Trip Report by Vanessa Chaplin
This trip was held over a 2 week period with participants staying for either the first or the second week. You can jump straght to Week 2
Week 1: 27 September- 5 October 2024
Day 1: On our way up to Scotland we stopped off at the New Lanark World Heritage Site, where mills and houses for the mill workers were built in the 18th Century by the River Clyde. The mills were powered from waterfalls on the river where we walked following the nature trail and saw Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Goosander – we heard a Kingfisher. Overnight we stayed at East Kilbride.
Day 2: A damp start as we headed further north, crossing Loch Linnhe at Corran on a small ferry, then westwards through Strontian to the Ardnamurchan peninsula. We took a diversion to Polloch where, driving up a narrow road, a Red Squirrel ran across in front us. The sun came out for us as we walked up a wooded valley side and saw Bullfinches and a distant Eagle. On to our accommodation which was on the north coast of Ardnamurchan at Fascadale, just 3 houses and an old ice-house – up to the 1980’s wild Salmon were caught here in the bay, packed in ice and sent to market all over the UK. We had roaring stags on the hillsides behind our houses and wonderful sea views of the Small Isles.
Day 3: Our first full day on Ardnamurchan and the weather was good, the sea was almost flat calm. We went to the Lighthouse which is the most westerly point in the UK! En route we saw Ravens, Mistle Thrushes, Meadow Pipits and Twite. We returned early afternoon to Fascadale where most of us walked and explored around the locality.
Day 4: From our verandah before breakfast we’d seen Golden and White-tailed Eagles and Bats. In good weather we explored Kilmory, Swordle and Ockle, just tiny hamlets east of Fascadale. Thence to Kilchoan for a visit to the shop and community centre, and from the pier we watched the ferry arrive from Mull. That evening some of us went to (hopefully) see Pine Martens at the house of a local resident who regularly feeds them on her balcony. Sadly no luck this time, but 2 otters were sighted in the bay below the house.
Day 5: Before breakfast we saw 1 White-tailed and 2 Golden Eagles, a Seal and 2 Otters.
As we set off for the day’s adventures, splashes were seen just offshore so we stopped to watch – Dolphins! We watched them leaping and swimming for some time. Next was a lovely walk through the temperate rain forest of RSPB Glen Borrowdale which was full of gnarled Oaks and Birch with masses of fungi, ferns, liverworts and lichens. In the afternoon we had a boat trip on Loch Sunart, including a landing on the small island of Carna. We saw an Eagle in a tree and Porpoises swimming.
Day 6: Early on there were a couple of Bats around the eaves of the house. An Otter was spotted calling as it swam in the bay and 2 Red Deer stags were roaring up on the hillside. Flying over was a Golden Eagle, then a White-tailed Eagle. Today we went to the coast to Sanna, stopping off enroute at the “Land of the Rings” (more details in the Geology report) and had a lovely walk along the coast to Portuiak enjoying the sandy beaches, dunes and sea views. It was very warm! We saw Snipe, Grass of Parnassus, Ringed Plover, Red-breasted Merganser, Great Northern Diver, and some distant Eagles. Another evening trip to the Pine Marten feeding area where this time we were able to watch a single female nonchalantly eating peanuts while having her photo taken. On the way back a Badger was seen crossing the road.
Day 7: An early start as we had to go quite a distance along narrow winding roads in order to visit the ruined Castle Tioram on an island in Loch Moidart. A very scenic place on a bright sunny morning. Thence to Kentra Sands for a short walk and then back to Acharachle to join a boat trip on Loch Shiel, a 17-mile long freshwater loch that ends at Glenfinnan, famous for its viaduct and the “Glenfinnan Monument” which commemorates the Jacobite uprising. It was a fantastic trip, the scenery was marvellous. We saw Cormorants, various Ducks, Eagles and 7 Whooper Swans that had just arrived from Iceland. There was even a steam train crossing the viaduct as we drew near! To get back to Acharachle we took a service bus for a long but scenic journey in warm comfort, the weather having changed and got quite chilly. On the way back to Fascadale we had a really good view of an obliging Red Squirrel.
Day 8: We woke to bad weather and a message that we’d go out later if at all possible. We did get out and went to Kilchoan for the shop and to the pier. Here we saw a White-tailed Eagle, soaring calmly in the wind and rain. He came quite close to us and was a fitting farewell on our last day in Ardnamurchan.
Day 9: We packed up, left Fascadale and had a 4 hour drive to Dumbarton where we met the other minibus coming up from Worcester and swopped over with them.
WEEK 2: The Birds of Ardnamurchan 5–12 October 2024
At the Corran Ferry, a Black Guillemot already in full winter plumage was spotted and numerous Eiders.
