Ariundle Oakwood National Nature Reserve

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Overview

Ariundle Oakwood NNR, close to the village of Strontian in Argyll, is a rare survivor of the native oakwoods which once covered Europe’s Atlantic coast from Spain to Norway. As such, it is a fairytale, Arthur Rackham-style forest of plants with a huge diversity of primitive mosses, lichens, liverworts and ferns covering the twisted branches and the smooth boulders on the damp woodland floor. These are fascinating reminders of some of the earliest forms of vegetation on Earth. The woodland is home to most species of common woodland birds, joined in summer by redstarts, wood warblers, willow warblers and tree pipits, and you may even see a golden eagle soaring above the treetops. Insect life includes some rare and beautiful butterflies and dragonflies, including the chequered skipper butterfly, which became extinct in England in the 1970s, and the northern emerald dragonfly, which is only found in northwest Scotland and southwest Ireland.

Location

Torlundy, FORT WILLIAM, PH33 6SW

About the area

Apart from the Orkneys and the Shetlands, Highland is Scotland’s northernmost county. Probably its most famous feature is the mysterious and evocative Loch Ness, allegedly home to an ancient monster that has embedded itself in the world’s modern mythology, and the region’s tourist industry.

Area image

Fort William Highland Things To Do in Highland

Ariundle Oakwood National Nature Reserve

Torlundy, FORT WILLIAM, PH33 6SW

01397 704716

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Ariundle Oakwood National Nature Reserve

Recommended by

Overview

Ariundle Oakwood NNR, close to the village of Strontian in Argyll, is a rare survivor of the native oakwoods which once covered Europe’s Atlantic coast from Spain to Norway. As such, it is a fairytale, Arthur Rackham-style forest of plants with a huge diversity of primitive mosses, lichens, liverworts and ferns covering the twisted branches and the smooth boulders on the damp woodland floor. These are fascinating reminders of some of the earliest forms of vegetation on Earth. The woodland is home to most species of common woodland birds, joined in summer by redstarts, wood warblers, willow warblers and tree pipits, and you may even see a golden eagle soaring above the treetops. Insect life includes some rare and beautiful butterflies and dragonflies, including the chequered skipper butterfly, which became extinct in England in the 1970s, and the northern emerald dragonfly, which is only found in northwest Scotland and southwest Ireland.

Location

Torlundy, FORT WILLIAM, PH33 6SW

About the area

Area image

Apart from the Orkneys and the Shetlands, Highland is Scotland’s northernmost county. Probably its most famous feature is the mysterious and evocative Loch Ness, allegedly home to an ancient monster that has embedded itself in the world’s modern mythology, and the region’s tourist industry.

Explore Highland

Fort William Highland Things To Do in Highland