ROYAL SCOTTISH FORESTRY SOCIETY 108th ANNUAL EXCURSION Angus and Perth Region Sunday, 21st May - Thursday, 25th May 2006

"Modern Trees in an Ancient Landscape”

PROGRAMME SUMMARY

This year it falls to Angus & Perth Region to host our excursion to Argyll and the Isle of Mull for our sylvan excitement!

Sunday 21st May 18:30hrs A welcome gathering in the Loch Nell Arms Hotel, North Connel. (Non residents who wish to dine at the Loch Nell Arms should book with the hotel (Tel: 01631 710 408)

Monday 22nd May (see pages 4 - 5) We shall be based at Connel, just five miles north of Oban. Monday, 22nd May will take us to the Atlantic Oakwoods of Glen Creran (Glasdrum National Nature Reserve) and then on to for lunch in the village hall. After our ABM we shall go on to visit the famous Iron Works at Bonawe, from which iron was smelted that made cannons for the ships of the Royal Navy at Trafalgar and the rest of the afternoon will be spent in Glen Nant, where the woodland is managed as a National Nature Reserve by the Forestry Commission.

That evening the Society's Annual Dinner will be held in the Drawing Room of the Argyllshire Gathering's premises in Oban.

Tuesday 23rd May (see page 6) Our second day, the 23rd May, will be spent on Mull. The visit to Mull was suggested as a contrast to the journey to Arran last year. We shall take the early ferry from Oban to Craignure and take the coast road to Tobermory and then back by Loch Frisa to catch the five-o'clock ferry back to Oban with lunch included along the way. On this circular route we expect to visit a tourist enterprise, fuelled by woodchips from thinnings of the plantations on the island, community woods, and the sea eagles at Loch Frisa, as well as an embarkation point for the export of timber from the island. While at Loch Frisa there will be a presentation on the Forest Strategy for Mull as well as an account of the woodland management that is necessary where there are breeding pairs of sea eagles.

Wednesday 24th May (see page 7) On the 24th May, we shall visit a proposed site for woodland grazing project at Craignish, between Oban and Lochgilphead. We hope that the owner of the estate will be able to join us to describe her objectives for her woodland and that we shall hear from her agent and farm tenant as well as the local FWAG adviser and from a Forestry Commission representative.

We then lunch at the Kilmartin House Museum. The cafe, constructed of green oak, is in a beautiful extension of Kilmartin House. The museum is itself a fascinating place, within an extraordinarily interesting and beautiful landscape, and well worth the visit. There is a very interesting model of the landscape of the area, showing archaeological monuments, and forestry and other land-uses in relation to the cultural landscape.

After lunch we drive down the road to Dunadd, the ancient fort, where the Kingdom of Dalriada was established in ca AD 450. Looking over the Moine Mhor (Great Moss) lies the flood plain of the River Add, which twists through it, past the Crinan Canal to the sea. We expect to be addressed from the summit of the dun by Robin Malcolm of Poltalloch, whose ancestors had so much to do with the development of the 18th and 19th Century landscape of improvement.

From Dunadd and the Strath of Kilmartin we shall drive on to Lochgilphead, where Mr Bob McIlwraithh of Alienergy will show us round the woodchip fired boiler that heats a recently built housing estate. We will also see the system that heats the swimming pool. Some members may like to take their swimming trunks with them for a quick dip, rather than dive into the chilly waters of Loch Fyne - Who knows?

Thursday 25th May Cashel (see page 9) "Modern Trees in an Ancient Landscape" Provisional Schedule

21st May 18.30 Gathering at the Lochnell Arms, North Connell for a welcome reception

22nd May (see pages 4 - 5) 10.00. Set off by bus for Glasdrum NNR in Glen Creran. 12.00 Stop at Woodland grazing project, part of Achnacloich Estate, the property of Lome Nelson Esq. 12.30 Arrive Taynuilt village hall for ABM and lunch 14.00 Visit Bonawe Iron Works, 15.30 Arrive Glen Nant NNR 16.30 Return to Connel, 19.30 for 20.00 at the Argyllshire Gathering Drawing Room in Oban

23rd May (see page 6) 8.00 Bus will leave hotel for Oban 08.30 Board the ferry for Craignure 08.45 depart 09.30 Arrive Craignure 16.45 Board ferry for Oban at Craignure 17.00 Ferry sails for Oban

24th May (see page 7) 10.00 Arrive Craignish Estate 12.00 Arrive Kilmartin House 14.00 Dunadd 15.30 Lochgilphead 16.30 Farewells until we gather in 2007 for the 109* Spring Excursion

25th May (see page 9) 11.30 Meet at Cashel - Forest for a Thousand years" 10th Anniversary conducted tour

NOTES ON THE RSFS EXCURSION TO ARGYLL - 21ST TO 24™ MAY 2006

This year our excursion takes us to the oak woods of Argyll and the island of Mull. Argyll is on the edge, as its name suggests, but the area is central to the history of .

