The Treshnish Isles comprise of a small archipelago of glacially sculptured volcanic islands and skerries off the west coast of Mull. The Isles form part of the Loch Na Keal National Scenic Area, and have been designated as an SSSI, a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation...
Wildlife Sites in Lochaber: Fort William, Glencoe, Glen Nevis, Arisaig, Ardnamurchan, The Small Isles and The Great Glen
The Isle of Rum is a National Nature Reserve managed by Scottish Natural Heritage and renowned for its wild landscape and long studied population of red deer. The island is of national and international importance for both its geology and its wildlife. There are several walks on the island,...
Ardnamurchan Point on the Ardnamurchan peninsula is the most westerly point on the British mainland and is a good place to spot basking shark, minke whale, common dolphin, orca, harbour porpoise and Risso's dolphin (if lucky), as well as otters and a range of coastal birds. The headland...
The fabulous beaches of Sanna and Portuairk provide amazing views of Ardnamurchan Point and The Small Isles. White sands, clear turquoise seas, species-rich dunes and small rocky islands make it one of the most stunning beaches in the area. In spring and summer, the dunes are a riot of colour...
The Isle of Eigg is the second largest island of a small archipelago of islands, The Small Isles, in the Inner Hebrides.
Geology
It is approximately 31km2, composed mainly of terraced basaltic lava and intrusive dykes, with Jurassic sandstones, shales...
The RSPB reserve at Glenborrodale is located on the hills beside Loch Sunart and consists of Atlantic oak woodland, heath and bog.
Over 634 species of flowering plant have been recorded on or in the vicinity of the reserve. The reserve supports over 40 species of liverwort, over 70 mosses...
Cul na Croise is a stunning beach and a fine example of a rare acidic dune system. It consists of mobile dunes, dune grassland, dry coastal heath and wet heath and is notable for its transition into semi-natural oak-birch woodland. The nature conservation interest of the site is high, being an...
On the list of Scottish Natural Heritage's most beautiful beaches in Scotland. It is part of the Silvery Sands of Morar and was made famous as a set for the film Local Hero. The beach and dune system extends for several miles between Arisaig and Mallaig.
The dunes behind the beach...
Achnaha woodland and beach is just over a mile and a half west from Lochaline on the road to Drimnin. The woodland covers some 8ha and has been managed by Morvern Community Woodlands since 2004 and owned since 2015. The broadleaf woodland is primarily coppiced sycamore with birch, rowan, hazel,...
Kentra Moss SSSI is a fine example of blanket bog and together with Claish Moss forms a Special Area of Conservation. These are two of the only three known ‘eccentric’ mires in Britain, the other being Rannoch Moor. ‘Eccentric’ have unique surface patterns and are similar to the raised bogs ...
The Ardtornish Wildlife Hide is situated in a magical spot at the top of Loch Aline, just a short walk from the minor road to Ardtornish House. The hide is signed from the south side of the road just to the west of The River Aline. A lovely short walk through the woods leads to this wee hide...
Glen Beasdale in Morar is a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) representing an coastal old sessile oak wood with Ilex on acid soils, with understory of heather (Calluna vulgaris), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea), and...
The Rahoy Hills Wildlife Reserve has been managed by The Scottish Wildlife Trust in association with The Ardtornish Estate since the 1970s. There is a well signed, if slightly boggy, walk around the shores of Loch Arienas to the old deserted settlement of Arienas, with great views over the loch...
Claish Moss, a former National Nature Reserve, is one of Scotland’s finest and unusual raised bogs. The site is dominated by large hummocks of the woolly hair moss (Racomitrium lanuginos) and supports fourteen different species of Sphagnum, cross-leaved heath (Erica...
The remote Glencripesdale, a former National Nature Reserve in the Ardnamurchan, on the shores of Loch Sunart, combines woodland, shoreline, heaths and moorland. It is an international renowned site for its bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts), being one of the top three woodland sites...
The Garbh Eilean Wildlife Hide on the shores of Loch Sunart in the Ardnamurchan provides an ideal spot to search for otters and common seals in the loch and on the shores of Loch Sunart. A range of waders, ducks and seabirds can also be seen from the hide, depending on season and, occasionally...
Ariundle Oakwood National Nature Reserve, near Strontian, is an important remnant of an ancient coastal oakwood that formerly stretched along the Atlantic coast from Spain and Portugal to Norway. Its trees, mainly sessile oak and pedunculate oak, are strewn with a diverse collection of mosses,...
Shian Wood, a Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve, is an ancient semi natural deciduous woodland on a promontory on the southern shore of Loch Creran. The woods (consisting of mainly birch, hazel and oak) support a rich carpet of wild flowers in Spring including bluebell, primrose, wood anenome and...
Cuil Bay is on the south‐west part of the Ardsheal peninsula north west of the village Duror on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe. Cuil Bay is, a long shingle and sand beach which is a popular spot for bird and wildlife watching. There are a good range of the sea and coastal birds including...
Glasdrum Wood is a remnant of the Atlantic oak woodland cloaking the lower slopes of Beinn Churalain (south-east) that rises from the shores of Loch Creran. The reserve covers an area of 169 hectares and is part of the Glen Creran Wood, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special...
The red squirrel feeding stations at Inchree/Glenrigh is one of a network of red squirrel hot-spots in The Highlands. A great place to see red squirrels in the trees and on the feeders.
The feeders are situated close to the car park for the Glen Righ and Inchree Falls walk being...
Alt Mhuic Butterfly Reserve is a small reserve on the north shores of Loch Arkaig in Lochaber consisting of grassland, heath and deciduous woodland, flanked by coniferous plantation. It is a good place to see the rare,chequered skipper, a UK BAP Priority butterfly species, found only in...
A lovely trip to the top of the chairlifts at 650 m on the northern slopes of Aonach Mor. The top station affords affording fabulous views of hills and lochs of Lochaber, as well as a taste for the high life. This is a lovely trip for anyone interested in taking a short walk in montainous...
Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve in the Monadhliath Mountains is a rocky landscape of ice gorged summits, plateaus and ridges that extends from north-east Lochaber into the Cairngorms. The reserve extends from the shoreline of Loch Laggan to the high summits of the hills that form the...
