The Forest
The
forests are mainly coniferous and produce large volumes of timber
annually for British Industry. The early foresters used a variety
of European and North American conifers and the most successful
in these wet peaty soils has undoubtedly been the Sitka Spruce.
Other trees which have grown well are Norway Spruce and Japanese
Larch though you'll also be able to see examples of Douglas
Fir, Noble and Grand Firs, Western Hemlock, Lodgepole Pine,
Scots Pine, Western Red Cedar and European Larch.
Most
of the common Scottish Broadleaves are also present: Oak, Ash,
Whych Elm, Birch, Rowan, Hazel, Alder, Willow and Sallow, Holly
and some planted Beech.
Recreation
in the Forest
Inverliever
and Eredine have nearly 90 miles of forest roads, all freely
open to the public on foot except when timber harvesting is
in progress. In addition to six waymarked walks there are also
the old public rights of way, one from Kilchrenan to Kilmore
and the String of Lorn route leading north from Loch Avich.
On the Eredine side there is the old route from Durran to Auchindrain;
OS maps are recommended to help follow these walks.
On
all walks stout footwear is advised, although only the Loch
Avich Walk and the three rights of way are very wet and rough.
Some walks and many forest roads are accessible, at least in
part, to wheelchairs with assistance.
Picnic
Areas and Viewpoints
In
addition to the forest walks there are a number of other places
to visit in the forest.
Otter
Viewpoint ~ Near Kilchrenan there is a small signposted
car park. A short walk from the car park leads to a panoramic
view of the north end of the loch. In the foreground the island
and peninsula of Achachenna were favourite places for otters.
Dorlin
Point Picnic Place ~ This remote but beautiful grassy
headland gives access to the shores of Loch Avich, with views
of hills and forest. On an island off the point are the atmospheric
ruins of Caistel na Nighinn Ruaidhe, the Castle of the Red
Haired Maiden.
Kilmaha
Viewpoint ~ A Car Park with spectacular views of Loch
Awe from the heights of Kilmaha. There is also a small picnic
area. Just to the north, at the Tower Road junction, is a
small viewpoint with views over forest and loch to Ben Cruachan.
Francy's
Viewpoint ~ A third viewpoint in this scenic part of the
forest lies just below the public road, a mile north of Kilmaha
Viewpoint. This is named "Francy's Viewpoint"; in
honour of the last Chief Forester of Inverliever, George Francy,
MBE. "McKenzie';s Grove" (which the viewpoint overlooks)
is named after his worthy predecessor Ian McKenzie.
Eredine
Picnic Places ~ There are two small picnic areas on the
Eredine side of the Loch, at Ardray and Latham's Grove. There
are no waymarked trails at Eredine, but most of the forest
roads offer good walks with attractive woodlands, and spectacular
views.
Loch
Awe Forest District
The
first recorded Woodland Management in Loch Awe Forest District
was of the Lochaweside Oakwoods which was used to produce charcoal
for smelting at Bonawe Furnace, Taynuilt. One of the productions
was cannon balls for Nelson's ships.
In
1909 the Crown Estates purchased from Poltallcoh Estate Land
at Inverliever to experiment with upland planting. This progressed
with varying degrees of success as the early Foresters had no
previous experience of West Coast conditions and choice of species
was very much a guess.
In
1919, after the ravages of the First World War, the Forestry
Commission was created to build up a reserve of timber by planting
new forests throughout the land. The Crown Woodlands of Inverliever
were transferred to the Forestry Commission in 1926. The Eredine
Section was purchased in the early 1930's and, with the Inverinan
and Ardcastle areas, extensive planting was carried out up to
and during the war years of 1939 to 1945. Planting was almost
entirely of conifers, with spruce being the main species.
The
post-war period saw the purchase and planting of extensive areas
of land between Kilmichael Glen and Loch Fyne. New planting
continued in the 1960's and 70's in the Glen Shira area and
on the higher ground between Eredine/Inveraray, and the original
Inverliever Forest was extended. Following the gales of January
1968, large areas were harvested and replanted in Inverliever.
To date, Loch Awe Forest District extends to nearly 35,000 hectares,
of which 28,000 hectares are under trees.
Currently
122,000 cubic metres (tonnes) of timber are felled each year
and this will rise to about 250,000 cubic metres per annum soon
after the turn of the century. At present the forest provides
direct employment for over 50 people, with a greater number
of Contractors involved with haulage, harvesting, planting and
environmental projects.
Felling
coupes provide the opportunity to restructure the forest that
is to break up the large areas of even-aged plantations. Each
felling is carefully planned so that adjacent areas are able
to be left for at least 10 years, thus creating structural diversity.
Landscaping considerations are all taken into account during
the planning. All aspects of restructuring, landscaping, conservation
and environmental factors are incorporated into a "Forest
Design Plan"
The
Forest is criss-crossed with many roads and eventually more
than 250 miles will be required for management purposes. At
present about 150 miles of standard roads and other tracks are
available for walking and cycling. The "Freedom to Roam"
policy means that you can wander extensively throughout the
forest, but remember that it is a working environment and approach
working sites with extreme care.
Taychreggan, where we all deserve a little tranquility...
