

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30-36 Ben Nevis Summer 12_Ben Nevis 30/05/2012 16:53 Page 31

BACKING THE BEN PHOTOGRAPHY: MARIAN AUSTIN; MIKE PESCOD; FLORIAN URBAN; ALAN KIMBER/WWW.WESTCOAST-MOUNTAINGUIDES.CO.UK; MARK FOXWELL; RORY SYME/JOHN MUIR TRUST; JOCK DUNCAN; KEITH BRAME

THE UK’S LOFTIEST PEAK, BEN NEVIS IS BOTH AN ICON OF SCOTTISH CLIMBING AND A MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION, WITH MORE THAN 100,000 WALKERS REACHING THE SUMMIT EACH YEAR. LOOKING AFTER THE MOUNTAIN, HOWEVER, IS PROVING A CHALLENGE. RICHARD BAYNES REPORTS

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30-36 Ben Nevis Summer 12_Ben Nevis 30/05/2012 16:54 Page 32

CONSERVATION • BEN NEVIS

“ S THE clouds suddenly lift, ragged columns of ice stand crisp and sparkling in the sunlight all around us. Here on the north face of Ben Nevis, the snow is both white and blue, cut by drifts, clefts and glacier-like crevasses. High above, the heavy cornicing on the cliff edges appears like fat scoops of ice cream that have been rolled above the frost-glistening rocks. It just seems impossible that there can be so much ice when it’s mild and drizzling at sea level.

But more surprising are the people, maybe a hundred or more in this one remote, high section. The famous ice climbs – Tower Scoop, Smith’s, Hadrian’s Wall and the rest – hold strings of climbers, with even more entering the coire below.

That March day I scrape my way up the ice of the classic Good Friday Climb. Months later, on a June weekend, we rock climb up long, easy Tower Ridge, also on the north face, savouring the position and sense of history. The ridge was first climbed in winter by Norman Collie in 1894. He likened it to climbing the Matterhorn and, since then, Ben Nevis has been at the centre of climbing in Scotland: men of the calibre of Harold Raeburn, Tom Patey and Robin Smith all pioneered hard, compelling climbs here.

And it still has a magnetic attraction: in 2008, the north face became the home of reputedly the hardest traditional rock climb in the world, Dave Macleod’s Echo Wall.

After Tower Ridge, I head back down the ‘pony track’ which ends in Glen Nevis, and in the hour or so it takes to walk to the half-way lochan, I pass several hundred people trudging upwards towards the summit. Many are charity walkers, some carry crackling walkie-talkies, while others just stare at the track and plod, oblivious to the views.

On the well-made path on that upper section, it seems quite different from hill walking as I know it, and a million miles from the adventures, vintage and modern, of the north face. It illustrates what began to dawn on me during the earlier ice climb – that Ben Nevis is not just the UK’s highest mountain, but also a massive visitor attraction. It sets me wondering: what do we want from our highest mountain, and how do we get it?

A

”

TRUST LAND The upper half of the main mountain path runs across land owned by the John Muir Trust, a wild land conservation charity which bought the summit plateau and a large tract of Glen Nevis 12 years ago. One of the Trust’s primary aims – it also owns a variety of other properties from the Scottish Borders to the northwest Highlands – is to preserve wild land, which seems at odds with the fact that around 160,000 people visit the mountain each year.

When I go for a walk on the Ben with the ever-diplomatic Fran Lockhart, the Trust’s Nevis property manager, she gamely says visitors are not a problem, it’s their impact. Whether that’s much of a distinction is a moot point, but that impact has driven her to extremes at times.

Litter, in all its guises, is a big issue, she explains.

Visitors persist in dropping banana skins thinking they

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Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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will rot, but on the cold, sterile summit plateau they stay “like horrible black slugs,” and can take up to two years to fully decompose. To highlight the issue, Trust staff recently dressed as giant bananas and got their take-it-home message across to walkers with a smile.

Now Lockhart is tackling the next problem: people’s toilet habits on the hill. “My colleagues are a bit worried what I might have them dressing up as next,” she laughs.

More seriously, Lockhart says introducing alien nutrients is bound to have some effect on the ecology of the mountain, although no studies have been carried out on the potential effects of food and other waste left behind by visitors. But there is some visible evidence of effects on the ecosystem: the big boulders preferred by men to pee on have developed their own, alien types of algae, while snow buntings on the summit plateau now make a living by scrounging scraps from walkers rather than pursuing their natural food supplies.

“We should avoid it happening: there is just no need for piles of loo paper and peel to be left behind,” says Lockhart.

Trust staff lead regular work parties to the summit to

Crowd puller (clockwise from left): Ben Nevis from Leanachan Forest; the Carn Mor Dearg arete that leads to the summit of Ben Nevis; summit crowds; a climber outside the emergency shelter on the summit; Fran Lockhart, John Muir Trust Property Manager for Nevis; Trust staff say no to banana skins

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clear litter. The most recent clean-up, in August last year, saw the removal of around eight bin bags of plastic bottles and other rubbish as well as another eight shopping bags of banana skins, plus a water melon.

As well as litter, the UK’s highest mountain also sees its fair share of stunt ascents. Wheelbarrows, horse and carts and a barrel of beer have all been pushed, trundled or carried up for charities or publicity. In 2006, the remains of what appeared to be a piano were found buried on the summit. It turned out to be a church organ carried up by strongman Kenny Campbell from Bonar Bridge in 1981. In the same year a group of Glasgow medical students pushed a bed to the top.

Recent stunts include an archer who wanted to shoot arrows up the hill and follow them – “not the safest idea,” deadpans Lockhart – and enthusiasts wanting to recreate the 1911 ascent by a Model T Ford. After substantial negotiation, a period car was carried up in bits to be reassembled.

Lockhart and her two-strong team of rangers also have to deal with thorny issues such as whether there should be marker posts on the summit plateau – as a wild land charity, the Trust has a presumption against structures and way markers on the summit unless there is a clear reason for them being there – and the whole knotty question

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of whether a vastly improved path wouldn’t just attract even more walkers.

She insists that the Trust’s idea of Ben Nevis as wild land is legitimate, as most of the area away from the summit is seldom visited. But this is open to question, and not just because of the sheer number of walkers. The ruins of an old observatory, built on the summit in 1883 and manned for more than 20 years, are still apparent. A small hotel attached to it catered for summer visitors and lasted even longer. For its part, the Trust advocates no new structures – including potentially misleading navigation cairns – while recognising the historical and cultural significance of some.

Elsewhere, tucked below the north face, on land owned

by Rio Tinto Alcan, is the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s CIC Hut, a recently extended climbers’ bunkhouse and the only Alpine-style refuge in Scotland’s mountains.

Meanwhile, climbers and walkers have left their mark all over the hill with a network of paths, rocks polished by thousands of feet, and bits of tat.

PARTNERSHIP ON HOLD But it’s not just the John Muir Trust that has a stake in the Ben. The Nevis Partnership is a charity that brings together all the groups with an interest in the mountain: the John Muir Trust, Mountaineering Council of Scotland, Rio Tinto Alcan, Scottish Natural Heritage, Highland Council and others.

Until recently, the Partnership has overseen the management of the mountain and surrounding land, and its trickiest problem has been the main path. Above the halfway lochan, it has been rebuilt in the past three years with Lottery funding and other grants. It’s now a firm track, with good drainage and marker cairns across the plateau.

The Partnership organised this, and also the new path up to the north face used by climbers and which replaced a hideous, muddy slog.

But the lower part of this popular route is still the original pony track, over 100 years old and only sporadically maintained. When I walk up it with Fran I see it’s been washed away in places, with blocks of granite tumbled over and drainage channels left high and dry as torrential rain has eroded the path around them.

It urgently needs to be rebuilt but the Partnership,

34

“ ” which hoped to carry out the work, announced in March that it was closing for the time being. It failed to win Lottery funding for the path last year and, following successive cuts in funding from Highland Council, has now run out of cash.

The Partnership board is pinning its hopes on a fresh Lottery bid and should hear the results of this in July when the hope is that the organisation can be revived. But even if successful, it is likely that two more damaging winters will pass before the lower path can begin to be restored.

Liz Wilshaw, who until recently managed the Nevis Partnership, spells out the problem: “It [the lower path] is in danger of collapse. Fort William and district will lose out massively, as visitors will be deterred from climbing the mountain, and the mountain will lose out as those that do will find new ways up which will cause even more erosion. It’s a double whammy.”

Wilshaw points to the economic value of Ben Nevis to surrounding Lochaber, and that’s another issue which needs to be factored in when deciding how to manage the hill. There are so many questions. To what extent should a charity with a narrow set of conservation aims be at the helm? Can a consortium of diverse organisations, with conflicting interests, do the job? Or should the mountain be managed for the good of the nation, striking a balance between conservation, development and economics?

There’s little doubt what Bill McDermott, who chairs the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP), will say.

