Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Black Isle
Contents
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Black Isle
- Site 1377 Roskill
- Images
- Site 1531 The Dens
- Images
- Site 540 Drummondreach Wood
- Images
- Site 494 Dam Wood
- Images
- Site 253 Braelangwell Wood
- Images
- Site 1179 Monadh Mòr
- Images
- Site 1214 Munlochy Bay
- Images
- Site 1376 Rosemarkie to Shandwick Coast
- Images
- Site 159 Beauly Firth
- Images
- Site 467 Cromarty Firth
- Images
- Final words
Site 540 Drummondreach Wood
Link to NatureScot webpage Link
Map of the SSSI Link
GRID REFERENCE: NH 582575
AREA: 13.81 hectares.
NATURAL FEATURES
Biological: Woodland: Upland oak woodland
DESCRIPTION
Drummondreach Wood is a small oakwood on the Black Isle 4kms to the north east of Conon Bridge and a short distance from the shore of the Cromarty Firth.
The woodland is very diverse for such a small area and is dominated by pedunculate oak quercus robur and downy birch betula pubescens. Other species include rowan, aspen, bird cherry, wych elm, ash and hazel. A small ravine in the centre of the wood has been undisturbed for a long time and supports much ash and hazel, while bird cherry thickets are a feature in wetter areas. Beech was planted at the south-west corner of the site but these are now overmature and decaying quickly. Regeneration of all the tree species (including beech) is occurring in places.
The ground flora contains an extensive range of species reflecting the rich soils and the diversity of habitats within the woodland. The wood is crossed by numerous small runnels and there is a ravine with steep rock faces which adds to the diversity of the woodland. Noteworthy species include alternate-leaved golden-saxifrage, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, bird’s-nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, remote sedge Carex remota and wood millet Milium effusum.
VISITING DRUMMONDREACH WOOD SSSI
This is a delightful wood of oak and beech that includes the historic Preaching Dell with the ravine of the Sacrament Burn running through it. And from further back in time, the wood includes hut circles and a vitrified fort. At the edge of the wood are views to the Cromarty Firth. The wood has an excellent path network, with just one place where care must be taken - descending to the stepping stones at the neck of the wood to cross the ravine. At times of mud - take care, or return the way you came. Generally a fine circular walk can be had but always add on the out-and-back section above the stepping stones for the arguably best and highest part of the wood.
Images
ENTRANCE PATH TO THE SITE AND PREACHING DELL
Years ago the faithful would take this route after hearing the greatest preachers of the day deliver sermons by the Ferintosh Burn. The path lies within the Drummondreach SSSI.
by Julian Paren
The Ferintosh Burn is piped under the grassy sward beside the Preaching Stance. Here the congregation would sit to hear the preachers of the day deliver their Gaelic sermons.
by Julian Paren
PREACHING DELL
A small building used of old by the Ministers taking the Open Air services and now used on the few days in the year this practice continues. NH5757 : The Ferintosh Preaching Stance explores the same environment in the early Spring.
by Julian Paren
Open air services here marked the start of the Free Church of Scotland after The Great Disruption of 1843. Link. Today there are a few summer services to recreate this former use of the area, but I suspect the services are predominantly now in the English language rather than Gaelic. There is a new plaque on the door of the building with the date 1843 and the words Free Church. Thousands could be accommodated within the grass amphitheatre.
. Today there are a few summer services to recreate this former use of the area, but I suspect the services are predominantly now in the English language rather than Gaelic. There is a new plaque on the door of the building with the date 1843 and the words Free Church. Thousands could be accommodated within the grass amphitheatre.by Julian Paren
The Sacrament Burn is piped under the area where people sat for the open-air services in the Preaching Dell. The steps lead from the footpath that encircles Drummondreach Wood which emerges where the river is piped underground.
by Julian Paren
RAVINE OF THE FERINTOSH BURN (THE SACRAMENT BURN)
The stream that is also known as the Sacrament Burn when it passes beneath the amphitheatre where Communion Services were held after the Great Disruption. Ferintosh Burn is at the heart of Drummondreach Site of Special Scientific Interest. Footpaths are found above each bank of the stream.
