Urqhart Wood

The woods at Grotaig are a real treasure trove for those looking to find a place to escape to; its rolling landscape and ecological diversity providing the perfect tonic to a chaotic world. There is a sense of calm as nature goes about its business with seasonal shifts providing entertainment for the keen observer.

The woods are predominantly birch with the odd western hemlock drifting in from the adjoining plantation, along with pioneering rowan and willow, though there is plenty of scope to add diversity to the tree stock with additional planting.

This woodland will tick many boxes providing a combination of breathtaking views, a wide variety of wildflowers and mosses and a good supply of mature birch that will help to feed a burner. The Scottish wood ant is worthy of further research: these are remarkable creatures and if you are lucky to be about in June, usually on a warm humid day, huge numbers of winged reproductive males and queens leave the nest en masse and engage in a mating ritual known as the ‘nuptial flight’.

These remarkable woods are well worth a trip out to and if the pottery is open then you are in luck, they sell cake!

Birch woods have a light, open canopy: a pioneer species providing the perfect conditions for grasses, mosses, wood anemones, bluebells, wood sorrel and violets to grow.
Silver birch provides food and habitat for more than 300 insect species – the leaves attracting aphids which provide food for ladybirds and other species further up the food chain. The leaves are also a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, including the angle-shades, buff tip, pebble hook-tip, and Kentish glory. Birch trees are particularly associated with specific fungi, including fly agaric, woolly milk cap, birch milk cap, birch brittlegill, birch knight, chanterelle and the birch polypore (razor strop). A walk around these woods in late summer would showcase the sheer variety of mushroom and fungi on display.

Throughout the woods there are numerous anthills of formica aquilonia, the Scottish wood ant found only in the highlands of Scotland. Wood ants are known to be ‘key-stone’ species in the ecosystems of which they are a part, playing a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance between organisms in the ecosystem. They are currently declared as an ' at risk ' species and as such all care should be taken to preserve their habitat.

Urqhart Wood is nestled between Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston, at one time the main woodland track connected the two settlements as a drover road. It is perfectly located to explore nearby Glen Affric described as the most beautiful glen in Scotland and is home to one of the largest remnants of the ancient Caledonian Forest. To the north and west is the bustling city of Inverness and the nearby Black Isle, a popular tourist destination for people and dolphin watching.

Closer to home is the nearby Urquhart Castle fought over several times by English and Scottish forces: no doubt the woods would have been part of the hunting grounds of this once grand castle.

To the south is Fort Augustus, further still Fort William and the great Nevis range and the delights of the West Coast.

Interested in this woodland? Get in touch with us:

Contact Torquil Varty & Rachel Bower on 07803 903 203 or email us at [email protected] with your details.