For us as foresters, Argyll has a particular interest in a time of changing priorities in woodland management. The rush to plant large areas of conifers has receded and we are left with decisions to make as to how best to manage what we have. These are difficult times for forestry with poor prices, the decline of the subject at University level, and so forth. Yet forests and woods have never been more important - climate change, biodiversity, the role of forests in soil retention and watershed management, all these are crucial in humanity's care for the Planet. Change brings with it many surprises, of which the current interest in wood fuel, at a time when prices of oil and gas are rising, is an example.

In short, forestry is going through a phase of great interest and importance. It is a truism that forestry is a long-term exercise and that we plant and manage woods for which there may not be any profitable sale tens of years from the time of planting, but this should not put us off our task. We need to remember Professor Anderson and plant to suit the site. If we follow the ecological prompts we are less likely to go wrong than if we drive headlong through peat and gravels with huge ploughs simply to plant one species for which there may not be a worthwhile outlet though as the example of wood chips suggests, there may be surprises.

Monday 22nd May

Glasdrum Our first day begins with a visit to the Glasdrum National Nature Reserve in Appin. The presence there of the Pearl Bordered Fritillary and Chequered Skipper has contributed to the discussion about the management of oak woods - the problems posed by patches and mosaics in woodland ecology. Glasdrum lies on the north shore of Loch Creran, beyond which, to the east, is Glenure - the Glen of the Yew. There is yew in that glen, as its name suggests should be the case, which raises the question of the nativeness of yew in the Highlands of Scotland. Authorities such as Dr. Dickson of Glasgow University, noting the presence of yew on islands in Loch Linnhe, have suggested that yew probably is a native of this country and there is plenty of evidence from the place names to agree with this.

On Tuesday we shall land in Mull at Craignure 'the crag of the yew'. Glenure is famous also as the home of the ill-fated Colin Campbell of Glenure, victim of the Appin Murder of 1752 and immortalised in RLStevenson's 'Kidnapped'. Peter Wormell, who needs no introduction as a long-standing member of the Society and a much respected authority on woodland ecology and history, will be our guide for this part of the journey, accompanied by John Halliday of SNH and others.

After Glasdrum we shall drive south, cross the bridge at Connell and head for the woods at Ardnaskie, opposite Fearnoch (PCS), where Lorne Nelson has grazed cattle for many years. It is odd to think that the Forestry Commission, which for some years gave farmers money to fence cattle, is now running a project that involves cattle grazing in woodland. Still, the question of how to manage grazing in woodlands is an important one and it is good that new approaches to the subject are being investigated. Bob Black has agreed to speak here, as has Lucy Sumsion of Argyll FWAG.

Peter Wormell has pointed out that the area around Oban has more oak woodland than any other part of the British Isles. http://www.caledonian-partnership.org.uk/ao/total%20age%20structure%20report.pdf http://www.nnr-seotland.org.uk/downloads/publications/Glasdrum WoodNNRStorv.pdf http://www.rls. orq.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-001-343-L

The web site quoted above gives a history of iron manufacture in Britain in a nutshell. It is very interesting to realise that Bonawe is part of the mainstream of industrial history. Dr. Roebuck from Birmingham, the Irish adventurers and so forth, all part of the astonishing developments that led to Great Britain's industrial and imperial supremacy in the nineteenth century. And the irony for the Atlantic oak woods was that the demand for charcoal ensured their survival. Use it or lose it?

Glen Nant Next, we proceed to Glen Nant. According to Watson's 'The Celtic Placenames of Scotland' 'nant' is derived from the old Gaelic word for nettles.