The SCNP, which includes some of the most experienced administrators and outdoors campaigners in Scotland, backed a national park for Ben Nevis and Glen Coe when parks for Scotland were being considered in the 1990s.

Landowners were against the idea, along with the bulk of local opinion, he explains. “One of the things is the cultural dimension of the Highlands. The background is the clearances and people think the glens should be filled with people again, so the idea of

Home from home: the CIC Hut below the north face (above left); a shattered section of trail on the main track up the mountain (above right)

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

summer ads_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 16:35 Page 35

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30-36 Ben Nevis Summer 12_Ben Nevis 31/05/2012 15:10 Page 36

CONSERVATION • BEN NEVIS

conservationists coming in to designate a national park and stop development is a very strong motivation among the general population.”

But McDermott believes the problem over the lower path is a clear example of why the area should now be part of a national park: “If there was a national park covering the area, as we have with the highest mountains in England and Wales, the path repairs would be automatically taken on board,” he believes. “You can’t have the highest mountain in Scotland left to fester.”

SOLUTIONS FROM ELSEWHERE So, what does happen in national parks elsewhere in the UK? When the Snowdonia National Park’s access officer Peter Rutherford hears what is happening to the main path up Ben Nevis, he is aghast. “That’s outrageous. If a path on Snowdon has a problem, the staff and machinery are put into place to sort it out.”

Snowdonia has a full-time staff of nine working on path maintenance, much of the time on Snowdon, which sees three times the number of visitors that Ben Nevis has. But the £250,000 annual path maintenance budget – part of the Snowdonia National Park’s annual £8 million grant from the Welsh Assembly – is not a huge sum, given the number of visitors and many other mountains that are also under threat.

Rutherford says there’s still 15 years of work to get just the paths on Snowdon into shape. But the big difference from Ben Nevis is that a permanent organisation maintains the paths: a failed Lottery bid or a tightening of belts by local authorities would not leave its paths unmanaged. “We are chasing our tails at times, but without the national park set-up it would be impossible,” he comments.

Back in Scotland, at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Visitor Manager Bridget Jones is sure a national park structure for Ben Nevis would help improve the path repair situation. She points out, however, that the park has no legal obligation to repair paths, and repairs on popular mountains such as the Cobbler and Ben Lomond have to be supported in the same sort of way as those on Ben Nevis – through bidding for European funds and getting organisations such as the Forestry Commission to back them.

And, she says: “Actually getting capital funds for improvements is easier than getting hold of funds for maintaining the path once it’s built.”

So although many might be surprised that Ben Nevis is not already in a national park, it seems that such status would not necessarily remedy the mountain’s problems.

In fact, Ben Nevis’s management is currently being reexamined by the Nevis Partnership and Outdoor Capital UK, the marketing group for Fort William and the surrounding area. Stakeholders such as Highland Council, landowners and community groups are being asked for their views, and a report will be published later this summer.

John Hutchison, Chairman of the John Muir Trust and Executive Director of the Nevis Partnership, is one of the most important figures in the debate on how Ben Nevis will be managed in the future, but he is adamant that neither he nor the Trust will express a view until the community consultation has reported, for fear of prejudicing its conclusions.

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At his home in Lochaber, Hutchison says a national park – which could include neighbouring Glen Coe and the Mamores – is one possibility, but whatever happens, something more needs to be done to safeguard Ben Nevis. “The international importance of the area has to be recognised, with sustainable funding from national sources so that the future of this priceless landscape is ensured,” he says.

The key, he believes, is to get away from the current hand-to-mouth funding situation. “The Trust does not have a formal position on national parks: our interest is the proper protection of wild land. But the area deserves better than to have to compete for piecemeal funding, so the options could include a national park, where Ben Nevis would be part of a far bigger area, or it could mean some other structure such as a management plan for the national scenic area, or something else again. But we shouldn’t have to keep applying for grants.” g

World apart: a wooded gorge in a secluded part of Glen Nevis

MORE INFORMATION Nevis Partnership Find out more about the umbrella of organisations that are responsible for safeguarding the interests of Ben Nevis. www.nevispartnership.co.uk

John Muir Trust The Trust organises a variety of volunteer work parties on Ben Nevis (and its other properties). www.jmt.org/activities-conservation-work-parties.asp

CIC Memorial Hut Opened in 1929, the Charles Inglis Clark (CIC) Memorial Hut is owned by the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC). The hut suffered recent storm damage but has now been repaired and is back in full use. As with all five SMC huts, it is open for use by members and their guests and can be booked by parties from other clubs who are members of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland or British Mountaineering Council. www.smc.org.uk

Outdoor Capital UK A one-stop-shop for exploring wider Lochaber, whatever your outdoor interest. www.outdoorcapital.co.uk

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

38-42 Isle of Coll Summer 12_Ben Nevis 31/05/2012 14:36 Page 39

PORTRAIT • ISLE OF COLL, INNER HEBRIDES

COLL CALLING

COLOURFUL, DIVERSE AND WITH OUTSTANDING NATURAL RICHES, THE ISLE OF COLL IS ONE OF THE MOST BEWITCHING OF ALL THE HEBRIDEAN ISLANDS. SIMON WELLOCK LIFTS THE LID

PHOTOGRAPHY: SIMON WELLOCK

T

HE FIRST glimpse of Coll from the ferry is of the Heavy squad: grazing by Highland cattle creates island’s rather desolate- excellent habitat for looking northeast shoreline – all nesting birds (opposite); Cliad beach and dunes rock and heather, where long- (above) abandoned harbours and crofting townships give a hint of the island’s past. Those adventurous enough to venture into this part of the island, now designated as a Special Protection Area and Ramsar Site, will encounter a waterlogged land of lochans and sphagnum bogs bristling with carnivorous sundews, butterworts and other specialised plants.

Today, the ferry docks at the ‘new’ pier, built in 1967 to replace a much smaller one where tenders once brought passengers ashore from the old steamers. The pier lies just outside the village of Arinagour, now the only major settlement on the island and home to around half the current population, as well as the school, shop, petrol station, post office, hotel and café.

On first arrival, it’s hard not to notice the huge whalebone arch on the hillside by the ferry terminal. These are casts of the jawbones of a 56-foot fin whale that was washed up on Coll in 2004. John Fraser, who works for the gap year organisation Project Trust, the island’s biggest employer, led the team of volunteers that erected the arch. “It is such an unusual event to have a whale this size … the islanders wanted something as a keepsake because we couldn't keep the originals,” he explains.

With its line of white-washed cottages, Arinagour might look familiar to those with children as it provides the template for the village on the fictional island of Struay, home of Mairi Hedderwick’s Katie Morag stories that

www.scotoutdoors.com

are inspired by the author’s life on Coll. Many a visiting child has spent hours trying to work out the real identity of Grannie Island, Neilly Beag and Mrs McColl.

HUMAN HISTORY Coll might only occupy 30 square miles, but it has a history to rival anywhere in Britain. Like so many of the Hebridean islands, the human population has experienced its ups and downs through the ages, with early settlers leaving behind an abundance of archaeological evidence.

The earliest people were Mesolithic hunter gatherers, with a great deal of evidence of their way of life unearthed recently by a team from Reading University. Bronze Age remains include standing stones at Totronald and cairn and burial chambers on a rocky ridge overlooking the head of Loch Eatharna, north of Arinagour.

The Iron Age is also well represented with an earth house at Arnabost and several well-preserved duns, while the Neolithic period has left behind a dozen or so crannogs – partially or entirely artificial islands built in lochs and used as dwellings until as late as the seventeenth century. A particularly good example is Dun Anlaimh at the north end of Loch nan Cinneachan. Accessed by a submerged stone walkway, the island houses the remains of three conjoined dry-stone buildings.

This crannog in particular provides links to another wave of settlers on Coll: the Vikings. Anlaimh is the Gaelic form of Olaf, a Viking chieftain on Coll, whilst Loch nan Cinneachan is Gaelic for loch of the heathens – a reference to the ungodly Norsemen. Other evidence of the Vikings can be found around the island,

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PORTRAIT • ISLE OF COLL, INNER HEBRIDES

particularly on the north shore between Grishipol and Sorisdal – places whose very names are a lasting testament to the Norsemen.

By the late eighteenth century, shortly after the Macleans of Coll built their mansion to replace the crumbling fifteenth century Breachachadh Castle, the island’s population had grown substantially, eventually peaking at more than 1,400 by 1841. However, subsequent decades saw poor crop yields, failed potato harvests and the devastation of the clearances. By 1861, the population had almost halved and continued to decline for over a century reaching a low of just 130 in the 1990s.

Since then, a new wave of colonists has arrived, with many enticed by the quality of life, tranquillity and miles of white-sand beaches. With a current population of more than 220 – including a wide age range of children – the island is once again full of life and vigour.