The Loch Shiel boat trip afforded amazing views of three adult White-tailed Eagles very close to the boat, plunging down talons first to take fish. Hooded Crows harassed the eagles by pecking their tails. One Golden Eagle flew along the lochside opposite and a flock of 18 Whooper Swans had recently arrived.
Wader sightings were infrequent except for Ringed Plovers, and some Curlew were around too. One solitary Golden Plover was heard piping mournfully. Cormorants, Shags and Grey Herons were common and widespread. We observed spectacular Gannets plunge-diving and Black-throated and Great Northern Divers were seen just offshore. A Goosander was also recorded.
Buzzards were common and widespread all over the Peninsula and we did see an immature Peregrine hunting along the sea cliffs at Fascadale.
Crossbills were seen at Kilchoan old cemetery. Here the gorse bushes were alive with Reed Buntings, Linnets, Greenfinches and Goldfinches – and lots of Robins, of course!
Red-breasted Mergansers were numerous on the sea, including 40+ at Kingairloch, and Wild Goats were on the beach there too. A flock of Chaffinches contained a single Brambling – the last bird to be added to the week’s list and bringing the total to 66.
Ardnamurchan Geology
The wonderful landscapes we enjoyed all week are a reflection of the geological history of the Ardnamurchan. About 60 my ago the present Atlantic Ocean started to open along a tectonic plate margin creating conditions for volcanic eruptions over 2my period. There were three centres of volcanic activity within the area during this time. As part of this activity sheets of igneous rocks were injected into the overlying rocks as cone sheets and dykes; there is a great variety of rock type including dolerite, diorite and gabbro, part of the magma chamber. The present landscape represents the ‘roots’ of the volcanoes with the overlying rocks removed by erosion and dramatically seen as the low hills that encircle the hamlet of Achnaha. These low hills are cone sheets forming the border of a caldera of the final volcanic eruption and, being more resistant to erosion during the last ‘ice age’, were left as hills. Most of the scenery we saw whilst driving around was formed during the last ‘Ice age’ and subsequent river action when the ice melted. I think we can all agree that this back drop provided something special for our visit.
Archaeological Highlights
At Swordle Bay was a Neolithic chambered cairn dating from 4000BCE, having a number of chambers to house human remains and it had been used for over a 1000 years. Close by was a Bronze Age burial cist dating from 2000BCE, comprising a stone kerb and a small standing stone. Nearby too a small Viking boat burial site, which had contained weapons and a drinking horn – human teeth were found here from which DNA analysis identified a Norse person who died in the 10th Century.
At the beautiful bay of Camas nan Geall, another Neolithic chambered cairn was found which was damaged but 2 portal stones and a cap stone remain. Close by was a Bronze Age standing stone with a carved medieval cross, and this was adjacent to a small 18th century burial ground with still visible headstones.
We had an interesting visit to the ruined church and graveyard of St Comghan in Kilchoan. The original church was 8th Century, the current ruin is largely 18th Century with some parts being 12th Century. The two oldest graves dated to the 14th century and were carved with claymores (swords) in the Iona tradition and a medieval ship.
Comments from our Group Members
“Another marvellous trip to one of the remoter parts of the UK, only a couple of miles from its most western point (which we visited). Great weather, the northern lights, sea eagles, and the pure peace of the area made for a memorable adventure.”
“When I remember our trip I think of my wonder, the silence, the remoteness and the explosion of colour. The orange-brown of the bracken, the indulgent greens of the moss, the pale-green greys of the lichens, the rich brown of the bellowing stags, the steely grey of the water and the yellow-white sands, the muted soft greys of the cattle who took their time to let us pass and, of course, the oh-so-vibrant colours of the rainbows arching across our views. Perhaps the number one sighting for me was the male Crossbill, posed for showing off his plumage at the top of a pine tree against an azure blue sky above the ruined church of St. Comghan at Kilchoan. The bright red hues of the numerous rowan tree berries were striking as were the dancing yellow leaves of the delicate aspens. In the Glenborrodale RSPB reserve, part of which is a remnant of temperate rainforest, we were treated to the piercing violet-blue of Devil Bit’s Scabious flowers dotted around.”
“After a wonderful sunny week on the Ardnamuchan Peninsula, viewing white tailed eagles, rutting stags, skeins of geese, and many geological features, we went over the tops in the mist, and came down through the mossy forests, beside a tranquil loch full of reflections to the small settlement of Polloch. We progressed to the tiny village of Kingairloch to eat our sandwiches in the silent, clear air, before we set off for the Corren Ferry.”
Note from the Report Writer
I had so much material given to me to try and to fit it all in has proved impossible. I therefore would like to apologise to people who provided words and photographs that I have not included, and for editing some text quite heavily to create a report that is of a manageable size. Everyone wished to pass on their grateful thanks to Lyndon and Sheila for organising this wonderful trip to a truly wild place. Vanessa Chaplin