Ross Lilley of SNH will accompany us to this woodland and tell us about its ecology and history. http://gane.ceh.ac.uk/posters/NERTS200000037.pdf http://www.caledonian-iiartnershiu.org.uk/ao/LlFEposter.pdf Bonawe Iron Works

Just north of Taynuilt is the Bonawe Iron Furnace, a relic from an industrial past that produced anything up to 700 tons of iron per year from 1753 to 1876.

Your first reaction on finding a large iron furnace in this beautiful spot is to look at a map to work out where the iron ore came from. Your second is probably to look at the quarrying visible on the hillside at Bonawe on the far side of and add two and two. The discovery that the ore turned into iron at Bonawe actually came by sea from Furness, in what is now Cumbria, is a surprising one. Why would they bother?

The answer revolves around the problem of transporting the fuel. Until the widespread use of coke in the late 1700s, iron furnaces depended for fuel on charcoal. And the large scale production of charcoal needed an awful lot of trees. Still worse, transporting the charcoal was a hugely wasteful business.

The approach adopted by the English iron masters who ran the business was to take the iron to the source of the fuel. As early as 1610 they had set up a furnace near Gairloch in the far North West. Argyll contained plentiful woodland and Loch Etive became one of a number of centres to which ore was transported for smelting. Their first efforts in this immediate area were further up Loch Etive at Glen Kinglass. This only operated from 1722 to 1738. The lessons learned were used when setting up the Bonawe furnace in 1753.

At its height, the Bonawe furnace was the centre of a significant settlement. The manager would have been supported by perhaps eight men producing the iron, plus up to a dozen more involved in arranging the delivery of the charcoal and maintenance of the site. They and their families, many from England, occupied the workers' houses still visible around the site. In addition there were up to 600 tree cutters and charcoal burners employed for at least part of the year across a huge area of north Argyll, wood and converting it into the fuel for the furnace. On average, a single day's production of iron required the amount of charcoal that could be produced by cutting two acres of woodland.

The centre of the process at Bonawe was the furnace itself. This was fed from the top with local charcoal, with iron ore from Furness, and with limestone from Lismore. Bellows driven by a waterwheel blasted air through the furnace, and the iron trickled out at the bottom.

The iron produced at Bonawe was either cast into rough "pigs" for transport back to England and further processing, or it was cast into cannonballs. In 1781, Bonawe produced 42,000 cannonballs, varying in size from 31b to 321b.

An iron furnace was originally set up at Bonawe because of the slight cost advantage it offered over production in Lancashire. Production petered out in the middle of the 1800s, and eventually stopped altogether in 1876. Advances in technology, and especially widespread use of coke, meant that iron could be more cheaply produced in northern England, and in the central belt of Scotland. Bonawe's 120 year industrial revolution was over.

Bonawe today is set on a beautifully grassy slope facing north towards Loch Etive. The higher parts of the slope are occupied by the large charcoal stores, plus the ore-shed, still stained red from the ore. The ore-shed also houses a fascinating series of displays charting the history of the site and information about the iron making process. Also on the site is a bark house. The oak bark, produced as a side product of the charcoal making, was valuable for the tanning industry.

But the heart of the site today, as during its productive life, is the furnace itself. The upper parts of this show what worker's lives would have been like feeding the furnace, while the furnace itself can be seen from below via the hearth. Outside it is still possible to see the mill race from the reservoir to the south, together with the pit in which the water wheel sat until 1941. Tuesday, 23rd May

Mull 'Muile nan garbh-bheann, tha feidh ann is earba' (Mull of the rough mountains, where red deer and roe abound') The ferry takes us past Duart Castle, home of the Macleans of Duart, one of the clans that came to prominence with the forfeiture of the Lordship of the Isles.

The geology of Mull is predominantly Tertiary Volcanic as exemplified in the island of (in the care of the National Trust for Scotland). lona, by contrast, (also a possession of the NTS) is mainly Lewisian gneiss.

We shall start our visit with a stop in the Craignure Village Hall, where Donald MacNeill and Keith Miller of PCS will speak to us about the forestry strategy for Mull.

As we drive along the road to Tobermory (Tobar Moire = Mary's Well) we pass the remains of Aros Castle and, looking across the Sound of Mull, will be able to make out the ruins of Ardtornish Castle, another of the strongholds of the Macdonald Lordship. In 1461, John 4th Lord of the Isles agreed in the Treaty of Ardtornish-Westminster that he would become a vassal of the English king in exchange for a share of Scotland when the English conquered the country. When word of this arrangement got out it ensured that the Scottish Crown would put an end to this over-independent vassal. 1491 is given as the date for the formal forfeiture of this lordship and the ruins of the chain of castles bear witness to this.

