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EDITION 3 - RHODY ROUNDUP

Welcome back to the Torridon Newsletter! The NTS Torridon team have been keeping busy over the summer and autumn and its hard to believe we are now approaching the run up to Christmas and the end of 2024! We would like to provide an update on what we have been doing to manage Rhododendron Ponticum and other INNS (Invasive Non-Native Species) over the past months. We would also like to take this opportunity to give you a summary of everything else we have been working on in Torridon this year. We hope you enjoy!

INNS WORK UPDATE

Winter can be an ideal time to treat R.Ponticum. As the bracken dies down, these evergreen plants become more visible. Over the summer and autumn we have been developing a work programme for the winter and we are happy to have recently received new permissions in Fasaig. It is particularly reassuring to receive permission to treat the R.Ponticum on Am Ploc. This small peninsula sits at the head of Loch Torridon and has become a threatening seed source over the years. The growth of the rhodies here is so severe that it has become very difficult to walk across the land and enjoy the scenery. Rhododendron has completely choked the area, to the detriment of native plants, causing habitat loss for wildlife. Working closely with the landowner, we will be assigning specialist contractors to Am Ploc to re-take control of this beautiful spot where Am Ploc Open Air Meeting Place sits, as well as Ploc cottage. We will oversee the work of the contractors as they sweep across the headland and as the bushes are quite mature, stem injection will be the primary method of treatment. Chainsaws may be required in the denser places to NTS

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allow access for drilling into stumps and stems. This will be a big step forward in managing the spread of R.Ponticum in Torridon and we would like to extend our thanks to the landowners for making this possible!

This summer, another Invasive Non - Native Species was spotted in the area - the elusive American Mink. Mink can have a devastating impact on native wildlife. In particular ground nesting birds and their eggs, as well as water vole populations, are vulnerable to predation by this cunning hunter. A Mink carrying a blackbird was sighted by a visitor and reported from Inveralligin this summer so a footprint tracking tunnel was installed by two volunteers from if this was a resident Mink or one in transient. After Mink footprints were never discovered so traps were never know if you spot an American Mink locally!

Scan the QR code to view the Scottish Invasive Species Iniative website where you can download ID Sheets for American Mink and American Skunk Cabbage! Incidentally, we were alerted to another INNS in Torridon this year. American Skunk Cabbage was found to be growing in a Fasaig garden. Thankfully, there were only a few plants to get rid of carefully so the threat of a further spread is minimised. This is a highly vigorous plant which is often found growing in water courses. It can quickly take over an area of ground and out-compete the native vegetation by shading out sunlight with its large leaves. If you spot it in the area, let us know and we can help!

In July, it was a privilege to welcome regional officers from Scottish Forestry to for a "Learning from Experience" Day on the control of Rhododendron Ponticum. The day was conducted by our INNS Project Officer, Rob Dewar and Torridon Ranger, Rory Shannon. Rob showcased the NTS work in landscape control of Rhododendron Ponticum and aspects of our community capacity building work. Collaboration efforts were shown by visiting Fasaig gardens involved with the plant swap initiative and the method of stem injection was demonstrated by Rory. Joan Cummings, Project Development Officer for the Glen Torridon Partnership was also in attendance to share plans for R.Ponticum management in the wider area. Thanks to everyone involved for a great day and to John Risby for coordinating this!

The difference a decade makes! Behind a house in Fasaig village, before and after R Ponticum treatment

OTHER NEWS AT NTS T0RRIDON

EXPLORE NATURE VISIT

In August we hosted a visit from multiple Afghan families, organised with Highland Third Sector Interface’s Refugee Resettlement Officer. The group of 30 boarded a coach in Inverness, travelling over to Torridon for a day of fun activities! The sun was shining and the group enjoyed some beachcombing, plant collecting and a walk along the Shore Path. The highlights of the day were meeting the Highland Cows and feeding the deer at the Deer Park was very popular! We were really pleased that local artist Hannah Feuerstein joined us to deliver a creative printmaking activity using the plants we collected on the walk. Thank you very much Hannah!

