Urquhart Bay - Drumnadrochit

Site Description

Urquhart Bay Wood is located approximately 1 mile east of the village of Drumnadrochit on the western shore of Loch Ness, 15 miles south of Inverness on the A82 Inverness to Fort William trunk road. The main entrance is at map reference: GR 517296.The site is a very flat low-lying area between two river deltas and the altitude ranges from 16m to 23m. The wood is situated at the base of a wide valley with an east to west axis. The Rivers Enrick and Coiltie flow east into Loch Ness giving the site a very slight easterly aspect.

The site is an alluvial delta formed by two dynamic river systems that generate seasonally migratory channels. The adjoining low-lying areas are prone to seasonal flooding exacerbated by log jams and gravel bars. The underlying rocks are of river borne glacial moraines and gravels carried down from 'Arkaig' glacial drifts upstream. These gravels are a complex mix and are derived from schists, gneisses, phillites, granulites and quartzites - principally from the Moine series. This gives rise to slightly acid, very sandy, alluvial soils of varying depths. The lowest lying areas are periodically overlaid with flood-borne nutrient rich organic material derived from woodland detritus. The MLURI climate map identifies the area as fairly warm, moist lowlands and foothills with moderate exposure and moderate winters.

The Woodland Trust property comprises an area of 23.24ha and is part of a larger woodland SAC and SSSI of a similar tree composition that extends to some 47ha in total.

The site is clearly visible from any elevated vantage point in the valley, including the A82 tourist route, and constitutes an important feature in the landscape. The woodland is an ancient semi-natural, wet alderwood and has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation as one of the best of a few remaining examples of this woodland type in Scotland. It is a designated Ancient Woodland of a Semi-natural origin and is part of a major concentration of ancient woodlands long Loch Ness and the glens running west including Glen Urquhart and Glen Affric to the north.

There is a gradation from the seasonally flooded alderwood at the confluence of the rivers, to more mixed broadleaved woodland on the drier ground further inland. There is a fairly balanced age structure and the principal tree species are alder, ash, bird cherry and white willow with occasional gean, wych elm, oak, rowan, silver birch, hawthorn and exotics such as beech, black poplar and sycamore

Hazel forms a significant component of the under storey. There is reasonably good regeneration of native tree species but sycamore seedlings is also present throughout large areas.

There are a number of small clearings and openings in the canopy as the result of the recent felling of over 700 exotic sycamore trees. A portion of the resultant timber has been retained on the woodland floor as habitat for insects and fungi others have been ring barked to leave standing dead timber. There is a significant lichen community within the wood reflecting its antiquity and long term woodland cover.

The shrub layer is variable throughout the woodland with dense areas of blackthorn and willow. The herb layer is fairly dense throughout and a total of 126 species of vascular plants have so far been recorded including Dogs mercury, red campion and crow garlic. There are areas of exotic species present washed in from the catchments on seasonal floods including; Japanese knotweed, snowberry, butterbur, lupin and many other garden escapes. Whilst there has been an active control programme on WT land there are significant populations of these species in adjacent woodland

The dynamic stream channel patterns produce shingle banks and redundant river channels with static ponds. Eroding banks provide an opportunity for pioneer species to establish themselves on the resulting bare ground. Another notable feature is the dense moss and mature lichen community of 30 different species which thrive in the damp atmosphere of the floodplain areas. There are also large accumulations of river born debris, mainly in the form of logs and branches that have been transported downstream during periods of flooding.

The wood was part of the Glen Urquhart Estate and was first granted to the Earls of Seaforth by King James IV in 1509. It is believed that much of the Estate was extensively planted with both native and exotic species during the mid to late 18th century by the then laird Sir James Grant who resided in the now demolished Balmacaan House (within Balmacaan wood nearby). The Estate achieved its heyday during the Victorian and Edwardian eras but went into a decline after the First World War. Most of the best timber was felled during the Second World War and the Estate was then broken up and sold in small lots.

There have been periods of felling (mainly ash and elm18th and 19th C) within the woodland and replanting with sycamore (18th C). In more recent decades the rivers have been dredged, banked up or fitted with gabions in some areas. Most of the Urquhart Bay Wood was acquired by the Woodland Trust in 1988 with a further few hectares added in 1991. These two extension areas are subject to a Section 15 agreement between the Woodland Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage for which an annual income is paid to the trust to maintain stock proof fences along the boundary. Since that time the operations have included the felling of a large number of invasive sycamores (2001-2005) and control of invasive exotic weed species (2001-2005). The woodland falls within the catchments of the Glen Urquhart Land Use Partnership area and the trust are working with other landowners and agencies to take a catchments wide view of river conservation management.

Blackcap, willow and wood warbler, spotted and pied flycatcher is present during the summer months with Great Spotted Woodpecker and buzzard all year round. Hare and roe deer are resident in the wood. Important invertebrate species have been noted including crane flies; Cheilotrishia flara, Hexatoma bicolour, Pilaria batura, Bonomifa simplex and Tipula couckei, snipe fly; Rhagis notatu, hoverflies; Sphegina kimackowiczi and Crenosia floricanda (Stubbs 1976). European Protected species found on site include bats and otter.

The woodland is within a 20 mile radius of a population of over 50,000 and is accessible from Drumnadrochit via a small secondary road that branches off from the A82 Inverness to Fort William trunk road to Drumnadrochit cemetery. There is a recently constructed car park (2005) at the cemetery and this is the main access point for pedestrians, currently via a stile and then a footpath that links to the WT property. The site contains a network of approximately 2 Km. of footpaths which have been upgraded (2002-2004). The footpaths are situated in the central section of the woodland only and form a rough figure of eight pattern with offshoots to the River Coiltie over a bridge and via a neighbouring property, to the shore of Loch Ness. This is a popular access to the loch with local demand for a footbridge realised in 2003 with its construction by the trust with financial support from SNH, Highland Council and the local enterprise company. The bridge replaced stepping stones which were a danger to people using them due to slipping.

There is no clearly defined footpath access to the north-western section and access to the extreme eastern section is only possible by fording the River Enrick. The site is extensively used by horse riders but considering the woodland is located in a prime tourist centre it appears to be only moderately used by pedestrians.