A place of silent contemplation mixed with a ever-changing vistas.
Topped off with soaring Golden Eagles. Plus numerous other rare native mammals and is my go to UK holiday destination.
Some 500 miles north of London is a 23,000 acre natural paradise and wildlife reserve that seems to remove your desire to travel anywhere else in these countries of ours.
Away from it all at Alladale.
A place where education and re-wilding is at its heart.
And where your heart will likely be stolen by it too!
Alladale Wilderness Reserve, Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands.
Tree Planting On A Huge Scale At Alladale Wilderness Reserve
This pair of parallel glens now much rewilded are the brain child of Paul Lister. Who was once involved with the furniture company MFI, very much a forerunner of Ikea style of flat pack.
And now instead of consuming trees in that business. He has planted many hundreds of thousands of trees over the last few years. With the latest estimated count around one million newly planted trees across his reserve.
Tree planting success at Alladale.
Once called a madman who wanted to introduce wolves into this type of landscape and the estates adjoining his.
The wolves are now on the back burner. However, his desire to bring back the flora and fauna of what was prime ‘Caledonian Forest’ is still at his heart. All in order to improve the diversity of the landscape of which he now owns.
Perhaps Scottish Wildcats may not be so newsworthy as the wolves. However, its is exactly this type of endemic animals that are an important part of the whole complex.
Wildcat in the breeding programme at Alladale.
Where creatures are needed in this landscape in order to bring it back again to how it was hundred or so years ago. In the days before extensive logging and felling for ship building etc.
Working on the Wildcat project to ensure that as a species there are more purer bred wildcats. being a key part of a national scheme to breed them. Currently they have been very successful with the breeding.
However, the organisation running the overall scheme have asked them to halt their breeding. Whilst a monitored live release programme is underway in the nearby Cairngorms.
Wildcats Stalking Voles And Mice Through The Meadows
Paul Lister himself is rather desperate to see his reserve included as part of that scheme. “I want to be high up on the next venues.
Paul Lister. Pic © Chris Watt.
How lovely it would be to see wildcats stalking voles and mice through the meadows around the reserve” said Paul.
As well as wildcats. Projects like establishing mammals like Red Squirrels and Pine Martens are also running and are being planned further.
Red Squirrell.
Even extending land management and working closely with the water and river authorities. Where in order to help establish and restore rivers and streams running over his property.
Here again tree planing is key. As it also helps in providing some stability of river banks. Like shady areas for fish like Atlantic Salmon or trout to use or spawn in.
The river running through one of the Glens.
Once some 20 plus years ago the whole estate was a hunting and fishing estate. Now the salmon can be free to spawn and return. With just some occasional trout fishing being allowed.
Rarer birds such as Black Grouse and Ptarmigan go unmolested and can be found on the very high areas of heather covered hill sides.
Some of the last Caledonian Forest.
The tree planting that has gone on is providing other birds many more places for nest building and vastly increasing shelter and more places for feeding too.
An Audio Soundtrack Of Bird Song
Bird song in the glens is just amazing. Many birds that I have never really heard before, sing and provide a constant and delightful audio soundtrack to the glens.
Even a constant call from Cuckoos echo off the hillsides as they track down mates that have also made the 4,000 mile trip from Africa to Sutherland.
Bird song all over the two Glens.
One call you do not hear is one from the majestic Golden Eagle. They nest and have nested there for a number of years now.
Their presence can be enjoyed as they soar high along the hilltops hunting with their massive 6 foot plus to 7 foot wide wingspan. Once seen they are majestic and unforgettable.
Opening Alladale Wilderness Reserve To The Wider Society
Larger mammals like deer are mostly out of their dietary list except some young fawns. The Red Deer although part of the natural beasts of these glens but do play havoc with the young trees finding them tasty and irristable.
Numbers of deer restricted at Alladale.
Therefore, there is some exclusion of them by numerous and continuous 7 foot high deer fences criss crossing some parts of the reserve. Giving many young plantations of trees like Birch, Alder and Rowan the chance to establish free from being foraged fare for the deer.
Of course deer are part of the whole natural environment but too many at the start will destroy it before it can get established.
Moving from hunting and fishing has done a number of things for Alladale. The number and type of visitors are now hugely broader as it embraces more conventional tourism to help keep it more viable.
This newer tourist market opens up the reserve to a much larger proportion of the population. It also is working hard to educate those visitors to understand the environment of which it is a part.
Highland cattle are part of the landscape and a tourist pleaser.
Education not only to the visitors arriving through tourism, but also part of philosophy is to use areas where education can be passed onto the local school children. Whilst on my recent visit a group from a nearby town spent several days hiking, camping and learning from the Rangers. Visiting tourists get to enjoy some of the finer accommodation available in the reserve.
Meals Delivered To Your Lodge
Places like Ghillies Rest or Eagles Crag. Ghillies a two bedroomed cottage or the larger 3 bedroomed Eagles are luxury away from it all holiday homes. Catered for by the chefs at the main lodge who have your meals delivered to you.
Ghillies Rest, Alladale.
In the main lodge where bigger groups can be accomodated here the 7 various sized bedrooms classically furnished lounge, dining room, sauna, snooker and gym all available for up to 14 guests there.
Organised walking, hiking and nature watching. Mountain biking, foraging, wild swimming onsite whisky tasting even also possible to try clay pigeon shooting.
Royal Dornoch Golf Course.
There are a number of organised experiences like a week long yoga or sample an Alladale wellness retreat.
More local tours are also possible. Like golf, horse riding, dolphin spotting or check out some of the interesting and historic local towns and villages.
Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland, Scotland.
You can even go much further afield. Checking out the east coast and places like Dunrobin Castle.
Or, visit the Falls of Shin and the salmon leap, exploring the shores of Loch Shin. Take the tiny ferry transfer to Handa Island and get close up to puffins and 1,000s of sea birds.
Captivating With Something New To See Every Day
Then stop at the local pub in Tarbet for an amazing seafood meal, before heading back to Alladale via Oykel Bridge.
Perhaps even head out to the far north and John O’Groats Wick and Thurso.
I always feel that I am loathe to leave the reserve as I find the place so totally enchanting. My stays have either been at the main lodge or Ghillies.
Alladale Wilderness Reserve, Sutherland, Scotland.
Constantly captivating with always something new to see or learn about. As you walk and I think walking here is the key to understanding the unique draw of the whole place.
Seeing tiny colourful wild flowers come into bloom or a magical swoop above your head as a Golden Eagle takes to the sky to hunt.
Should it be salmon jumping at a waterfall. Or chance to glimpse a Scottish Wildcat.
Scottish Wildcat. Alladale Wilderness Reserve In the Scottish Highlands.
Or perhaps even a brief encounter with a lizard who wanted to check me out as much as I wanted to check him or her out too!
This and the harmonious bird song or indeed the often pure silence are all part of the Alladale experience. Which is what I love so much.
This whole thing is Paul’s vision.
But if I had the good fortune to own Alladale it would be mine too!
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