“We made a conscious decision to give up better paid jobs in the city to reap the rewards of a better lifestyle on the island,” says Seonaid Maclean-Bristol who together with her husband Alex, who grew up on Coll, moved to the island from London seven years ago. In many ways, they are typical of the new breed.

“Coll is an island with a lot of young families and one of the positive offshoots of this is an incredible can-do attitude,” she says. “It’s a wonderful place for children.”

One of the most exciting developments is the creation of a new community centre with the award-winning renovation of the White House. The building, which overlooks a rocky Atlantic bay, was visited by Boswell and Johnson during their famous tour of the Hebrides, but has been an unoccupied ruin for the past 150 years.

wet grassland and heath. It was purchased in 1991 from the last laird of Coll, Kenneth Stewart, primarily as a refuge for the corncrake – a secretive and vulnerable species that now has something of a stronghold on the island.

Tried and tested land management techniques see the birds benefit from crucial early cover when they first arrive back from their African wintering grounds. This is achieved by removing livestock from pastures in earlyApril, so allowing the growth of iris beds, and by fencing off corners of fields and corridors between fields where the growth of nettles and cow parsley is encouraged.

Tall grass is maintained throughout the summer by keeping pastures stock free and growing late-cut hay or silage. The fields are not cut or grazed until mid-August (by which time the birds have safely completed their second brood) and are then cut from the inside out – a corncrake-friendly method of mowing that reduces the incidences of chicks or nests being destroyed. As a result of such efforts, corncrake numbers have now risen from

Island life (clockwise from top left): competitors in Coll’s annual fishing competition; Crossapol graveyard; the elusive corncrake; basking sharks in Crossapol Bay

“

LIVING WITH NATURE Much of the western end of the island is an RSPB reserve – 1,220 hectares of machair, sand dunes, in-bye, pasture,

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” just six calling pairs when the reserve was first purchased to more than 120 pairs.

But corncrakes, which are more often heard than seen thanks to a distinctive croaking call, are not the only attraction of the nature reserve. Lapwing, redshank and snipe breed all over the reserve, while the extensive grasslands are alive with the song of hundreds of skylarks.

And with more than 300 species of wild flowers, the whole island is a botanist’s paradise. The machair – a rich, short sward grassland fed by windblown shell sand – is a riot of colour from late-May to September. For those more familiar with the ‘improved’ grasslands of the mainland, it comes as quite a shock to witness such a wealth of flora.

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38-42 Isle of Coll Summer 12_Ben Nevis 31/05/2012 14:39 Page 42

PORTRAIT • ISLE OF COLL, INNER HEBRIDES

From the yellows of bulbous buttercup, bird’s-foot trefoil and kidney vetch to the reds of bloody crane’s-bill, red bartsia and early marsh orchids, the island’s rainbow landscape is a truly magical sight. Meanwhile, 11 species of orchid – including one of Europe’s rarest, Irish lady’s tresses – grow in such abundance that at times it’s difficult to know where to put your feet.

All these sources of nectar ensure a super abundance of insects. Bumblebees are the most conspicuous, including two very rare machair specialists, the great yellow and the red-shanked carder.

FARMING FOR WILDLIFE Much of Coll’s bountiful natural history is a direct result of sympathetic land management. Today, the majority of land on Coll is farmed with wildlife in mind through the support of agri-environment schemes.

One farm, in particular, highlights the benefits that sympathetic farming can bring to wildlife. Rob and Romayne Wainwright – yes, that Rob Wainwright, the former Scotland and British Lions rugby captain – have farmed 1,200-hectares at Cliad since 2000. In partnership with RSPB Scotland, and with funding through the Rural Stewardship Scheme and Scotland Rural Development Programme, their farm has seen cattle numbers increase and sheep numbers reduce. Both Highland cattle and Hebridean sheep are extensive grazers, creating excellent habitat for nesting birds.

In addition, the re-introduction of spring cropping (oats and/or barley) plus turnips for fodder, has provided a real bonus for lapwings, with cropped ground adjacent to wetland also proving very popular. The wet grassland areas on the farm provide ideal insect-rich habitat for lapwing chicks.

The Wainwrights have also worked with RSPB Scotland to help provide habitat for corncrakes – a species with rather different and potentially conflicting requirements to lapwings. It’s going well, though, with numbers of both species on the rise.

“We came into farming at a time when various schemes were put in place to encourage us,” explains Rob Wainwright. “We looked at it with a profit-and-loss business

42

sense and decided we would take the incentives that the government were offering, particularly as many of the things they were encouraging us to do we wanted to do anyway with regard to wildlife. We’ve gone into environmental schemes, organic farming, and various mainstream grants or subsidies on livestock.”

But nature’s bounty does not last forever. The summers on Coll – typified by the song of the skylark, the ‘crex-crex’ rasp of the corncrake, carpets of wildflowers, miles of virtually empty beaches, and the clear waters of the sea – become a distant memory as the winds and rain of an Atlantic island winter take over. No more can you encounter the huge dorsal fins of basking sharks or witness orcas patrolling the shores for seal pups.

However, the winter months can bring the breathtaking beauty of night skies filled with countless stars or the northern lights, the awe-inspiring experience of thousands of geese taking to the air, and the exhilaration of a long walk on a windy day followed by a dram by the fire. A powdering of snow is perfect for emphasising the ridges and furrows which cover so much of this ancient land.

These ‘lazy beds’ are evidence of the old ‘runrig’ system used by crofters, the crops being grown on the ridges while the furrows drained the land.

There’s no denying that, at times, Coll, like many small islands, can be a difficult place in which to live. For some, the thought of being stranded on the island, the ferry cancelled again due to winter storms, is a recurring nightmare. But, as writer Mairi Hedderwick says of days when the boat doesn’t sail: “I love the feeling of being islanded. It’s the feeling of being encircled and safe.” g

Wild life (clockwise from top left): great yellow bumblebee; kidney vetch in the machair; the rare Irish lady’s tresses orchid; wetland vegetation

MORE INFORMATION The Isle of Coll lies in the Atlantic Ocean, four miles west of Mull. It is just 13 miles long and four miles at its widest point.

The island can be reached by ferry (www.calmac.co.uk) from Oban, Tobermory and Tiree. www.visitcoll.co.uk Simon Wellock runs wildlife holiday and tour business Coll of the Wild. www.collofthewild.co.uk

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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44-48 Explore Ardnamurchan Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 1 30/05/2012 16:56 Page 44

EXPLORE • ARDNAMURCHAN

Way out west WITH AN ENTICING MIX OF VOLCANIC HISTORY, PRISTINE BEACHES, ANCIENT WOODLAND AND ABUNDANT WILDLIFE, THE ARDNAMURCHAN PENINSULA HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO TEMPT THE TRAVELLER WEST, WRITES RICHARD ROWE PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD ROWE; RICHARD MASPERO; MICHAEL MACGREGOR/WWW.MICHAEL-MACGREGOR.CO.UK

HIS MIGHT JUST be the best view in Scotland. Standing on the outer platform of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, a Stevenson-built sentinel that guards the rocky outcrop of Ardnamurchan Point, it is hard to imagine anywhere better. On this crystal clear day, the lofty vantage point provides a 360degree geography lesson with views north to Mallaig in one direction and to the hills above Tobermory on Mull in the other. Out to sea, the isle of Coll twinkles in the sunlight, while Muck, Eigg and Rum frame the jagged edge of the Cuillin hills on Skye.

It’s a breathtaking view and ample reward for a long journey. Getting here takes time and patience, but that’s as it should be, for this is the most westerly point on the British mainland. The lighthouse marks the end of a thick peninsula that juts into the Minch like a dislocated body part. It is reached by a mainly single-track road that creeps and crests its way, torturously at times, along the shores of Loch Sunart before heading inland at tiny Kilchoan and coming to a halt, rather incongruously, at a traffic light. From there, the road narrows further as it skirts a rocky knoll before opening out to reveal the lighthouse, keepers’ cottages and outbuildings.

“You’ve been lucky with the weather,” says

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the lighthouse guide as he shows us around the upper decks of the structure. “It’s not always like this.” To illustrate the fact, he points to the now disused foghorn at the base of the lighthouse but which still stands high above the water line. This past winter, the windows beneath it were shattered by a bombardment of rocks and debris hurled by waves during a particularly violent storm.

This is Ardnamurchan at its most wild and exposed, the crag-studded moorland softened only by a few wind-battered stands of trees, and fringed by the area’s trademark whitesand beaches. It’s a far cry from the luxuriant oak and birch woodlands that embrace travellers on their journey westwards via Strontian, Salen and Glenborrodale, the majority having made the short crossing of Loch Linnhe on the Corran Ferry. As the ferry crabs sideways in the tidal races of the Corran Narrows, leaving the masses to continue on to Fort William or Glen Coe, there is a sense of having stepped off the regular tourist trail and journeyed to somewhere altogether different.

