Sculpture on one of the low level trails
Located just outside Kinlochewe, the Beinn Eighe information centre has a range of interactive exhibits about the reserve which was Britain’s first in 1951 and is owned and managed by Scottish Natural Heritage.
There are also toilets, picnic areas and a range of circular trails for all abilities.
Beinn Eighe has golden eagle, Scottish crossbill, mountain hare, red deer and black throated divers, while its internationally important habitats include juniper heath, lichen populations and geological features.
Kenny Nelson, the visitor centre manager, said: “The visitor centre is a great place for people to find out more about the reserve and the rich wildlife of the area, and this year we will be using remote cameras to beam in live images of wildlife into the centre to bring people closer to nature.
“We plan to trial the set up on black throated divers, which breed on nearby Loch Maree, and later in the year we will try to capture footage of pine martens in the woodlands on Beinn Eighe.
“Soon we will also be offering free guided walks around the visitor trails with SNH staff. These will run on a daily basis – weather and demand permitting – and will last for around an hour.”
As well as the shorter trails around the visitor centre, visitors and locals can also enjoy the woodland trail (1.5 km, around one hour) and mountain trail (6.5km, around three to four hours) which start from the Glas Leitir car park, further along the Loch Maree side. For those wishing to explore the Munros of Beinn Eighe, we feature the route: Beinn Eighe: western summits.