The north and northwest Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 258

A SCOTTISH SAFARI PARK
The Clearances, rampant forestry and sheep-grazing have conspired to change much of the
Highlands beyond recogniton. Though not, perhaps, permanently, believes Paul Lister , a
millionaire entrepreneur turned conservationist who hopes to return the great Caledonian
woodland that existed two thousand years ago to his estate near Croik. His high-profile plan to
reintroduce predators such as wolves , bears and lynx ran up against local opposition when
he bought the £3.2m, 23,000-acre estate in 2003, yet the Alladale Wilderness Reserve
( T 01463 716416, W alladale.com) has enjoyed some success as a conservation project.
Alongside a reforestation programme, it nutrures iconic Highland species such as red and
roe deer, red squirrel, Scottish wildcats, otters and golden eagles as well as reintroduced elk
and bison. The estate is run as a Scottish safari park for well-funded guests or groups and
provides activities such as fly-fishing, 4WD tours, pony trekking, or survival camps set up by
adventurist Bear Grylls. If you're interested in its conservation programme, call to see if you can
join a group tour with a ranger.

passed through and was so shocked to find the forest virtually clear-felled he ordered
oak saplings be planted - the ancient woodland east of Bonar Bridge dates from this
era. Bring a bike - several miles of mountain-biking trails run through nearby Forestry
Commission woodland, blue and black grade at Balblair two miles north, and blue and
red beneath Carbisdale Castle (see below).

Croik
CROIK is well worth a detour for its humble church , which illuminates the tragedy of the
Clearances. Evicted from their homes in 1845, ninety villagers from Glencalvie took
shelter in the churchyard and scratched poignant messages on the east window of the
church. Inside is a facsimile of a contemporary report of their plight by a Times journalist.

4

Carbisdale Castle
A daunting neo-Gothic pile northwest of Bonar Bridge, Carbisdale Castle was erected
between 1906 and 1917 for the dowager Duchess of Sutherland; it is designed in three
styles to give an impression of long heritage. It was eventually acquired by a Norwegian
shipping magnate in 1933 until gifted with all its marble statues and gilt mirrors to the
SYHA as one of the most opulent hostels in the world. The duchess would've been
livid. However, protracted expensive repairs have seen it closed for years and at the time
of writing its future was uncertain.

Lairg and around
North of Bonar Bridge, the A836 parallels the River Shin to LAIRG , scattered at the
eastern end of Loch Shin . It's predominantly a transport hub, with little of interest
unless your visit coincides with the annual lamb sale in mid-August, one of the largest
one-day markets in Europe.

Falls of Shin
4 miles south of Lairg • Daily mid-May to Oct 9am-5pm; Nov to mid-May 10am-4pm • Free • T 01549 402231, W fallsofshin.co.uk
The reason to come this way is the Falls of Shin in Achany Glen: one of the best places
in Scotland to see salmon leap on their upstream migration between March and
November; the 12ft cascade is on the cusp of the maximum leap for a fish and most
tumble back into the river. A platform provides a front-row view of the action, which
peaks from late July to September, and the site offers a restaurant and an excellent
adventure playground for the kiddies. Incidentally, the life-size Mohamed Al-Fayed
waxwork in the visitor centre is a homage to the local laird - the Harrod's owner
bought the estate in 1972 and saved the centre from closure in 2002.