The wildness of Ardnamurchan can in part be attributed to a violent volcanic past that fractured, folded and blasted the landscape into its current form. West Ardnamurchan in

Crossing the divide (clockwise from above left): the Corran Ferry; paddling on Loch Moidart; lighthouse views; a stormy day at Ardnamurchan Point

particular is a geologist’s dream, with a series of volcanic rings clearly visible from the air close to the glorious sand dunes at Sanna.

There are not too many places in the world where beach access is through the rim and crater of an ancient volcano.

NATURAL PLENTY But it’s not just the landscape that sets the pulse racing. While gazing out from the top of the lighthouse, we notice movement on the ground below. It takes a moment to work out what has just happened, but as our eyes

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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“

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adjust we realise that a golden eagle has risen almost vertically from the ground and is now hovering motionless below the level of the platform where we are standing. For a split second, we feel part of its world, able to look down and scan for prey together.

While we watch, the eagle ducks groundwards twice, hesitating each time, before thinking better of it and swooping over the brow of the hill in search of more productive hunting elsewhere. “There are several juveniles nearby,” explains our lighthouse guide when we tell him what has just happened. “They are not bothered about us. They are just here for the rabbits.”

The sense of natural plenty on the land and in the waters all around is emphasised by the skeletons of two whales set against the walls of the office building at Ardnamurchan Campsite in Kilchoan – our main base for a long weekend of exploring. One is of a minke whale, a common species here during the summer months, while the other is a much rarer Cuvier’s beaked whale, an offshore species that is usually only seen when discovered washed up dead.

Both were found by campsite owner Trevor Potts in remote bays nearby. Collecting the skeletons and keeping the bones intact was a stinky business, he says. “With one of the skeletons, I managed to get most of the backbone vertebrae down to the water in one piece and then tied the bones with a rope to keep them together and towed them behind the boat. They were pretty smelly and I had to leave them to weather a bit when I got back.”

www.scotoutdoors.com

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EXPLORE • ARDNAMURCHAN

Trevor pitched up in Ardnamurchan some 15 years ago, supposedly to retire after a life spent in boat building, kayak design, outdoor education and polar exploration. In 1989, he became the first man to kayak across the Bering Strait from Alaska to Siberia and now spends winters aboard Antarctic expedition ships guiding and lecturing on his expeditions, including the re-sailing of Shackleton’s epic rescue voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia aboard the James Caird following the loss of his ship Endurance in the ice off Antarctica.

A replica of the James Caird, a 23 foot-long whaler, commissioned by Trevor when he and a four-strong team became the first to re-enact the original Shackleton journey, now sits on a trailer at the campsite and will be donated to the Polar Museum in Cambridge as part of the centenary celebrations of Shackleton’s feats in 2014.

It seems apt that someone with such experience of wild places should choose Ardnamurchan as his home. “I love it here,” he says. “It’s a special place, remote but not isolated. We still have facilities – a thriving community centre, ferry links, a local store and broadband – but you can walk for 10 minutes around the corner and not see anyone else all day.”

Like so many retirees, he now seems busier than ever, dividing his time between lecture tours, running the campsite and adjoining field study centre, exploring the area in his boat and supporting local initiatives. These include a successful community garden at the nearby Sonachan Hotel, which provides residents of West Ardnamurchan with a plentiful supply of fresh fruit and veg.

The campsite itself is set on a small croft with a field that slopes down to the water’s edge with views to Ben Hiant and across the sound to Mull. It’s an ideal spot for spying the varied marine life that feeds in these waters

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during summer months. Lucky campers often spot basking sharks filter feeding at the surface as well as minke whales and bottlenose dolphins as they charge through the sound corralling fish, just metres from the shore.

“You often hear the dolphins before you see them, snorting as they go,” says Trevor.

ON THE WATER All this talk of sea life had our little band of travellers itching to get out on the water. We had brought two craft with which to do just that: a pack-away inflatable complete with oars and small outboard – ideal for fishing trips – plus a sit-on-top kayak for leisurely touring.

First up was a quick paddle from our shoreline pitch at the campsite to drop a couple of lobster pots in a likely site by a reef we’d spotted exposed at low tide the previous day. The following afternoon we puttered out to retrieve them in the inflatable, only to be distracted by a commotion in the water ahead.

Bone collector (clockwise from top left): whale skeletons at Ardnamurchan Campsite; our inflatable friend, with dog in hot pursuit; common dolphins, a familiar sight in summer

A ball of bait fish had been driven upwards by unseen hunters below, attracting gulls that were now plucking silvery shapes from the surface of the water.

We sped over and joined the fray, rods and lines already primed for just such an eventuality.

Almost immediately one of the lines was hit and we pulled in what my boat mate – who knows much more about such things – assured me was a very fine pollock. It was a keeper, too; the first part of our supper was in the bag.

Back at the pots, we were hoping for equal success. It seemed promising at first. As we hauled them up, we were greeted by dozens of claws as a seething mass of edible crabs and velvet swimming crabs, their red eyes blazing, crawled over each other to reach the bait within. None were large enough for the pot, however, so we spent the next 20 minutes carefully extricating the crabs and dropping them back into the water.

The next day, we packed the kayak on the roof of the car and headed east through Acharacle at the southern end of Loch Shiel and on past the sand flats of Kentra Bay to the tiny settlement of Ardtoe. The road traverses Kentra Moss, an impressive

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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Dining at The Boathouse Restaurant is a must for visitors to the Lochaber area. Located on the Kingairloch Estate and only an hour’s scenic drive from Fort William, The Boathouse champions locally sourced and seasonal dishes.

Menus feature venison from the hills of Kingairloch, home reared pork, seafood from local waters and vegetables, salads and fruit grown in the estate’s walled garden. Visit the website for sample menus and to find out more about the estate.

OPENING TIMES April - October Thursday-Saturday 11am-9pm Sunday 11am-3pm Reservations 01967 411 232 info@kingairloch.co.uk www.kingairloch.co.uk

Ardnamurchan Estate, Kilchoan by Acharacle, Argyll, PH36 4LH Tel 01972 510 208 Fax 01972 510 370 Email escape@west-highlands.co.uk www.west-highlands.co.uk

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EXPLORE • ARDNAMURCHAN

expanse of dead-flat blanket bog, before passing a colourful piece of local artwork: a large roadside boulder painted with miscoloured eyes and fearsome teeth – a ‘monster midge’ that, happily, stays rooted to the spot.

A scattered, sandy settlement of characterful houses and well-used static caravans, Ardtoe has an end-of-the-line feel to it. The road dead-ends at a small car park, with an honesty box for the 50p fee, and a sheltered bay that at low tide reveals an intricate network of sand banks and beaches. At the head of the bay, a concrete causeway marks the site of a renowned marine aquaculture laboratory.

It’s a dream area for kayaking, with myriad beaches, channels, islets and outcrops to negotiate in between the tides. While we explored joyfully from the water, other visitors hopped their way from one rocky outcrop to another. One visitor, emboldened by what had been revealed at low tide, had made his way to the far end of a promontory, only to be nearly caught out as the tide raced back in.

Unfamiliar with the geography and distances, we wished that we had continued paddling north around Farquhar’s Point to Eilean Shona and the outer channels of Loch Moidart. Instead, we drove round, crossing the River Shiel – at just three miles long, one of the shortest in Scotland – and unloaded the kayak once again. We were eager to explore the now dilapidated but magnificently-situated Castle Tioram as well as the heavily-wooded islets and shoreline of Loch Moidart.

Here, as Ardnamurchan meets its equally rugged neighbour Moidart, the area reveals yet more chameleon-like qualities; after the beaches and volcanic landscapes elsewhere, this is Scotland doing a passable impression of some wild corner of Norway or British Columbia. Paddling serenely past pine-covered islands, the call of curlews and oystercatchers carrying on the wind, the temptation to just keep going was very hard to resist. g

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Rooms with a view (clockwise from top): the magnificently-located Castle Tioram; one very large midge; paddling at Ardtoe

Essentials ARDNAMURCHAN LIGHTHOUSE Guided tours are available from April to October. Excellent coffee shop and exhibition centre on site. www.ardnamurchanlighthouse.com

LOCHABER GEOPARK With its volcanic ring dyke and other geological marvels, Ardnamurchan is an important part of the Lochaber Geopark. www.lochabergeopark.org.uk

ARDNAMURCHAN CAMPSITE A long way west, but one of the most gloriously-located campsites we have come across. www.ardnamurchanstudycentre.co.uk

CASTLE TIORAM Sitting on its own rocky island and accessible at low tide, this once strategically important castle is a must-visit when in the area. Parking at Doirlinn.

