Work is underway at the National Trust for Scotland’s (NTS) Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve near Killin as staff and volunteers prepare for the peak visitor season once again. Last year the visitor centre building, which was closed during a round of NTS cutbacks, was removed from the car park and there are ongoing plans to re-site the existing car park and undertake landscaping.
The reserve is the site of the Central Highlands’ highest mountain and six other Munros, as well as some of Scotland’s rarest alpine flora, beautiful birds including the Ptarmigan and Red Grouse, fascinating archaeology and stunning views over Loch Tay.
And thanks to a generous donation from Edinburgh-based tour company Rabbie’s Trail Burners, visitors will see lots of newly-planted saplings on the reserve this year. The £1500 gift has helped the expert team at Ben Lawers continue their work to re-establish sub-montane woodland and willow scrub on the hillside.
Rabbie’s Managing Director Robin Worsnop visited the site earlier this week to see the plantings on the hillside.
He said: “It’s great to see how our carbon tax donation is being used to regenerate indigenous woodland in some spectacular Highland scenery. Rabbie’s is passionate about Scotland’s environment and recognizes it as the big draw for our customers, and we aim to help maintain and preserve that environment for generations to come. We look forward to a long partnership with the National Trust for Scotland as we wholeheartedly support the environmental conservation work they do in some of Scotland’s greatest wild landscapes”
Property Manager Helen Cole said: “We have made excellent progress with our work to restore the once flourishing woodland and scrub at Ben Lawers. Last year, we planted more than 3000 trees and shrubs, all of which were grown onsite at Killin from seed. We are very grateful to Robin and his team for their very generous support and it was great to show the results of our work.
“Excitingly, we are already talking about future plans, so this could be the start of a long and productive relationship between Ben Lawers and one of Scotland’s most successful and environmentally focused companies.”
The first flowering alpine plant of the season has also come into bloom heralding Spring’s arrival – the bright and distinctive Purple Saxifrage. There are detailed descriptions of walks around the Ben Lawers nature reserve and the nearby Munros here on Walkhighlands’ Loch Tay section.