by Julian Paren
A short circular walk takes one up the east or west bank of the stream with the burn crossed on stepping stones at the top and over a piped section of the burn lower down at the site of the Preaching Stance. For many this spot is the extent of their walk, although a path continues a few hundred metres up the east side of the stream.
by Julian Paren
This area is further from the road than the Preaching Stance, but would be just as nice a place to hold an Open Air religious service, though I suspect the acoustic would not be as good.
by Julian Paren
The burn is channelled below the ground from this point downstream for a 100 metres to provide a continuous area of grass for worshippers to sit on when attending Open Air church services.
by Julian Paren
At this point the Sacrament Burn is piped under the amphitheatre that forms The Preaching Dell. NH5857 : Outdoor Preaching at Ferintosh Burn. On the right steps lead up to the higher parts of Drummondreach Oak Wood
by Julian Paren
The Sacrament Burn traverses a ravine in Drummondreach Wood which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Full details are available here. Link. A circular walk takes you up one side of the burn and down the other, crossing on the stepping stones.
. A circular walk takes you up one side of the burn and down the other, crossing on the stepping stones.by Julian Paren
The Sacrament Burn in Drummondreach Oak Wood.
by Julian Paren
OAK TREES
This Site of Special Scientific Interest is dominated by oak and downy birch trees, and has a wide range of flora reflecting the rich soils and diverse habitats of the woodland.
by Julian Paren
A pleasant place to linger with an inquisitive dog.
by Julian Paren
Some trees were really fine tall specimens and could only just be compressed into the widest angle of the Lumix LX5 camera (equivalent to 24 mm in old 35 mm film camera days!). The wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
by Julian Paren
A narrow open woodland allows the sun to penetrate many hours of the day. On this fine afternoon there was no penalty for being in woodland rather than in the open countryside. Drummondreach Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
by Julian Paren
Drummondreach Site of Special Scientific Interest is an ancient oak wood with a wide diversity of flora and fauna. There are oaks of enormous stature NH5757 : Magnificent Oaks in Drummondreach Wood, and others whose silvicultural history is to be guessed from the form of the tree.
by Julian Paren
One particularly gnarled tree caught attention.
by Julian Paren
A Site of Special Scientific Interest for its oak and beech trees and a wealth of flowers too.
by Julian Paren
The wood is an SSSI and is one of the few remaining oak woods on the Black Isle. A path circuits the whole SSSI.
by Julian Paren
In the distance are the mountains of Easter Ross.
by Julian Paren
Here the oaks stand alone with grass and wild flowers underfoot. Great in bluebell time and at leaf fall in the autumn. Remnants of overnight snow and morning snow showers. The wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Link
by Julian Paren
The path here goes to the top of the SSSI and no further. No friendly stile to take you into the woodland north of the stone wall.
by Julian Paren
The oaks predominate here. The burn cuts through the left hand side of the view. Drummondreach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
by Julian Paren
In the spring, this area is full of bluebells.
by Julian Paren
The top section of the wood is open with oak trees, and is also a narrow section of woodland following the line of a ravine. A path terminates at the top of the wood.
by Julian Paren
VEGETATION
A view in the most open top part of the wood with the path heading to the point where you must turn around. Drummondreach Oak Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest because it is a natural oak and beech wood and has a wide variety of flowers - some rare.
by Julian Paren
Dappled sunshine strikes the floor of Drummondreach Oak Wood.
by Julian Paren
The top of the wood catches the sun on sunny days, and then it is a pleasure to be in the woodland.
by Julian Paren
There are some established paths in the SSSI but of course others which wander less directly through the wood. Having become used to exploring the wood, it was a surprise to find the course of an indistinct path used many times before went straight into this very wet area.
by Julian Paren
One of the quieter paths that Ordnance Survey does not know about.