SILVER WALK CIRCUIT A short but challenging walk that heads along the shores of Loch Moidart before turning inland and returning via a series of hill lochans. Start and finish at Doirlinn car park. www.walkhighlands.co.uk For much more on the wider area, visit www.ardnamurchan.com For a gallery of images from Scotland Outdoors’ trip to Ardnamurchan, see our facebook page, www.facebook.com/scotland.outdoors.mag

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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EXPLORE • ARDNAMURCHAN

Peninsula pleasures ALTHOUGH SOME SHUN ARDNAMURCHAN BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF MUNROS, IT HARDLY MATTERS GIVEN THE SHEER NUMBER OF OTHER OPTIONS FOR ENJOYING THIS MAGICAL AREA PHOTOGRAPHY: LORNE GILL/SNH; RICHARD ROWE; KINGAIRLOCH ESTATE; ARDNAMURCHAN CHARTERS; JON HAYLETT

Woodland marvels WHILE THE FAR west of Ardnamurchan is a largely treeless place, the inner shores of Loch Sunart are swathed in remnants of a coastal woodland that once skirted the Atlantic edge of Europe. These so-called Atlantic oakwoods are part of Scotland’s very own temperate rainforest, with the trees, rocks and ground all around carpeted in hundreds of species of lower plants – a secret micro-flora of mosses, lichens, ferns and liverworts.

With its ancient trees and luxuriant ground cover, a walk through the woods at Ariundle National Nature Reserve near Strontian can be a particularly atmospheric experience – all beneath the watchful gaze of Beinn Resipol, the highest peak on the peninsula.

For centuries, such woodlands have provided food, shelter and livelihoods for local communities. Those in Ardnamurchan were exploited most heavily in the 18th and 19th centuries when they were intensively managed to provide charcoal and tan bark for the iron and leather industries. It is still possible to see some of the raised charcoal platforms that were built in amongst the trees – just one more fascinating aspect to a stroll or cycle through these wonderful woods.

FURTHER INFO For more on the area’s oakwoods, including what is being done to celebrate and preserve them, visit www.sunartoakwoods.org.uk (also see our earlier feature on Scotland’s Atlantic oakwoods www.scotoutdoors.com/back-issues/autumn-2009-issue)

Tour by bike WHETHER ON skinny tyres or fat ones, Ardnamurchan is a dream area for touring by bike. The roads are invariably quiet with many possible diversions to secret coves and beaches, while mountain bikers will find countless opportunities to get really off the beaten track. This may not be the land of tailor-made trails, but those looking for a journey rather than just thrills will discover a vast network of forest tracks, particularly around Lochaline and heading along Loch Shiel towards Glenfinnan.

“Cyclists can enjoy a very different experience in a quiet, secluded area,” says Tim Coldwell at Sunart Cycles which offers mountain bike rental, guided trips and route suggestions from its base at Strontian. “We see a range of cyclists, from those looking for gentle family trips to the much more serious rider wanting to get into the hills.”

Free drop-off and pick-up of bike rentals is available in many locations, as well as baggage transfer and meeting at ferry points. One great option for those arriving in Fort William by public transport is to cross Loch Linnhe by the passenger ferry to Camusnagaul, where they can swap their gear for bikes and make their own way down to Strontian.

FURTHER INFO Sunart Cycles is currently revamping the recentlypurchased campsite at Strontian – beautifully located for exploring the nearby Ariundle oakwoods. www.sunartcycles.co.uk

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Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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Slice of estate life Wildlife cruises and more EVEN BY West Coast standards, the plankton-rich waters around Ardnamurchan attract an impressive array of marine life. During summer months, the resident grey and common seals are joined by various species of whale, dolphin and porpoise. Throw in regular sightings of basking sharks, plus several busy seabird colonies, and the area can rightly be considered one of Scotland’s wildlife hotspots.

Based at Laga Bay, Ardnamurchan Charters offers a variety of scheduled wildlife trips through the summer with full-day trips to the Treshnish Isles, Coll and the Small Isles, plus shorter cruises in and around Lochs Sunart and Teacuis. Self-drive boat hire is also a popular option for fishing and diving parties.

In a new development, the operator has teamed with award-winning wildlife photography business Loch Visions to offer weekend otter photography trips on Carna – a tiny island in Loch Sunart. “We act as caretakers for the island and have long known just how many otters there are on Carna," explains Andy Jackson from Ardnamurchan Charters.

The plan is to run regular otter photography courses in the spring and autumn and also undertake a more formal study of the island’s otters. “We would like to build hides to allow closer observation and also, in time, develop a special holt fitted with remote-powered cameras and a webcam,” adds Jackson.

FURTHER INFO For those who really want to get away from it all, Ardnamurchan Charters also lets out a self-catering farmhouse on the Isle of Carna. www.west-scotland-marine.com

FOR A SLIGHTLY different experience of the area, head south to the Kingairloch Estate on the Morvern peninsula – reached by a lovely side road that runs alongside Loch Linnhe when travelling from the Corran Ferry.

A working Highland estate, Kingairloch still sees traditional activities such as stalking and fishing, but has long since diversified into renewable energy projects and native woodland regeneration, while also offering a range of activities for visitors to enjoy. These include clay pigeon shooting, boat trips on Loch Linnhe, guided photography hill walks with an estate stalker and mountain bike trails.

The estate is also home to The Boathouse Restaurant, a small but well-regarded eatery that makes full use of the abundant local produce, as well as a range of delightful selfcatering cottage options. For a truly indulgent treat, the estate can even provide your very own chef to take care of the cooking during your stay.

FURTHER INFO The Boathouse Restaurant serves lunch and dinner from Thursday to Saturday and lunch only on Sundays. Free moorings are available for those arriving by boat. www.kingairloch.co.uk

Paddling on the edge THOUGH MANY of its natural attractions are easy enough to explore by land, it’s from the sea that Ardnamurchan’s most remote bays and inlets are best appreciated. The area offers many enticing possibilities for kayakers of all abilities, be it on short trips in the relative shelter of Loch Sunart, or full days exploring the rugged northern coast of the peninsula.

From his base at Glenuig on the Sound of Arisaig, Steve Macfarlane offers guided kayaking with at least half a dozen regular routes of various lengths to choose from. A couple of hours in the evening might take you around the headland to Eilean Shona and Loch Moidart, while Ardtoe and the sands of Kentra Bay are a half-day trip away. But if you have the fitness for longer days, the northern coast of Ardnamurchan becomes your playground.

The stretch between Kentra Bay and Sanna

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is mostly volcanic black cliffs punctuated by caves and rocky coves. “The sea kayak gives you ultimate access to places and sights you simply cannot reach from land,” says Macfarlane. “My favourite full-day trip takes you from Glenuig as far along the north coast as you wish to go, hugging the cliffs and dipping into all the nooks and crannies.

Then, for the return, we paddle out to sea a little and cruise back with the south-westerly breeze at our backs.”

FURTHER INFO Sea Kayak Arisaig (www.seakayakarisaig.co.uk) offers rental, coaching and guided trips in summer.

Rockhopper Sea Kayaking (www.rockhopperscotland.co.uk) based near Fort William also runs short trips and multiday camping tours from various locations.

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Beach days

TUCKED AWAY overlooking Glenmore Bay and outer Loch Sunart, the Nàdurra Centre (formerly Ardnamurchan Natural History Centre) provides an excellent introduction to the area’s many natural riches. With a range of interactive exhibits within a turf-roofed ‘living building’ that are ideal for children, a live camera link inside a nearby tree-top heronry, frequent visits from pine martens to specially constructed dens and an excellent video presentation about the history, landscape and wildlife of the area, there is much to see and do.

If the weather is good, visitors might be too busy exploring outside but on a rainy day – and Ardnamurchan does see a fair share of those – the centre makes for a fun and educational stop.

The coffee and cake are pretty good too.

OF ALL THE beaches in the area, it is Sanna Bay near the very tip of the Ardnamurchan peninsula that receives most of the plaudits.

And rightly so: with clear waters, white sands, rockpools, huge dunes and enticing views to the Small Isles and beyond, it provides fitting reward for a long journey west.

It is possible to drive to Sanna – passing through the centre of an ancient volcanic crater en route – but much better to reach it on foot. Many people make the short trek from lovely Portuairk, a mile or so to the south. Take your time though. The walk itself is a joy, while if it’s a sunny day you’ll want to linger on the sands, exploring the various sections of beach or just enjoy the views while lazing in the dunes.

FURTHER INFO The Nàdurra Centre is open year-round, while the nearby Glenborrodale RSPB nature reserve is also well worth a visit. Ask at the centre for details. (www.ardnamurchannaturalhistorycentre.co.uk)

FURTHER INFO The track to Sanna starts from the shoreline at Portuairk. Park above the village and walk down.

Where the wild things are

Essentials GETTING THERE Located due west of Fort William (which has national rail and bus links), Ardnamurchan and its neighbouring peninsulas are hidden away but still have good transport links. Most reach the area by crossing Loch Linnhe on the Corran Ferry (www.lochabertransport.org.uk) at Onich although the drive in from the Road to the Isles at Lochailort is an attractive option.

