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Home , Beinn Odhar, Glen Orchy

ROYAL SCOTTISH FORESTRY SOCIETY 99th ANNUAL EXCURSION Western Region Friday, 10th May - Saturday, 11th May 1996

Glen Orchy, Glen Nant and

This year, Members will be resident in the Columba and Royal Hotels, Oban. The Annual Dinner will be held in the Royal Hotel, Square, Oban on Friday 10th. May. A varied programme has been devised, visiting properties in both public and private ownership, to study a variety of crop types, conditions and management regimes, in order that the Excursion should have broad appeal. It is pleasing to note that the success of this aim is reflected by the numbers attending. Members should note the following details about assembly points and timing :

Friday 10th. May, 1996 :

8.45 am (Prompt departure) Coach will collect Members staying at the Royal Hotel, Argyll Square, Oban, to convey them to . Members who choose to leave their cars in the Public Car-parks in Oban should remember to pay and display a day ticket. Members who do not wish to travel by coach should proceed in their cars to Tyndrum.

8.50 am (Prompt departure) Coach will collect Members staying at the Columba Hotel, North Pier, Oban, to convey them to Tyndrum. Members who choose to leave their cars in the Public Car-parks in Oban should remember to pay and display a day ticket. Members who do not wish to travel by coach should proceed in their cars to Tyndrum.

9.30 am (for 10 am) Main Assembly Point. Members who have not joined the buses in Oban should assemble at the West Highlander Restaurant, Pine Trees Leisure Park, Tyndrum. The Pine Trees Park is well sign posted and lies at the South end of the town, on the West side of the road (Left hand side if travelling North; Right hand side if travelling South. Map Reference : NN 332 300 - OS. Landranger Sheet 50 : Glen Orchy and surrounding area) Coffee / Tea will be available.

Tyndrum is 5 miles North West of , between the summits of Beinn Odhar, Ben Lui and Ben Udlaidh. The road divides here, NW across and SW to and Oban. Travelling North from Glasgow take the A82 along Loch Lomond to Crianlarich and Tyndrum. If approaching North from , take the A84 to Lochearnhead and A85 to Crianlarich. Travelling South from Fort William take the A82 (Oban - Tyndrum : 40 miles; Edinburgh - Tyndrum : 90 miles).

Please park on the caravan and camping ground to the South of the Restaurant, and not in the Car park immediately below the Restaurant. That is to be left clear for the passing public visiting the cafe. Cars will be left in Tyndrum for 2 hours, whilst a tour by coach is undertaken to Blackmount Estate Members must be ready to board the coaches for the short journey to Blackmount Estate, leaving at 10 am.

10.00 am (Prompt departure) Coaches leave for Blackmount Estate (Late arrivals should follow North along the A82 to the Hotel. Cross the river to the West and follow the minor road to the SW shore of Loch Tulla to find the party in the Doire Darach Pinewood. (Members coming from the North should not assemble at Doire Darach as there is no parking available for individual cars. Please proceed to the rendezvous in Tyndrum).

10.15 am - Welcome by Hosts : Factor, representing Robin Fleming, Owner, Blackmount, and Stuart Johnston, Regional Manager, Scottish Woodlands Limited. The tour of the pinewoods will be on foot, entering a number of fenced exclosures. There are a number of stiles to be climbed.

12.15 pm - Return to road to board coaches for short journey back to Tyndrum to collect vehicles. Members will then move their cars forward to the Crunachy Tea Room, Bridge of Awe, by Taynuilt, where lunch will be taken. The Tea Rooms are attached to the Awe Filling Station. Again, there is an adjacent camping and caravan site where cars will be parked and left for the afternoon.

From Tyndrum follow the River Lochy West through Glen Lochy on the A85, through Dalmally and rounding the head of Loch Awe; then through the Pass of Brander past the Cruachan Power Station (Distance : 23 miles)

1.00 - 2.00 pm - Lunch. Soup and sandwiches are provided.

2.00 pm – Board coaches for tour to Glen Nant

The hosts for the afternoon are Keith Miller, Forest District Manager, Forest Enterprise and Andrew Campbell, Area Officer, Scottish Natural Heritage. The visit to Glen Nant will be a walking tour, partly on forest and public roads, but also on a forest trail with several short steep, rocky ascents and descents.

4.15 pm - Board coaches for short journey to the Bonawe Iron Furnace in the ownership of Historic , where guides will be available to lead the party.

The extensive and well-preserved remains of the Iron Furnace constitute one of the most notable monuments of the iron industry in Britain. The ironworks was established there in 1752-3 and formed an offshoot of a parent company based in the Furness District of Lancashire (now Cumbria). Bonawe was the penultimate, probably the largest and certainly the longest-lived of the charcoal blast-furnaces in the , and production continued here, albeit intermittently in the later phases, until 1876. The afternoon excursion will finish at 5.15 pm. Members drive by coach or in their own vehicles to Oban. 5.15 pm - Return to cars for journey into Oban, and hotels.

