Dundreggan Pinewood

Dundreggan, owned by Trees for Life, is an area of 10,000 acres of land in beautiful Glen Moriston, near Loch Ness. Adjoining the River Moriston Special Area of Conservation, its ancient woodlands include a remnant of Caledonian pinewood and rare birch-juniper woodland. With a diverse range of montane habitats, moors and burns, Dundreggan is a haven for biodiversity, supporting many rare and endangered species. Further information about the site is available here

Dundreggan is also the location of our Tree Nursery Weeks and Wildlife Weeks.

The Work

We are aiming to transform Dundreggan from a mainly treeless landscape to one that has natural forest and scrub on about 60% of the land. The restored habitat will expand habitats for rare and endangered Caledonian Forest species, and there will be a diverse range of native trees from the River Moriston to the higher mountain slopes.

We also work on neighbouring land in Glen Moriston, in partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, to restore other areas of native pinewoods.

Accommodation

Accommodation is in Dundreggan Lodge, located next to the nursery. The lodge is situated on the southern boundary of Dundreggan Estate, overlooking the River Moriston. The recently converted building has 3 bunkrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, a large lounge/dining area, two bath/shower rooms and a drying room.

Opportunities for your day off

One of the most popular activities is to visit our wild boar, which were brought to the estate to aid bracken control and ground disturbance for the purpose of regeneration. We also have a wildlife hide where you can observe pine martens and many people take the opportunity to swim in the pool above Dundreggan Lodge if it's warm enough!

You could also visit the Loch Ness visitor centre in nearby Drumnadrochit, including the Nessie exhibition, or the famous Urquhart Castle is only 16 miles away and boat trips on the loch run from nearby Fort Augustus. If you enjoy hiking, the Five Sisters walk at Kintail is popular and there are various Munroes (mountain peaks over 3,000 feet in elevation) in the area.

Please note that the day off is also a day off for the leaders of the week. The minibus may sometimes be available for use as a group but you may need to rely on local transport to reach some of these locations.

Wildlife

Dundreggan supports an amazing array of species. Golden eagles are regularly seen on work weeks and recent holidays have also produced sightings of ospreys, ravens, merlins, tawny owls and peregrine falcons. Other bird species of note include the great spotted woodpecker, golden plover, Scottish crossbill, black grouse, snipe, goosander and woodcock.

For the mammal enthusiasts amongst you, Dundreggan is home to three species of deer (red, roe and sika), wild boar, mountain hares, otters and pine martens. There is also a huge wealth of invertebrate species, including many rare and endangered species.

Last updated: Thursday, 29-Nov-2012 17:25:23 CET