At Aros Park we shall bear witness to an altogether different story when Stuart Maidment, to whom we are very grateful for much help with putting on this journey, describes the many different activities around Aros Park.

The economy of Mull has been given and enormous fillip by two very different phenomena: the television series Balamory and the arrival of sea eagles to breed. The number of visitors to the island has increased dramatically with consequent financial benefits. After our visit to Aros Park we shall lunch in Tobermory and enjoy the view down the Sound of Mull.

After lunch we make our way over towards Dervaig and turn down the forestry road that runs along the east side of Loch Frisa. We shall drive to the hide from which we hope to see the pair of sea eagles that nest there. David Sexton of RSPB will be our psychopomp for this moment in the journey.

Our last stop in Mull will be at Crannich, where Robin Sidgwick has built a shed to store wood for chipping. It will be interesting to hear about wood fuel in the context of Mull: thinnings transformed from a money losing worry into a valued resource.

Key Strategic Issues Influencing Forestry Development on Mull

1. Poor economic prognosis for many commercial forests - • High harvesting costs - difficult terrain, remote locations. • Very high roundwood transport costs to mainland markets with off island movement surcharges around £10 per tonne. • Deficiencies in public road infrastructure. • Species mix (poor form LP and JL)

2. In contrast, very high yielding productive forests particularly at lower elevations - • YC28 SS felled at 750m3.ha at Ardmore on northern tip of Mull. • Favourable form of SS and typically good stand assortments and log yields.

3. Substantial areas of deeply sub-marginal conifer stands on hostile sites - • Exposure, poor drainage, infertile soils derived from Tertiary basalt lava. • Intrusion of low quality conifer forests onto sensitive open ground habitats and into degraded native woodland remnants and adverse impacts on other local biodiversity. • Limited scope to deliver multiple benefit outputs. 4. Emergence and growth of sustainable environmental tourism as a key mainstay of the islands economy - • Importance of ensuring forestry sector fully compatible with ecotourism. • Recognition of need to adjust forestry activity and priorities to deliver greater community benefits and local involvement in forestry planning.

5. General repositioning of traditional land use activity under CAP reform - • Decline in hill livestock sector and rise in sporting/recreational uses. • Importance of Scottish Executives wider Rural Development agenda.

6. Related Issues and local circumstances - • Emergence of new Shipping options for timber. • Wider strategic repositioning and revision of priorities within FEs objectives. • Community interests and developments oq community land ownership. • Recent strategic developments in PCS forests on Arran. • Renewable energy developments and new opportunities in local woodfuel. • FES disposals and rationalisation sales • Rural Stewardship, farm diversification programmes and

Wednesday 24th May Cragnish - Dunadd - Lochgilphead The road to Lochgilphead takes us through mid-Lorne. Climbing out of Oban, and looking eastwards across the basaltic plain, we should be able to see the twin hipped Cruachan in the distance, unless it is raining and the hills are hidden from us in mist. Then it is on and through a landscape of oak woods, conifers and small fields of rough pasture. We pass yacht havens, fish farms and then, at Arduaine, the gardens, now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. A little later and a road sign to the right - opposite Barrbreck House, points us to Ardfern. We shall take this road, which leads on to Craignish, our first stop of the day.

The estate of Craignish belongs to Caroline Younger, who may be present to receive us. John Macdonald, her woodland adviser will speak to us, as will Malcolm Campbell, who farms the land. Lucy Sumsion, who was with us on Monday has agreed to come with us to Craignish. Lucy arranged a very well attended symposium on woodland grazing in Oban a couple of years ago.

Anybody, whose mind wanders from the subject of woodland grazing, can gaze out to sea. To the West are the islands of Jura and Scarba, where Mairi nighean Alasdair Ruaidh, the seventeenth century poet, lived in exile for a period after offending her employer, Sir Norman Macleod of Bernera.

Is mi am shuidhe air an tulaich Fo Mhulad 's fo imcheist,ijs mi ag coimhnead air Ile, Is ann de m 'ioghnadh 's an am so: Bha mi uair nach do shaoil mi, Gus an do chaochail air m 'aimsir, Gun tiginn an taobh so Dh 'amharc Dhiuraidh a Sgarbaidh

"Sitting here on the knoll, forlorn and unquiet, I gaze upon Islay and marvel the while: there was a time I never thought, till my times took a change, that hither I should come to view Jura from Scarba."

This is the first verse of 'Luinneag Mhic Leoid' (MacLeod's Lilt), taken from 'Gaelic Songs of Mary MacLeod', edited by J.Carmichael Watson.

Between Scarba and Jura lies Corrievreckan. If one looks through the gap it is possible to make out Colonsay on a clear day. Retracing our steps from Craignish to the Oban-Lochgilphead road, we turn right and, passing the head of Loch Craignish, drive south up and over the bealach towards Kilmartin. Passing Carnasserie Castle, begun 1565 by John Carswell, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles, who translated John Knox's prayer book into Gaelic, we drive along the wide ditch that was dug in the early 19th Century to drain the great mosses in the Strath of Kilmartin. It was this massive work of drainage that revealed some of the astonishing wealth of archaeological remains in this corner of Argyll.

Kilmartin This is a unique and special place, steeped in history, rich in wildlife, blest with some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland, and offering a variety of activities to make your visit memorable. Before the Pyramids were built (over 5,000 years ago) the inhabitants of this area had constructed the first of the Burial Cairns that makes up the Linear Cemetery on Nether Largie South. These neolithic and Bronze Age Monuments, together with the stone circle at Temple Wood, and the standing stones at Ballymeanoch and other sites, are all part of the ritual landscape of Kilmartin Glen.

Although found in many areas in Western Europe the enigmatic cup and ring marked rock art is most prolific in this small area of Mid Argyll.

Kilmartin is one of the great centres of ancient landscape in the British Isles. Neolithic, Iron Age, Medieval carvings and the designed landscape of the early nineteenth century: representative signs of these cultures are evident. The model of the landscape of Kilmartin on display in the museum gives the visitor a very good idea of the extent and complexity and richness of what has been left by the inhabitants of the past. Gordon Grey Stephens has offered to speak about the construction of the oak framed restaurant, which is a part of the museum complex.

A Natural Landscape Kilmartin Glen is an intimate blend of managed and wild land. At one time a large part of the Glen was submerged. When the Sea retreated, climate changes led to the formation of a large peat bog - the Great Moss of Moine Mhor, a National Nature Reserve. Diversity of habitats (shore, river, estuary, bog, farmland, woodland, and hill) provide a home or feeding ground for many animals and birds (over 200 species recorded) and support a wide variety of wild flowers.

Kilmartin Church and graveyard contain one of the largest collections of early Christian grave slabs and crosses in the West of Scotland.

Carnasserie Castle, just north of Kilmartin, is a late medieval building of great sophistication for its period. It was built in the 16th C. by Bishop John Carswell, who translated Knox's Liturgy into Gaelic.

The Crinan Canal was built primarily for commercial craft by Thomas Telford in the late 18th Century but is now mainly used by pleasure craft and features as a scenic attraction in Argyll.

Dunadd, an Iron Age fort which overlooks the Moine Mhor (Great Moss) was the capital of the Ancient Kingdom of Dalriada. Legend has it that the Stone of Destiny, was used here in the crowning of the first Kings of Scotland.

Dunadd was the centre of the kingdom, established towards the end of the 4th Century AD. It was here that the Dalriadans established themselves and spread out to occupy what is now Argyll. Fergus MacEre and his kindred settled there and their descendants held on until Kenneth MacAlpin became king of Scotland North of Forth in around 843. The plan is to walk to the top of the dun. Near the top is an open-air auditorium, where Robin Malcolm of Poltalloch has kindly agreed to speak to us about the part his family played in developing the designed landscape that we see about us from this viewpoint.

Those who are unsure of step, but wish to make the short climb would be wise to bring walking sticks and to don stout footwear because the descent is a bit tricky at one or two points. If the weather turns bad for us we may have to be addressed from the bus or in the car park, but allow time for those who are fleet of foot to make the climb.

