IAIN BROWNLIE ROY IAIN BROWNLIE PHOTOGRAPH:

Sandwood is an active crofting estate and crofters use the open moorland ‘common grazings’ for sheep and cattle. INTRODUCING SANDWOOD A special wild place of awe-inspiring coastal beauty and stunning Sandwood Bay Sandwood covers 4,703 hectares (11,621 acres) of wild and crofted land just a few miles from Cape Wrath on the north-west tip of Scotland. Sandwood Bay, Sheigra, Oldshorebeg and Oldshoremore machair and the coastal cliffs are designated a Special Area of Conservation. Machair (Gaelic for a low-lying fertile plain) is one of Europe’s rarest habitats. Unique to the north western fringes of Scotland and Ireland, machair can be seen behind most of the dune systems on Sandwood. The machair between Sheigra and Oldshoremore is one of the best examples of this habitat on the mainland and contains more than 200 different species of plant, including eight orchids. The peatlands of Sandwood are among the most important wildlife habitats in north-west Scotland. Deep layers of peat take thousands of years to form and provide a home for a range of plants and animals that have adapted to the acidic, waterlogged conditions. Peatlands also help to maintain good water quality and are an important carbon store. IAIN BROWNLIE ROY IAIN BROWNLIE PHOTOGRAPH: Bordered by rugged cliffs and breathtaking beaches, the property boasts some of the finest coastal scenery in Europe, with magnificent sands and dune systems. A landmark sea stack, A guide to Am Buachaille (the herdsman), is one of the defining features of Sandwood.

Sandwood SANDWOOD: A WILD PLACE • The first maps of Sandwood, in the 17th century, describe the area (Seannabhat) as an ‘extreem (sic) wilderness’ where wolves roam. • The sea cliffs around Sandwood are rich in birdlife, attracting fulmars, guillemots, razorbills, puffins and shags. • Sandwood contains eight islands, a saltwater lagoon and the freshwater Sandwood Loch. • Some of the rocks around Sandwood are among the oldest in the world A Trust property dating back to when the Highlands were connected to North America. • Seasonal visitors to Sandwood include great northern divers, barnacle www.johnmuirtrust.org geese and golden plovers, as well as redwings and fieldfares. IAIN BROWNLIE ROY IAIN BROWNLIE PHOTOGRAPH:

Sheltered areas on the coast have interesting maritime cliff habitats where razorbills and many other seabirds live.

EXPLORING SANDWOOD A four-mile path leads from the car park at Blairmore to Sandwood Bay, crossing exposed moorland. Parts are uneven and often wet so be prepared and dress appropriately. Sandwood is an active crofting estate so please keep dogs under control at all times. The map on this leaflet is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended for navigation.

MANAGING THE LAND our properties: Protecting and restoring Sandwood’s special character 1 SANDWOOD 2 QUINAG and landscape 3 , STRATHAIRD AND TORRIN ON SKYE The John Muir Trust acquired Sandwood in 1993 with the aim of protecting and conserving 4 LI AND COIRE DHORRCAIL, this beautiful wild place. We work closely with the local community to ensure this special landscape is protected and enhanced. This includes protecting peatland – an important 5 wildlife habitat and carbon store – and machair. 6 EAST 7 GLENLUDE Our aspiration is to achieve a balance between the conservation needs of Sandwood and the need for local people to retain ties to the landscape in which they live. Sandwood is mostly under crofting tenure, and although the Trust is the landowner it’s the crofters who wild land directly manage the landscape. quality index

Under the crofting system local crofters pay a small TOP 10% rent for the right to farm an enclosed area of land WILDEST LAND and to use open moorland designated as common HIGH grazings for their stock. This regulated system of LOW land tenure is administered by the crofters and aims to promote the occupancy, use and shared management of land. Crofters have the right to buy their croft from the landowner and many crofters on Sandwood have exercised this right. when we try PHOTOGRAPH: FREDERIQUE HARMSZE PHOTOGRAPH: There is still plenty of work to do on Sandwood, to pick out and Trust staff and volunteers carry out regular footpath maintenance, wildlife monitoring, deer anything by management and beach cleaning. Erosion of the itself, we find path to Sandwood Bay can quickly become a problem it hitched to with the soft soils leading to sections being washed everything away quickly. else in the Interesting things to look out for at Sandwood universe. include puffins, thrift or ‘sea pinks’ and the great

PHOTOGRAPH: KEITH BRAME PHOTOGRAPH: sea stack of Am Buachaille. john muir, 1911

JOHN MUIR TRUST PROPERTIES Protecting and enhancing our wild land for generations to come The John Muir Trust is the leading wild land conservation charity in the UK. We love wild places and are dedicated to protecting and improving them for people and wildlife. Over 10,000 members support us in our work.

THIS LEAFLET IS PRINTED ON REVIVE 100 UNCOATED WHICH If you care about the natural world, IS AN FSC CERTIFIED RECYCLED GRADE PAPER, CONTAINING 100% POST CONSUMER WASTE AND MANUFACTURED AT A please join us MILL ACCREDITED WITH ISO 14001 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT STANDARD www.johnmuirtrust.org The John Muir Trust is a Scottish [email protected] charitable company limited by guarantee 01796 470080 (Charity No SC002061 Company No SC81620). Registered office: Tower House, Station Road, Pitlochry, PH16 5AN © John Muir Trust 2012 PHOTOGRAPH: KEITH BRAME PHOTOGRAPH: