Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Garten and Loch of the Lowes. Other birds of prey, such as the golden eagle, buzzards,
peregrine falcon and hen harrier, are now protected and their populations are slowly re-
covering.
The habitat of the once-common corncrake was almost completely wiped out by mod-
ern farming methods but farmers now mow in corncrake-friendly fashion and numbers
have recuperated. Listen for its distinctive call - like a thumbnail drawn along the teeth of
a comb - in the Uists and at Loch Gruinart Nature Reserve on Islay.
Plants & Trees
Although the thistle is Scotland's national flower, more characteristic are the Scottish
bluebell (harebell), carpeting native woodlands in spring; and heather, the tiny pink and
purple flowers of which emerge on the moors in August. Vivid pink rhododendrons are in-
troduced but grow vigorously, and bright yellow gorse also flowers in May and June.
Only 1% of Scotland's ancient woodlands,
which once covered much of the country, sur-
vive, and these are divided into small parcels
across the land. Managed regeneration forests
are slowly covering more of the landscape, es-
pecially in the Highlands. Some 5000 sq miles
(1.3 million hectares) of tree cover (17% of the
land area) now exists; not a huge figure, but an improvement on what it was. About one-
third of this is controlled by the government's Forestry Commission
( www.forestry.gov.uk ) , which, as well as conducting managed logging, dedicates large
areas to sustainable recreational use. The vast majority of this tree cover is coniferous, and
there's a plan to increase it to 25% of land area by 2050.
Scottish Environment LINK ( www.scotlink.org ) ,
the umbrella body for Scotland's voluntary environ-
mental organisations, includes 36 bodies committed
to environmental sustainability.
OH FLOWERS OF SCOTLAND
As much as the untamed wildness of Scotland fills the spirit, another of the country's delights is a more managed
beauty, in the shape of its numerous gardens, which emerge from harsh winter with a riotous explosion of colour
in spring and summer. In the 19th century, every castle and stately home worth its salt had a planned garden in the
grounds, and the warmer parts - the southwest, the Aberdeen and Moray area and the Gulf Stream-warmed north-
west coast - are absolutely studded with them.
From royal roses at Balmoral ( Click here ) to unlikely subtropical species at Inverewe ( Click here ) , there's a
great deal more than anyone could reasonably expect at these latitudes. The National Trust for Scotland ( Click
here ) manages many of the finest gardens; its website is a good first stop to plan a route through the blooms.
 
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