7.15 pm (for 7.45 pm) - Assemble in the Royal Hotel, Oban, for Dinner. Our host is His Grace, The Duke of Buccleuch, President, Royal Scottish Forestry Society. We are joined by several of our excursion hosts and by Penny Cousins, Director of the Millennium Forest for Scotland who will give a short address. Graham Jeffrey, Senior Vice President will reply.

Saturday llth. May, 1996 :

8.45 am - (Prompt departure) Coach will collect Members staying at the Royal Hotal, Argyll Square, Oban, to convey them to Appin. Members who choose to leave their cars in the Public Car-parks in Oban should remember to pay and display a day ticket. Members who do not wish to travel by coach should proceed in their cars to Appin

8.50 am (Prompt departure) Coach will collect Members staying at the Columba Hotel, North Pier, Oban, to convey them to Appin. Members who choose to leave their cars in the Public Car-parks in Oban should remember to pay and display a day ticket. Members who do not wish to travel by coach should proceed in their cars to Appin.

9.30 am (for 10 am) - Main Assembly Point. Members who have not joined the buses in Oban should assemble at the Appin Village Hall (Beside the church), Strath Appin. (Map reference : NM 938 459 : OS. Landranger Sheet 49 : Oban and East Mull). Cars will be left at the Village Hall for the day. The A828 from the North is reasonably straight. Appin is some 8 miles from Glencoe and 20 miles from Fort William. From Oban leave the A85 at Connel and join the A828 to cross the bridge for and Barcaldine. The road travels around the head of Loch Creran and cannot be taken at speed. Therefore, allow a good 45 minutes to reach Appin, and if taking your car from Oban, aim to depart by 9.00am at the latest. Bring a Safety Helmet if you have one.

10.00 am (Prompt departure) - Coaches leave for Ledgrianach and Barr (West) Woods in the ownerships of Michael Scott Morton and Robert Dunlop. Both owners will be present to welcome the party. The tour will be led by their consultant, John Macdonald, and will include demonstrations of small scale timber harvesting techniques, including a quad bike and pulp trailer, the Glenfmnan Log Chute and, traditionally, a horse. Much of the wood has been cleared in recent years and Dr. John Morgan, Silviculture Division of the Northern Research Station will describe current restocking practices. Hard hats must be worn. Hats provided for those without.

12.15 pm - Return by coach to the Village Hall for lunch. Soup and sandwiches will be provided by the ladies of Appin.

1.00 pm - The 143rd Annual Business Meeting of the Society will be held in the Village Hall during lunch (Council reserves the right to vary the time of the meeting by 30 minutes either before or after the advertised time. The Agenda and list of Candidates for election has been circulated) All members of the Society are entitled to attend without prior payment. 2.00 pm - Board coaches for Barr Mor Forest. Bar Mor is owned by Egger Forestry Products Limited, Hexham, and they will be represented by Alan Massey, Roundwood and Harvesting Manager. Tilhill Economic Forestry manage the forest on their behalf and Tom McLellan and John Little will be leading the tour.

The afternoon programme includes an exposition on the recently developed Ecological Site Classification from Dr. Graham Pyatt of the Northern Research Station, and the opportunity to view the extensive harvesting operation using a modern felling processor and forwarder. Hard hats must be worn, hats provided for those without.

4.00 pm - 4.30 pm (Approx.) - Coaches return to Village Hall for tea. Coach returns to Oban. Conclusion of Annual Excursion. Members disperse.

Notes. 1. Hotel accommodation. The Royal Hotel has quoted inclusive prices per person for Dinner, Bed and Breakfast of £32 per person for Twin/Double bedded rooms, with a single room supplement as appropriate. Similar, slightly more expensive rates are being charged by the Columba. Bookings have been made on behalf of members by the Director. Accommodation must be paid for by each member on departure from the hotel.

2. Lunches. Lunch is being provided on both days for all members who have booked for the excursion and paid in advance. Local members who arrive unannounced may have to provide their own lunch.

3. Excursion booking fee. All members are welcome on the excursion. Members are reminded that a fee of £10 per person per day of attendance is required to cover expenses.

4. Name badges. Each member who enrols for the excursion will be provided with a name badge and is requested to wear it throughout the excursion. It will be appreciated if badges could be handed in at the end of the excursion.

5. Hard Hats. Please bring your own helmet, if you have one. These must be worn on Saturday 11th. when we shall be visiting harvesting operations and viewing working machines. Helmets will be provided for those who do not have their own.

6. Emergency messages. Members will find attached a list of telephone numbers which they may care to leave at home in case they have to be contacted urgently. Apart from the hotel numbers these are for emergency use only. Members who require any additional information are asked to contact the Director immediately: Michael Osbome, Director, * Royal Scottish Forestry Society, 62, Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4NA. Telephone and Fax : 0131 225 8142