There are additional vehicle ferry links to and from Mull at Kilchoan and Lochaline (www.calmac.co.uk).

ACCOMMODATION Ardnamurchan is blessed with an excellent range of accommodation options, from budget to boutique. For those watching the pennies, there are campsites at Strontian (www.sunartcamping.co.uk), Resipole (www.resipole.co.uk) and Kilchoan (www.ardnamurchanstudycentre.co.uk), plus bunkhouses at the Ariundle Centre (www.ariundlecentre.co.uk) and the Sonachan Hotel (www.sonachan.com).

For B&B accommodation, Bluebell Croft (www.bluebellcroft.co.uk) in Strontian is a lovely retreat, while Heatherbank

52

(www.strontianbandb.co.uk), Salen House (www.salenhouse.co.uk) and the new Rockpool House B&B (www.rockpoolhouse.co.uk) also come highly recommended. For hotels, the warm, friendly and high-quality Salen Hotel (www.salenhotel.co.uk) is one of the best options around, while the upmarket Kilcamb Lodge Hotel (www.kilcamblodge.co.uk) is one for special occasions. Further afield, the Glenuig Inn (www.glenuig.com) caters very much for an outdoorsy crowd.

WILDLIFE WATCHING ON LAND

Ardnamurchan also scores highly when it comes to characterful self-catering options. Choose from estate cottages (www.kingairloch.co.uk; www.west-highlands.co.uk), chic getaways (www.garmoransquare.com) or collections of traditional cottages in dramatic locations (www.kilcamb-cottages.co.uk; www.steading.co.uk). The excellent Ardnamurchan Tourist Association visitor brochure lists many more options, as does its website.

ART ATTACK

The Garbh Eilean hide, a turf-roofed structure in the trees at Ardery, is an excellent spot for spying otters, seals and other wildlife around Loch Sunart.

GLENCRIPESDALE Explore the south shores of Loch Sunart at remote Glencripesdale, yet another fabulous stretch of coastal woodland. The track is pretty long, so a mountain bike would be useful.

Check out top-quality artwork at Resipole Studios, a lovingly restored agricultural barn at Resipole Farm. www.resipolestudios.co.uk

BOAT TRIPS

DIVE, DIVE, DIVE

In addition to those offered by Ardnamurchan Charters (see page 51), wildlife boat trips are also available through Staffa Tours (www.staffatours.com), Arisaig Marine (www.arisaig.co.uk) and on Loch Shiel with Eagle Watch Cruises (www.highlandcruises.co.uk).

Loch Sunart in particular offers some of the best diving anywhere in Scotland with an array of sea life. www.lochalinedivecentre.co.uk

For much more on exploring Ardnamurchan and the wider area, visit www.ardnamurchan.com

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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Ariundle Centre & Bunkhouse Quality licensed restaurant and tearoom, open all day and all year round in the village of Strontian.

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KINGAIRLOCH HIGHLAND ESTATE Kingairloch, a 14,000 acre family owned estate located on the Morvern Peninsula on the shores of Loch Linnhe, is only The Boathouse Restaurant a three hour drive from Glasgow but a world away from the stress and strains of everyday life.

The estate offers a range of ten unique self catering properties ranging from remote cosy stone cottages through to the principal residence on the estate that sleeps twelve.

Properties are open all year and pets are welcomed.

The popular Boathouse Restaurant located on the lochâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seaview Cottage edge champions locally sourced produce mainly from the estate and the sea around us. Open from April-October, Thursday-Sunday.

Fantastic stag and hind stalking opportunities are available on fully catered or self catered basis in our properties. www.kingairloch.co.uk info@kingairloch.co.uk Kingairloch, Ardgour, Fort William, PH33 7AE Office 01967 411 242 The Boathouse Restaurant 01967 411 232

The Steadings

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EXPERIENCE • LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS

WAY TO GO M WITH A BIT OF IMAGINATION, IT’S POSSIBLE TO USE SCOTLAND’S NETWORK OF HILL TRACKS AND ANCIENT RIGHTS OF WAY TO CREATE LONG-DISTANCE WALKS THAT ARE EVERY BIT THE EQUAL OF ESTABLISHED TRAILS. JAMES CARRON DOES JUST THAT ON A JAUNT IN THE BORDERS PHOTOGRAPHY:

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AKE your own way. It is a simple enough phrase but one that resonates a sense of freedom to explore without boundaries, to wander at will and to progress at whatever pace suits. It is an exhilarating ethos for walkers and backpackers who, by their nature, are drawn to the outdoors by the lure of freedom.

All too often, however, we find ourselves bound by conformity, content to follow prescribed paths or routes laid down by landowners or guidebook writers.

This willingness – conscious or otherwise – to follow the crowd, to trample the beaten track and languish in the well-trodden steps of others is perhaps most evident in our love of the nation’s long-distance trails. Every year, thousands of hikers dutifully swear allegiance to the world of way-markers. I have taken that very oath myself, several times in fact. I have walked the West Highland Way, wandered through whisky country on the Speyside Way and cantered around the Cateran Trail. There were highs and lows on each and completion was undoubtedly rewarding.

But while Scotland’s official long-distance trails are a great resource for walkers, I felt herded, compelled to follow a set route and itinerary. Thankfully, early in my walking career, I discovered a wee book called Scottish Hill Tracks. A catalogue of routes following old roads, paths and rights of way, it remains one of the most avidly read titles on my bookshelf. Published by the Scottish Rights

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of Way & Access Society (known these days as ScotWays) it is a bible for walkers, backpackers and mountain bikers who want to escape the masses and go their own way.

My well-thumbed copy has been at the heart of numerous walks all over Scotland. By picking and mixing paths and hill tracks, I have created linear routes and circular trails, trekked through remote glens and over peaceful peaks. It has inspired adventures long and short and guided me faithfully through some wild and beautiful places.

ON THE HERRING ROAD The book was now nestling safely in the top pocket of my rucksack as I set out on another expedition, this time in the Scottish Borders. The Southern Upland Way is the bestknown trail in these parts, but I embarked upon an alternative route through the rolling landscape of low hills, windswept moors and green fields. Linking up long abandoned trade routes, historic rights of way and heathery hill tracks, I was free to roam as I pleased.

The first few days of my journey were spent on the Herring Road, a busy highway in the 18th and 19th centuries when Scotland’s herring industry thrived. Crossing the exposed slopes of the Lammermuir Hills, it witnessed a steady stream of fishwives hauling huge creels and carts of fish inland from the port of Dunbar to markets in Lauder. It slowly fell out of favour as the railway network developed, but it remains well preserved on the ground

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and, thanks to my little book, I was able to follow it with relative ease.

Setting off from Dunbar, a town that flourished around its fishing fleet, I ambled along quiet country lanes for the first leg of my journey, crossing the busy A1 and heading southwest through the tiny hamlet of Spott. Passing through a gently undulating patchwork quilt of fields and forestry, I soon reached the end of the road, just beyond a lonely farm at Halls.

An arduous ascent up and over Lothian Edge delivered me onto Dunbar Common, a vast tract of moor. Although carrying a relatively light pack, I was still more than ready for a breather. I could only imagine the struggle the fisher folk faced lugging their heavy burdens up this slope.

The coming of the railway must have been a blessed relief for the hardy women.

They were not alone in embracing new technology. The moor too has moved on, accepting a new role. Ahead

Staying on track (clockwise from opposite top): weather-beaten signage; towards Dabshead Hill and Edgarhope Moor; the author’s rights of way ‘bible’; on the Herring Road near Lauder

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“ ”

of me lay an extensive wind farm, with over 80 giant turbines dotting the land. This is Crystal Rig, the largest wind farm in the UK when it opened in 2004. Faced with such a development right on its doorstep, I wondered just how much of the old Herring Road had survived.

Fortunately, while forestry was felled and new tracks were ploughed into the ground, all in the name of renewable energy, significant efforts were made to protect the path, which cuts a more or less straight line through the march of metal monoliths. This has not always been the case. In the 1940s and 50s in particular, scores of rights of way were lost, particularly in the Highlands, when hydroelectric developments flooded many glens. New forestry plantations and changing agricultural practices also erased old tracks and paths from the landscape.

The Herring Road was less of a track here, more a discernible line through rough tussocks of grass. These old routes take many forms. Sometimes there is an easily walked track. In places, however, the by-ways, through age and lack of use, deteriorate into vague, often boggy, trails or disappear completely for lengthy stretches. Stout, waterproof footwear, good navigational skills and a sense of adventure are therefore essential for such explorations.

Love or loathe wind farms, Crystal Rig was certainly a sight to behold and it was reassuring to find the Herring Road intact, with occasional signs keeping me on track.

Credit for that must go to ScotWays, a voluntary organisation that campaigns tirelessly to protect and preserve routes like this. Established in 1845, the charity set out to champion the rights of outdoor enthusiasts – walkers and climbers among them – in an era when landowners

56

were becoming increasingly protective of their properties, denying access to all but a select few.