VISIT FROM INVERNESS FEMINIST BIRD CLUB

As part of our work in opening up access to the outdoors, we hosted members of the Inverness Feminist Bird Club for an activity day in Torridon The Bird Club run monthly get togethers around Inverness and across the Highlands, creating accessible opportunities for women and non-binary people to enjoy nature. For their October gathering, the club explored Torridon through a variety of activities – including a dry stone walling workshop led by local waller Neil Davidson, a lesson in Gaelic from Al Hunter, and a session on Rhododendron Ponticum control led by Rory The afternoon was spent on a workshop discussing Bird Hides, asking ourselves what our ideal Bird Hide looks like and how can we make birding more accessible for everyone. Thank you very much to the Inverness Feminist Bird Club for coming to Torridon!

@photography klindsay (Karen Lindsay)

JUNIOR RANGERS

This year, in partnership with Beinn Eighe NNR, we have been running a Junior Ranger Programme for local children. Fortnightly sessions began at the start of the summer with the aim of getting local children outside, exploring the outdoors and connecting them with the nature on their doorstep. This programme has alternated locations between Torridon and Kinlochewe and has reached families from Mellon Udrigle to Shieldaig. Everyone has enjoyed Junior Rangers so much that it was decided that the sessions would continue into the winter, monthly. We have been busy with lots of different activities including wildflower bingo, shoreline scavenger hunts, building bug hotels, assembling bird nest boxes, having fun in the tree nursery, making willow fencing, building dens in the woods, dissecting owl pellets and installing American Mink footprint tunnels! To find out more about Junior Rangers, please email Rory Shannon at rshannnon@nts.org.uk.

EILIDH

Our nights at the Ceilidh House began back in September and were inspired by the historic Ceilidh Houses of the Highlands. The Ceilidh House nights are held every other Thursday at 7pm in the upstairs meeting room at Torridon Community Centre. Ceilidh Houses were typically found in most Highland Villages before the Clearances: this was a night of sharing songs, stories, poems, local history and tunes with lots of fun and laughter being shared too! It is an evening open to all, whether you would like to perform for the group or just sit back and listen. We have had 77 attendees since we began, 30 of whom have returned on multiple evenings. We look forward to continuing the Ceilidh House into the New Year!

TENTS AND TRAILS WEEKEND

Back in August, in collaboration with Slattadale Outreach and Highlife Highland, we invited students from Gairloch High School to come explore Torridon for a weekend to find out what the landscape has to offer in terms of recreation and employment. The students enjoyed a hike into Coire Mhic Noubil and a walk along the shore where we discovered Am Ploc Open Air Meeting Place and learnt a little bit about the history of the area. Local artist, Hannah Feuerstein, led the students in a printmaking workshop, giving us an idea of what its like to work as an artist in Torridon! We were lucky enough to have dinner prepared for us by Danny Young, Head Chef of the Torridon Hotel, who delivered a talk about working in hospitality. It was brilliant to visit the Mountain Rescue Base where team members Doug and Tom explained the role of the Mountain Rescue Team in Torridon. We were also delighted to get a tour of the Torridon Fire & Rescue Base, and Fire Engine, from local firefighter, Stephen. It was very interesting for the students to hear about these new opportunities, thanks to all involved!

WELLBEING WALKS

WHATEVER THE WEATHER WEDNESDAY

Recently we have been working with Gairloch Musuem, delivering activities as part of their weekly wellbeing group, run by coordinator Sarah Wright. Whatever the Weather Wednesdays are day long get togethers offering accessible and dementia friendly activities to people with dementia and adults with additional support needs. These sessions are extremely valuable to the participants as they aim to reconnect people that were particularly lonely or isolated during the pandemic. In September, we travelled over to Gairloch with our Torridon Handling Kit which contains things you might find in Torridon like maps, feathers, moss, skulls, antlers, rocks and plenty of pictures of old and current Torridon. The group enjoyed exploring the contents of the kit together! For our November session we took inspiration from Winter, and the recent snow dump, we made snowy scenes using plants and pebbles alongside our own handmade fake snow!