Lochgilphead Our last stop is to visit two wood chip burning heating systems in Lochgilphead. The first site is that of the Whitegates District Heating Scheme, a project of the Fyne Homes Housing Association. The other wood chip fired boiler in Lochgilphead is the one that heats the swimming pool. Bob Mcllwraith of ALI energy will describe these schemes and we hope that Ewan Johnstone, who provides the boilers with wood chips will speak on the subject of their supply to the boilers. Andrew Nicol of Deeside Woodland Products has offered to speak to us on the subject of wood fuel fired systems. We can look forward to contributions from Forestry Commission staff as well. http://www.est.org.uk/schri/downloads/scrn/Glenshelladi%20Biomass%20Commimity%20Energy %20System%20Presentation.pdf http://www.bioheat.info/cxample/lochgilphead/en-gb.html http://www.buccleuch-bioenerav.com/contact.html

Thursday 25th May Cashel Forest 10th Anniversary Tour The Forest for a Thousand Years - The RSFS Forest Trust Co Ltd

The RSFS Forest Trust Co was set up by the RSFS in 1996 to own and develop Cashel Farm as a native woodland forest. It is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Its principal objective as set out in its Memorandum and Articles of association is:

"To conserve, regenerate and promote the restoration of Scotland's native woodlands as an important part of Scotland's natural environment for the benefit of the public".

Cashel Farm, totalling 1,238 hectares with a house and farm buildings, on the east side of Loch Lomond was purchased in October 1996. Funds to purchase Cashel farm were obtained from the Millennium Commission and administered by the Millennium Forest Trust for Scotland Ltd (MFST). After an Environmental Assessment a woodland grant scheme was approved by the Forestry Commission for the planting of approximately 370 Hectares of the property. This scheme provided funds for some of the work and in addition funds were obtained from SNH, the European Commission under the former Objective 5b, The Scottish Forestry Trust and members' donations.

Ongoing funds for maintenance & development are obtained from Donations, Forestry Commission Management Grants, rentals and sponsored planting of trees.

The principle objectives were:

. To establish, maintain, preserve and manage, in accordance with good Silvicultural and ecological principles, forest land of principally Scottish native species and all indigenous flora and fauna;

. To service tourist and leisure requirements whether through the provision of forest trails, outdoor pursuits and sports, recreational activities, forest tours or in any other way;

. To promote the education of members of the public in forestry, nature and native woodland in Scotland;

. To promote public interest in and knowledge and appreciation of forest land so that members of the public may gain or increase their understanding; enjoyment and use of forest land in Scotland;

. To acquire land for the establishment and maintenance of a public forest, and, to establish, preserve and maintain for the public benefit, forestry on such land and to facilitate and encourage public access and use of the forest land;

The main achievements to date are

 Establishment of 370 Hectares of Native woods.  Creation of 12Km of woodland walks with spectacular views over Loch Lomond and open to the public 365 days a year.  Development of a Native Forest Centre for Interpretation and Display.

 Base line surveys of the vegetation, Birds and Butterflies have been completed recording the flora and fauna at the start of the project. Two permanent woodland transects were also marked and photographed. These are all recorded by GPS and will be monitored at 5 year intervals to observe the changes that occur.

 Car Parking completed adjacent to the Steading and picnic area.

 Three separate school plots established by the children of Drymen, Gartmore and Buchanan Primary Schools.

 Scottish native apple grove established by Gartmore School with over 20 origins unique to Scotland. An annual "Apple day" is now held in October.

 An annual woodland essay competition for children from 13 local schools.

 A Dedicated Tree Planting Scheme has been introduced whereby members of the Public can plant a tree as a special gift to remember an important event or person. This has proved very popular and some 3000 trees have been planted to date.

 Cashel house has been repaired and restored and is now occupied by our two part time wardens.

Our Future Plans are to:

 Maintain and improve the Forest and its walks.

 Create a new walk through the mature woods and link with adjacent forests

 Further develop the Interpretation centre for native forests .

 Provide training activities & short courses,

 Create woodland educational centre with activities for schools parties and young people,

 A centre for rural craft courses and training,

 The development and provision of conservation courses,

 Have a place for the scientific study of the development of new native woodlands,

 Provide a meeting place for informal recreational walking and rural activity clubs.

 Have a place which could form a base for social inclusion activities.

This further vision for Cashel can only be fully realised if buildings are provided which function as

 An interpretation centre.

 Day accommodation, conference, training and classroom facilities, and activity spaces.

We will only be able to achieve these aims with generous donations and bequests from our supporters, as well as members of the public and charitable trusts.

David Goss, Project Manager and Secretary. Dgforestry@aol. com 01786825337