Two early groundbreaking cases saw rights of way established through Glen Tilt, near Blair Atholl, and over Jock’s Road, linking Glen Doll with Braemar, and down the years the organisation has been involved in numerous court battles aimed at safeguarding public access to the countryside. It holds extensive records of existing rights of way and has sign-posted numerous routes. Few walkers will not be familiar with their distinctive green and white signs.

New access legislation introduced by the Scottish Parliament in 2005, giving people the right to roam responsibly, has seen a shift in the society’s remit and activities and it is now more involved in general access matters, although it continues to investigate cases where rights of way are blocked or access denied.

Boggy by-way (above): passing a moorland pool by the Herring Road

BACK ON THE TRAIL Heading over Spartleton Edge, I descended towards Whiteadder Reservoir, leaving the Herring Road briefly in favour of a pleasant grassy track that led me through the valley to the edge of this artificial stretch of water.

With daylight fading, I pitched camp by woodland above the reservoir and prepared to bed down for the night. While the Herring Road crosses a couple of roads and passes several isolated farms, it meanders through generally very sparsely populated country and is bereft of overnight accommodation. There is, however, ample scope for wild camping, enhancing the feeling of independence found when walking this old road.

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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54-58 Long Distance Summer 2012_Winter walking copy 3 30/05/2012 17:01 Page 58

EXPERIENCE • LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS

The benefit of creating your own long-distance walks is that you can opt for remote routes with few facilities along the way, or choose tracks and paths which link towns and villages where a welcome pint and a cosy bed await at the end of the day.

The next morning I was up early and, after a hearty breakfast, I set off, heading south from Whiteadder Reservoir. Below the rounded form of Penshiel Hill, I crossed over a minor road and embarked upon a lengthy but well graded ascent, rising above a pair of lonely cottages at Killpallet.

Clambering over a gate close to the top of the slope, I found myself strolling along a wonderfully elevated hill track, views opening out in all directions. To the southeast, shimmering in the morning sunlight, I spotted the twin tops of Dirrington Great Law and Dirrington Little Law, two of the most well-defined peaks in the Lammermuir Hills. I was relishing the springy step beneath my boots, two narrow lines of black peat guiding me through a plush pink carpet of heather. This, for me, was a classic hill track, far more enjoyable to follow than the rough bulldozed roads and utilitarian estate tracks now so common in the countryside.

Thankfully the weather was good, the day clear and bright. The Herring Road crosses exposed ground and, like all hill tracks, is at the mercy of the elements. A scattering of rusty brown tin sheds, used by shepherds to store animal feed, offer occasional spartan shelter. It is a similar case on many other hill tracks and rights of way.

Occasional sheds and the odd bothy are heaven sent when conditions deteriorate.

Bounding over the high ground, I descended to Dye Cottage and hopped across Scar Law to meet the Southern Upland Way west of Watch Water Reservoir. I knew our paths would become entwined at some point and for a while we shared a common purpose, negotiating the foundations of a new wind farm ahead of a long but undemanding ascent on to Twin Law. I could have stuck with the Way for the remainder of the journey to Lauder but opted to branch off at Braidshawrig and negotiate tracks over the grouse moors of Edgarhope Law and Borrowston Rig to take in Dabshead Hill, site of a prehistoric fort with commanding views across Lauderdale.

Travelling forward in both distance and time, I moved from this ancient stronghold to the 16th century edifice of Thirlestane Castle, hiking through the grounds of the former home of the Duke of Lauderdale to reach Lauder, the end of my journey on the Herring Road. The

58

“

” end too for all that fish carried over miles of moor.

As I settled down to supper in the Black Bull Hotel, an inn that has welcomed many a traveller over the years, I was disappointed to find no herring on the menu, so settled instead for salmon. Due to over-fishing, the herring industry collapsed in the 1970s and while stocks have since recovered, there seems to be little appetite for the fish today.

After supper, I planned the next leg of my journey. I was aiming for Galashiels and while the Southern Upland Way offered an uncomplicated route there via the abbey town of Melrose, I opted to head west on paths and farm tracks to join the Girthgate road, a medieval route dating from the 12th century. It took me south for a way, after which I negotiated a course over Ladhope Moor and into town.

Ahead of me lay various options. The most obvious was a hike along the Minchmoor Road to Traquair from where I could join tracks leading on to St Mary’s Loch or Yarrow or head north to Peebles via Innerleithen. Armed with my copy of Scottish Hill Tracks and the freedom to wander at will, the possibilities to continue on my own way were endless. g

Here’s looking at you: a trio of rams (above left); the Black Bull in Lauder, a welcome diversion from the trail

ESSENTIALS

FURTHER INFO

Tracks to try

Reading

Blair Atholl to Kingussie, via the Minigaig Road, 28 miles (45km)

Scottish Hill Tracks, now in its fifth edition, is published by the Scottish Rights of Way & Access Society, and is widely available from book shops or online. www.scotways.com

Glen Doll to Aviemore, via Jock’s Road and the Lairig Ghru, 50 miles (80km)

Heritage Paths

Rannoch Station to Spean Bridge, via the Road to the Isles and the Lairig Leacach, 26 miles (42km)

An online resource from ScotWays that contains a wealth of information on old paths that are still useable. www.heritagepaths.co.uk

Laggan to Fort Augustus, via the Corrieyairack Pass, 25 miles (40km)

Old Roads of Scotland

Kinlochewe to Poolewe, via the Loch Maree Post Road, 18 miles (29.5km)

Another interesting site that charts the history of roads and tracks in Scotland. www.oldroadsofscotland.com

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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60-63 Biodiversity Summer 12_Jura 31/05/2012 09:39 Page 60

WILDLIFE & ECOLOGY • RESTORING BIODIVERSITY

“ ” Digging in (clockwise from top): wild boar are resident on the estate; a mining bee, once thought to be extinct in Scotland; birch trees form part of the wider mosaic of cover; the rare azure hawker dragonfly

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Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

60-63 Biodiversity Summer 12_Jura 31/05/2012 09:39 Page 61

LOST & FOUND PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAN WATSON FEATHERSTONE

PENNY BUNTING OUTLINES HOW WOODLAND RESTORATION WORK ON A FORMER SPORTING ESTATE NEAR LOCH NESS IS HELPING TO CREATE A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT THAT RIVALS MANY MORE EXOTIC LOCATIONS

I

MAGINE A PLACE where new or endangered species are being identified regularly. Or where creatures presumed to have been locally extinct for decades are being rediscovered. Where is this place?

Madagascar, perhaps, or the forests of Costa Rica? In fact, Britons don’t have to travel long haul to find such a destination – we have one right on our doorstep. Just to the west of the world famous Loch Ness, there is a former sporting estate that has been described as a ‘lost world’.

The Dundreggan Estate – today a flagship site in an ambitious Highlands conservation project – lies in Glen Moriston. Its name is derived from the Gaelic Dul Dreagain, the Dragon’s Haugh. While no dragons have been discovered in this remarkable corner of Inverness-shire, a number of biodiversity surveys carried out in recent years have revealed at least 60 priority species for conservation, as listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

One of the latest studies took place in 2011. Conducted

by Guy Knight, Curator of Entomology at National Museums Liverpool, it revealed a huge range of rare and endangered species on the 10,000-acre estate.

As we head deeper into the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity (2011–2020) these fascinating finds highlight the rich and varied flora and fauna present in the UK – some of which may not even have been discovered yet. The fact that so much has been found at Dundreggan, in such a small area, should make us

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60-63 Biodiversity Summer 12_Jura 30/05/2012 17:02 Page 62

WILDLIFE & ECOLOGY • RESTORING BIODIVERSITY

question what else might be out there – in Scotland certainly, and perhaps even in other areas of the UK. “The secrets slowly being revealed on this Highland estate suggest that we have much more to learn about the true extent of Scotland’s biodiversity,” says Alan Watson Featherstone, Executive Director of Trees for Life, the award-winning conservation charity that purchased the estate in 2008.

EXCITING FINDS Perhaps one of the most exciting finds at Dundreggan is the sawfly species Nematus pseudodispar. It has never been recorded in the UK before and is extremely rare throughout the whole of Europe, having only been found before in Latvia and Finland, where it is recognised as a boreal forest specialist.

This is just one of at least 120 species of sawfly that have now been identified at the site. Others include a species of Amauronematus that is also highly unlikely to have been recorded in the UK before, and the first record in Scotland of the ‘palisade’ sawfly (Stauronematus platycerus).

Knight described the finds as “quite exceptional”, adding it was “very difficult to find a parallel in the Highlands”.

As well as the many species of sawfly, the second-ever British sighting of a waxfly species (Helicoconis hirtinervis) has been recorded there, along with what is believed to be the first Highland record of the juniper shieldbug (Cyphostethus tristriatus). Meanwhile, the nationally scarce and spectacularly-coloured strawberry spider (Araneus alsine) is just one type of spider recently discovered.

