Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve

Beinn Eighe is a multi-peaked mountain at the southern end of Loch Maree in the northwest Scottish Highlands. It is also Britain’s oldest National Nature Reserve, established in 1951 with the primary aim of preserving ancient pinewood. However, the area incorporated within the 48 square kilometres of the reserve stretches from the loch to the top of the mountain and offers interest to everyone from the determined “Munro bagger” to those, of all ages, with less energy but a desire to learn about the natural environment of this part of Scotland.

The Visitor Centre, close to the village of Kinlochewe, is in an old crofter’s cottage (mind your head!) and it offers a multimedia presentation of the geology, industrial history, plants and wildlife of the area. The display is designed with children very much in mind, so there are touch-screen quizzes, handles to turn, holes to place a hand in and guess what is being touched, and other interactive ways to gain knowledge, as well as standard displays and printed information.

On a tree outside the back of the cottage, a bird feeder attracts whatever happens to be in the vicinity. However, in order to give you a closer view it is covered by a CCTV camera and displayed on a screen inside the exhibition area.

However, the best way to discover a natural environment is outside a building, not inside, and the back door of the Visitor Centre leads to a number of well-marked trails through the woods and beyond. Depending on the time available and the type of people in your party, you can choose whether to take a long trail or a short one.

The “rhyming trail” is a short, level path that winds among the trees and is designed with children in mind. Every few yards, a board asks a question in the form of a rhyme, the answer being related to the plants or creatures that might be seen here. A yard or two further on, the answer is given on another board. The only problem is that some of the “answers” will not be visible on the day of your visit. However, if you are fortunate enough to see a crossbill or a treecreeper at the place it should be, that counts as a definite bonus. The trail is also something of a sculpture trail, with several innovative and attractive pieces to be seen along the way.

If you want a longer walk, you can leave the rhyming trail for the “ridge trail”, which is a circular path that takes you above the trees into the rocks and moors at the foot of Beinn Eighe. There is no reason why older children should not take this trail, as it takes no more than 15 minutes to complete, but it incorporates some steeper slopes and stone steps, so it is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.

However, the views on a fine day are well worth the effort, as you can see above the trees across Loch Maree to the opposite mountain of Slioch, and, in the other direction, up to the light-coloured peaks of Beinn Eighe (if you have forgotten why the peaks are this colour, you can always go back into the Visitor Centre on your return to remind yourself!). Another advantage of this walk is that you might escape the worst attentions of the Highland midge, which is often a menace in woodland but less so on mountain slopes, especially if a decent breeze is blowing.

Leading from the ridge trail are other trails, such as the “pony path” that will take you further up the mountain. However, if you are serious about going very high up Beinn Eighe, you should make sure that you are properly equipped with the necessary boots, clothing, etc.

Just a few hundred yards along the road from the Visitor Centre is the car park at the start of two more trails, the “woodland trail” that is three kilometres long and takes about 30 minutes to complete, and the “mountain trail” of 6.5 kilometres that is steep in places and for which you should allow at least three hours. This trail should not be attempted without the correct footwear and clothing, although it is still a hill-walker’s rather a mountaineer’s trail.

There are other paths in the area that the devoted hill-walker can take for access to the higher slopes and summits of Beinn Eighe. Advice on suitable routes is available at the Visitor Centre.

There are many reasons for spending some time at Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, but one of them should be to appreciate the special nature of this place, which was indeed why it was created. The pine trees here are remnants of the ancient forest that once covered much larger areas of western Scotland. The ancestors of these trees arrived here more than 8,000 years ago, from a source to the southwest, whereas the pine forests elsewhere are much younger. Some of the trees standing today are more than 350 years old. This piece of natural heritage would have been lost had the NNR not been created in 1951, and the recreational attractions of the area are a very welcome by-product of that decision.

© John Welford