The Story of Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve 2nd edition (2015) For further information on Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR please contact: The Reserve Manager Scottish Natural Heritage Anancaun Kinlochewe by Achnasheen IV22 2PA Tel: 01463 760301 Email: [email protected] www.nature.scot/beinn-eighe The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve The Story of Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve Foreword Magnificent landscapes of mountain, pine wood, islands and loch greet visitors to the National Nature Reserve (NNR) at Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands in Wester Ross. Rising to more than a thousand metres and harbouring some of Scotland's most iconic wildlife, Beinn Eighe itself was the first NNR established in the UK. Now, with the pristine waters of Loch Maree and its 60 tranquil islands, the reserve is one of the most truly wild places in the whole of Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage manages the reserve. Sitting in the Torridon mountains, the reserve is well known among walkers for its seven peaks, and its ridges and corries of white “snow-in-summer” quartzite. In contrast, down on the loch, the islands lie like a scattering of emeralds on the clear, dark surface of the water. The reserve is home to the largest remnant of ancient Caledonian forest in Wester Ross. Some of the Scots pine trees are nearly 400 years old. Over the past 60 years we have built on this legacy. We have carried out a massive programme of woodland restoration, connecting our woodland with neighbouring restoration projects, to create the largest continuous stretch of native pine wood in the west of the UK. In addition, the pine woods that cloak the islands are some of the least disturbed woodlands in the whole of Britain, and look much the same today as they have for thousands of years. The one exception is Isle Maree, where broadleaved trees such as oak and holly predominate, and signs of human presence are evident in the ancient ruins found here. A distinctive mix of plants and animals thrive on the reserve, and its rugged mountain slopes support one of the UK’s best tracts of prostrate juniper and moss heath. Rare lichens, liverworts and mosses flourish, from the mild, damp woodlands up to the highest peaks. Below the tree line, pine marten, Scottish crossbill and northern emerald dragonfly make their home in the ancient pine woods, while otters and black-throated divers, one of our rarest breeding birds, can be seen on Loch Maree. Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR is one of a suite of National Nature Reserves in Scotland. Scotland’s NNRs are special places for nature, where some of the best examples of Scotland’s wildlife can be found. Every NNR is carefully The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve managed for both nature and people, giving visitors the opportunity to experience our rich natural heritage. This is especially true at Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR with its newly refurbished Visitor Centre and interactive displays, all- abilities trail, interpretive panels, car parks, picnic sites and opportunities for voluntary work. The Reserve Story contains background information about the reserve, describing the wildlife interest, its land use history and management since it became a reserve. The Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR Management Plan 2014-2024 covers the future management of the reserve. The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve Contents Foreword ii Maps of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR v 1 Introduction to Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR 1 2 The Natural Heritage of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR 5 3 Management of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands before they became NNRs 16 4 Management of Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands NNR 20 5 Document Properties 36 The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve Maps of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR Location map The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve Boundary of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve Map showing key locations at Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve 1 Introduction to Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR is close to the village of Kinlochewe, about 80 kilometres (km) west of Inverness. The reserve covers over 5000 hectares (ha), from the north-eastern edge of Loch Maree to Glen Torridon in the south. To the west, the reserve rises to the high tops of the Beinn Eighe ridge and the outlying mountain, Meall a’Ghiubhais. Beinn Eighe was the first National Nature Reserve to be declared in the UK, in September 1951. It was established originally to protect the largest fragment of ancient Caledonian pine wood in north-west Scotland, the Coille na Glas Leitir (the Wood of the Grey Slope). While the inclusion of the mountains above the wood was simply a condition of the purchase at the time, it turns out that these hills contain some of the UK and Europe’s best examples of western upland habitats, with their lower slopes supporting very large areas of heathland. In 2014 Beinn Eighe NNR was merged with the neighbouring Loch Maree Islands NNR, partly to facilitate interpretation of the islands from the Visitor Centre. Loch Maree stretches the length of a stunning glen, dominated by two mighty mountains. To the north east the steep, rocky flanks of Slioch cast their shadows over the water, while to the south west Beinn Eighe towers to over 1000 metres (m). The NNR includes over sixty islands in the loch, varying in size from the largest, Eilean Subhainn, at 120ha, to some not much more than a few metres across. Beinn Eighe is the most inland of the Torridon Mountains, one of the most spectacular ranges in Scotland. The area is a magnet for climbers, walkers and geologists alike. Three very different types of rock are found on the reserve. The underlying rock is ancient grey Lewisian gneiss, while younger pink Torridonian sandstone forms the bulk of the mountains. Striking white Cambrian quartzites tops some of the summits. Glaciers have sculpted these rocks during successive ice ages and this, together with wind, rain and frost, has all helped to shape the scenery we see today. Some of Scotland’s oldest fossils - tiny creatures and worm burrows - can also be found within these ancient rocks. The climate around Beinn Eighe is oceanic - generally mild and wet with more than two metres of rainfall annually. In fact, it is more likely to be wet than not, as it rains here on two out of every three days! Not surprisingly then, Coille na Glas Leitir is classed as a temperate rainforest and is one of the best places in Britain for moisture-loving mosses and liverworts. Above the tree line, the open ground upland habitats on the reserve include extensive areas of bare rock, scree, scattered bog and alpine and sub-alpine heaths, together with grassland, smaller areas of snow beds, and ledges with tall herbaceous plants. Some crags have a wide range of lime-loving plants including rarities such as Highland saxifrage. The middle slopes are a mosaic of dwarf heaths, with large areas of dry and wet heath, interspersed with blanket bog. At Coille na Glas Leitir, the ancient pine wood extends to the shores of Loch Maree. Dominated by Scots pine, these woodlands also contain a mixture of birch, rowan and holly with occasional oak. Elsewhere on the reserve, the pioneering work of 1 The Story of Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve woodland restoration during the first 50 years of the reserve is evident, with younger trees and natural regeneration extending the woodland habitat. This tremendous variety of habitats results in a rich diversity of plant and animal life from a rare liverwort called northern prongwort, to the elusive otter. The islands support pristine Caledonian pine woodland. This woodland is dominated by Scots pine, interspersed with a mosaic of small areas of bog woodland, blanket bog and wet heath. The exception is Isle Maree, where oaks, holly and rowan make up the majority of the woodland, and plants like wood sorrel and wood rush carpet the ground. The loch itself has the largest surface area of water in the North West Highlands, and its water is some of the least polluted in the UK. The special qualities of Loch Maree Islands provide ideal breeding habitat for internationally important numbers of black-throated divers and otter. Other rare species, including pine marten, white-tailed sea eagle and many species of dragonfly and beetle also find a home on the islands and contribute to the tremendous diversity found here. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) owns most of the mountain part of the reserve, and with our predecessors has managed Beinn Eighe NNR for over 60 years. Gairloch and Conon Estates own most of the islands and SNH manage them through a lease. Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) owns the largest of the islands, Eilean Ruairidh Mor, and SNH manages this part of the reserve through a Nature reserve Agreement. Looking after, and improving, the natural heritage interest of the reserve has always been paramount to our management here. Our visitors are also important, and we have been providing facilities and attracting visitors since the 1970s.