Another rare creature making an unexpected appearance is the golden horsefly (Atylotus fulvus). This invertebrate has only been seen once before in Scotland, and that was as long ago as 1923.

Many of these creatures are listed in the UK’s Red Data Book of endangered species, and some were previously

unknown in Scotland, or feared to be extinct here. The mining bee (Andrena marginata), for example, had been presumed extinct in Scotland, with only one record since 1949, until a local volunteer naturalist discovered good numbers of the insect on the estate in 2007 (it has also subsequently been found in Strathspey).

The azure hawker dragonfly (Aeshna caerulea) – classified as ‘Vulnerable’ and under-recorded in Scotland – has been another key find. A study by dragonfly expert Jonathan Willet suggests that Dundreggan has the largest known area in Scotland of contiguous breeding habitat for this stunning turquoise insect, as well as being home to the near-threatened northern emerald dragonfly.

It’s not just invertebrates that are thriving on the estate,

“

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” though. Resident populations of water voles, pine martens and three different species of deer are present, along with mountain hares, otters and brown long-eared bats.

There are a huge variety of birds, too, with at least 92 different species recorded; 17 of these are listed in the Biodiversity Action Plan, including the common cuckoo, black grouse and spotted flycatcher. “The richness and diversity of life on Dundreggan is astonishing,” says Watson Featherstone.

BOOSTING BIODIVERSITY So, what has led to such a variety of life in this tiny corner of Scotland? The diversity of natural habitats on the site is key, ranging from riparian and floodplain woodland through wildflower meadows and Caledonian pinewood remnants to mires, bogs and what is perhaps the greatest concentration of dwarf birch scrub in the country. Together they provide a wealth of ecological niches and homes for many different species.

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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However, although such habitats are supporting a good range of biodiversity, many of them are not necessarily in good condition. Heavy overgrazing by sheep and red deer has left large areas open and treeless, a far cry from its original form as ancient native woodland. But with careful management of grazing animals, the damage to trees is being reduced, and native saplings are being given the opportunity to grow and thrive.

Much of the woodland is birch, although oak, aspen, Scots pine, hazel, ash and wych elm are also present. And Dundreggan has some of the best stands of juniper – another priority species for conservation, and vital for the survival of invertebrates such as the juniper shieldbug and juniper sawfly – in the Highlands.

There are surviving pockets of ancient woodland, too.

These are remnants of the native pinewoods of the Caledonian Forest, a vast woodland, steeped in mythology and folklore, that once covered huge tracts of the Highlands. Only a small percentage of the former forest survives today, a result largely of human activity over many centuries. But by 2058 Trees for Life aims to increase the tree and scrub cover in Dundreggan to 60 per cent of the estate as part of a long-term plan to restore the Caledonian Forest.

A further part of the charity’s vision is the reintroduction of rare woodland wildlife, plants and insects. Restoring the native forest will provide habitats for species that would once have been present, and within the next half century it is hoped that animals such as European beavers, osprey and capercaillie will once again be seen at Dundreggan.

Red squirrels, on the other hand, will hopefully take up residence much sooner: they are present in neighbouring areas of Glen Moriston, and are being encouraged onto the estate.

Meanwhile, Dundreggan is already home to a small wild boar population, following their successful establishment inside a fenced area of ancient birchwood in 2009. Wild boar have been missing from the area for 400 years, yet they play an important role in the forest ecosystem, both by reducing bracken, and also by disturbing the soil, which allows

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the regeneration of native trees and flowering plants.

Visitors to the estate can see the wild boar by following one of a number of way-marked trails. A wildlife-watching hide – with a feeding station specially designed to attract pine martens – can be visited too.

Spice of life (left to right): spotted woodpecker; lichen running spider; female strawberry spider; juniper sawfly larva; greylag geese

A ROLE FOR ALL Each animal or plant, from the largest mammal to the tiniest fungus, plays its own essential part in the ecosystem and works to keep a balance that will eventually allow the forest to become self-sustaining.

“Given the loss of biodiversity globally, the richness of life on the estate highlights the importance of on-theground conservation projects, and the urgency of restoring Scotland’s Caledonian Forest,” believes Watson Featherstone.

Volunteers are carrying out much of the conservation and restoration work, with volunteer conservation holidays and educational visits offered at the estate. During 2012, the millionth tree planted by Trees for Life will be given a home on the estate.

Already, Dundreggan provides an essential wildlife corridor of woodland and scrub linking Glen Affric to Glen Moriston. In the future, it is hoped that the owners of neighbouring estates will be inspired to take action to restore their own land – making Dundreggan part of a much larger area of native woodland. This will allow an even greater diversity of wildlife to live in and move around the Highlands. Now that is a tantalising thought. g

FURTHER INFO Dundreggan lies to the west of Loch Ness, close to Glen Affric National Nature Reserve and the RSPB’s Corrimony Estate. Trees for Life has a mission to restore the ancient Caledonian forest to a target area of 1,000 square miles in the Highlands. In addition to owning and managing Dundreggan Estate, it also works in partnerships with the RSPB, Forestry Commission and private landowners in the area. Each year, the charity offers a variety of conservation holidays and opportunities to get involved in tree planting and other restoration work. www.treesforlife.org.uk Penny Bunting runs her own award-winning sustainable living project, Little Green Space. www.littlegreenspace.org.uk

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64 Reading Summer 12_Layout 2 copy 4 30/05/2012 17:04 Page 64

OUTDOOR • BOOKS

Recommended reading

The Cyclist’s Guide to Hillclimbs on Scottish Lowland Roads John McKendrick

FROM PASSIONATE PLEAS TO EXPAND SCOTLAND’S NATIVE FOREST COVER TO FUN WAYS OF RECONNECTING WITH WILD PLACES, HERE'S OUR PICK OF SOME OF THE LATEST OUTDOOR TITLES TO ENJOY THIS SUMMER

A long title for a very niche book, this is another lovely production from the Pocket Mountains stable, written by cyclist, ex-international fell runner and professional football referee John McKendrick. Inspired by the training grounds of Scot Robert Millar – the only Briton to have been crowned King of the Mountains in the Tour de France – this little gem highlights 35 hill climbs from around Glasgow and the Clyde coast to Edinburgh, the central lowlands and the Borders. Pain has never been more pleasurable. £6.99, www.pocketmountains.com

Skimming Stones and other ways of being in the wild Rob Cowen and Leo Critchley Mellow and whimsical, with a mix of storytelling, ‘how to’ sections and the authors’ accounts of how their own experiences have helped them reconnect with the wildness that is all around, this is a book that reminds us why we should all play outdoors more. £12.99, www.hodder.co.uk

The Great Wood Jim Crumley

Our favourite Caledonia – Scotland’s Heart of Pine Peter Cairns & Niall Benvie A collaboration between two of the most innovative nature photographers, writers and outdoor thinkers working in Scotland today, Caledonia charts the often turbulent history of Scotland’s original ‘wildwood’ and the creatures that live within it – ourselves included.

Today, only a fraction of Scotland’s ancient woodland remains – changes in climate and land use have seen to that – but the authors do not get carried away in romancing about what has been lost, instead concentrating on compelling economic, social and ecological arguments for why we should all care about the future expansion of native forest cover.

Throughout, the writing is crisp, clear and passionate, the photography never less than beautiful.

For a book that opens with a John Muir quote - ‘Going to the woods is going home for I suppose we came from the woods originally’ – it is perhaps no surprise that the authors end by arguing just why we are better off with forests. As a caption for one photograph, a solitary pine at sunrise, states so perfectly: ‘There are few places on our crowded island that can offer true silence and solitude. The remnants of the pine forest are not only islands of ecological wealth but also storehouses for our own well-being’. £20.00, www.northshots.com

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Fiercely opinionated as ever, the latest book from nature writer Jim Crumley explores the myth and legend of the Great Wood of Caledon – the native forest that is thought to have once covered large areas of Scotland. In so doing, he not only celebrates what remains of this often mysterious wildwood but also assesses its chances of resurrection. One to read alongside Caledonia, also reviewed on this page. £9.99, www.birlinn.co.uk

An Teallach, The Forge Lesley Timings with Geoffrey Covell A season by season love letter to one of Scotland’s finest mountains (and ridges), this book explores An Teallach from almost every angle: its character, lore, climbing history, ecology and wider connection with the human spirit. £23.00, www.tswpublishing.co.uk

Ayrshire and Arran Coastal Paths Keith Fergus Take a walk along a 150-mile coastline full of treasures in this latest title from Cicerone. Keith Fergus breaks the route down into 11 day-stages starting at Glenapp in Ayrshire before taking in the entire coast of Arran and then continuing to Skelmorlie, just south of Greenock. £12.95, www.cicerone.co.uk

Scotland Outdoors Summer 2012

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