Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve

Recommended by

Overview

The forests and mountain wilderness of the Invereshie and Inshriach NNR offer a glimpse of the Cairngorms in microcosm. Take one of the old stalker paths leading through the pine woodland dotted with boggy pools, to reach a wild, open land on the edge of the Cairngorm plateau, where grouse chortle and golden eagles hunt. Perched, twisted and gnarled pines mark your passage from the peaceful pinewood to the exposed mountain wastes as you explore the reserve. Red squirrel, pine marten, crested tit and crossbill all make this woodland their home, along with buzzing insect life in the boggy areas. A closer look at the undergrowth reveals dwarf shrubs such as heather, blaeberry and cowberry, along with abundant mosses, lichens and fungi and the rare twinflower. Up on the mountain plateau, battered by winter winds and snow, look out for the resilient dotterel and coat-changing ptarmigan and mountain hare.

Location

Auchlean

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.