Like the Ceilidh House, the weekly Wellbeing Walks were started through the Engaging Communities project (funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund) which Jess Carnegie has been a part of as Community Engagement Officer for Torridon. Wellbeing Walks takes place every Tuesday at 11am with the meeting location depending on the start point of the walking route. This regular event aims to improve the wellbeing of local people and reduce social isolation through the power of a stroll in the fresh air followed by a blether over tea and cake. Wellbeing Walks have reached 28 different people in our local community and we are keen to reach more! If you know someone who might be interested, please let them know. If you would like more info or to join the Wellbeing Walks WhatsApp group, please email rshannon@nts.org.uk.

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES PROJECT

The Engaging Communities Project (funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund) will come to an end in January 2025. Through Community Engagement Officer, Jess Carnegie, this Project has had a huge impact on how the Trust engages with different communities of interest in Torridon. We would like to express huge thanks to Jess for all her hard work this year! Thanks to Jess we have been able to offer unique opportunities for locals and visitors to engage with us. Community events like The Ceilidh House and Wellbeing Walks are now in place and visits from groups like the Feminist Bird Club would not have been possible without Jess’s skill and expertise. Jess has really enjoyed living in such a beautiful place and being part of the Torridon community. she would like to thank everyone for being so kind and welcoming! Thanks Jess, best wishes for 2025 and beyond!

VOLUNTEERING IN TORRIDON

This October we were fortunate enough to have a weekend visit from the NTS Highland Conservation Volunteers! The Highland CV’s and Rory got heaps done - working as a team makes a huge difference! The team spent most of the Saturday in the woodland by Allt Luib Molaich in Glen Torridon. There are quite a few mature Beech trees in this area and while Beech is a beautiful, it is not considered native to this part of Scotland. The dense leaf canopy that Beech produces can block sunlight from reaching the woodland floor. This prevents younger, native trees from establishing. To help with this, the team swept through the woodland and dug up all the young Beech tree saplings which had begun seeding. It was also very helpful to have the help to remove an old boardwalk near the Countryside Centre. This boardwalk was no longer fit for purpose and had become quite dangerous as it was so rotten. The weekend also saw the team complete some Rhody removal.

There was even time to coppice an old willow that was causing a burn to overflow near the Mol Mor Bunkhouse. Thanks again to the NTS Highland Conservation Volunteers, we really appreciate all your efforts! Walkers along the Shore Path will have noticed the removal of the deer fence at the section of grass path near The Mains. This fence was erected to protect planted trees however this was no longer required and the fence had become hazardous and unsightly. The removal of the fence has greatly improved the coastal views, largely thanks to the local volunteers who attended our Community Activity Day in September. Thank you everyone for your hard work. Another volunteer group, internal to NTS, also pitched in. Thank you to BEST (Business Executive Support Team) for helping out.

LEAP - OUT AND ABOUT IN THE HIGHLANDS

It has been a pleasure to collaborate with the Highland arm of LEAP Sports Scotland (Leadership, Equality and Active Participation in Sports for LGBTI people in Scotland) this year! LEAP works for greater inclusion for LGBTI people in sport and against homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in a sports context. We have enjoyed working with the Highland Project Officer for LEAP through the Out and About in the Highlands Project, which aims to improve the health, wellbeing and social connectedness of LGBTIQ+ people in the Highlands through physical activity and sport participation. In late September, we hosted a LEAP Walk & Coffee event where participants enjoyed a Guided Walk into Coire Mhic Noubil followed by a free coffee at Torridon Cafe!

BEST Group volunteering to remove fencing