Above Ariundle Oakwood

Fast becoming one of my favourite places, Ariundle (Airigh Fhiondail) is a remaining fragment of the Sunart Oakwood that once spanned the Atlantic coasts of Europe from Norway to Portugal. Sadly, like other SSSI and protected woodlands, it is not without its history - particularly in the 18th Century being used for fuel for the iron furnace at Bonawe and local lead mining. As such, while rich in oak trees (a mixture of sessile and pedunculate and hybrids), a lot of the characterful trees are the results of coppicing. Even so, it is rich in mosses and lichens and insect life. In the distance, dappled sunlight and cloud shadows play on the slopes of Sgurr na h-Ighinn ("Peak of the Daughter/Lass") and Sgurr Dhomhnuill ("Donald's Peak").

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