On Wednesday this week I donned my rain jacket, took my GPS in hand and intrepidly set off into Stronafian Forest to look for paths and tracks that lead through the woods. I started off from the car park on the main road directly above the Clachan.
You can see a Google map of the route I took with attached photos by clicking here. Most of the points were linked by clearings, deer tracks or fairly open forest, but I did a bit of stumbling over tussocks, fighting through pine trees and getting stuck in bogs too!!
When we get to the point where we can start building tracks and paths it will be easiest to link up these existing trails. I have been on several walks over the last few months and have seen deer, buzzards (thanks Arthur for help with ID!), red squirrels and frogs not to mention at least 20 different types of mushroom. Views of the Clachan Burn are quite pituresque (especially after all this rain!). If you go for walks in this bit of the forest (or anywhere else) please let us know your favourite routes!!
5 replies on “A Walk in the Woods”
The area is teeming with wildlife. At night you can see bats, tawny owls, barn owls and foxes, and during the day roe deer, red deer, woodpeckers and countless other birds. I must admit that despite living in the Clachan for over two years now I haven’t explored the woods much, but as soon as the rain lets up I shall.
As for my reason for commenting – you mentioned red squirrels. I assume any development in the area is going to take into account that they’re a protected species and minimise any disruption to their natural habitat? I know there is, for example, a small group that live directly opposite the Clachan as they visit our garden for food every morning at the moment.
Of course any development would always be preceded by a Environmental Impact Assessment to minimise disruption to the habitats of vulnerable species. It is in our interest to protect these species as they could be a major draw to the area for tourists!
I assumed it would have been taken into consideration, but no harm in mentioning it. My wife and I saw one only this morning hopping across our garden and they are, in my opinion, the most beautiful of a host of beautiful creatures in this area. Unfortunately my mother and sisters have come for three week-long visits in the past two years and managed to leave without seeing a single red squirrel, so I hope the tourists have more luck!
I agree Robert – I saw one dashing across the road in near the Clachan as I drove home on Friday. Fortunately it was a long way off! I also saw a pine martin recently and felt very privileged, especially since a friend of mine who has lived in the Cairngorms most of her life only spotted her first one the other day!
Any other good wildlife spots in Col-Glen?
Although after four years here I am still very pleased to see all the red squirrels and deer, they are less exciting than the things I haven’t seen so often. For the first time in my life, I saw a pine martin on the road to Otter Ferry and last week on the road to Colintraive, an otter crossed the road in front of me. Not so large but equally exciting around our house are glow worms (wow!), slow worms, newts, dragonfly, wood-wasps, lizards, owls, buzzards, and cuckoo, many of which I had never seen before (not in this country anyway, and never in my own garden). Unfortunately, Glendaruel is also home to nasty mink, which I would prefer not to see.