by Julian Paren
LOCHAN
An unexpected find, but it would have been no surprise if the map had been studied. The position of the lochan is different in the 1:50,000 mapping and the most detailed mapping available in Geograph. Drummondreach Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
by Julian Paren
High summer in Drummondreach Wood with hardly a lochan visible, because of its extensive cover of vegetation. An image only interesting when compared with the same location in mid-April NH5757 : Lochan in Drummondreach Wood. Then the lochan was a true feature of the landscape and the trees were showing their stature too! Drummondreach Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its natural woodland and its flora.
by Julian Paren
Vegetation covers the surface of the lochan that is backed by a set of fine trees.
by Julian Paren
The lochan dries up significantly in the summer.
by Julian Paren
A very wet area that mostly dries up in Summer.
by Julian Paren
BEECH TREES
Drummondreach Oak Wood has a number of fine beech trees. The finest are found near the lochan in Drummondreach Wood. No part of the wood changes more dramatically from winter to spring. NH5757 : Lochan in Drummondreach Wood.
by Julian Paren
A return visit nearly one year on from last year's Spring visit NH5857 : The lochan in Drummondreach Wood. Drummondreach Oak Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
by Julian Paren
Little of the water is visible but green reeds and soft ground show the extent of the lochan in the winter. A sunny spot at the very edge of this SSSI.
by Julian Paren
A favourite tree for me to photograph. See NH5857 : The lochan in Drummondreach Wood, NH5857 : Beside the lochan in Drummondreach Oak Wood, NH5857 : Beside the lochan in Drummondreach Oak Wood.
by Julian Paren
A fine beech tree, featured before in Geograph. NH5857 : The lochan in Drummondreach Wood
by Julian Paren
A tree to be admired at any season. See NH5857 : The lochan in Drummondreach Oak Wood for the view a week later a previous year.
by Julian Paren
A fine tree. One of the beeches in the oak wood.
by Julian Paren
One of the finest trees on the Black Isle. Drummondreach Oak Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Drummondreach Wood is a very diverse woodland of 15 ha, dominated by pedunculate oak Quercus robur and downy birch Betula pubescens. Other species include rowan, aspen, bird cherry, wych elm, ash and hazel. A small ravine in the centre of the wood has been undisturbed for a long time and supports much ash and hazel, while bird cherry thickets are a feature in wetter areas. Beech was planted at the south-west corner of the site but these are now overmature and decaying quickly.
The ground flora contains an extensive range of species reflecting the rich soils and the diversity of habitats within the woodland. The wood is crossed by numerous small runnels and there is a ravine with steep rock faces which adds to the diversity of the woodland. Noteworthy species include alternate-leaved golden saxifrage, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, bird’s-nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, remote sedge Carex remota and wood millet Milium effusum.
Drummondreach Wood is a very diverse woodland of 15 ha, dominated by pedunculate oak Quercus robur and downy birch Betula pubescens. Other species include rowan, aspen, bird cherry, wych elm, ash and hazel. A small ravine in the centre of the wood has been undisturbed for a long time and supports much ash and hazel, while bird cherry thickets are a feature in wetter areas. Beech was planted at the south-west corner of the site but these are now overmature and decaying quickly.
The ground flora contains an extensive range of species reflecting the rich soils and the diversity of habitats within the woodland. The wood is crossed by numerous small runnels and there is a ravine with steep rock faces which adds to the diversity of the woodland. Noteworthy species include alternate-leaved golden saxifrage, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, bird’s-nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, remote sedge Carex remota and wood millet Milium effusum.
by Julian Paren
Drummondreach Oak Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Drummondreach Wood is a very diverse woodland of 15 ha, dominated by pedunculate oak quercus robur and downy birch betula pubescens. Other species include rowan, aspen, bird cherry, wych elm, ash and hazel. A small ravine in the centre of the wood has been undisturbed for a long time and supports much ash and hazel, while bird cherry thickets are a feature in wetter areas. Beech was planted at the south-west corner of the site but these are now overmature and decaying quickly.
The ground flora contains an extensive range of species reflecting the rich soils and the diversity of habitats within the woodland. The wood is crossed by numerous small runnels and there is a ravine with steep rock faces which adds to the diversity of the woodland. Noteworthy species include alternate leaved golden-saxifrage, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, bird’s-nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, remote sedge Carex remota and wood millet Milium effusum.
Drummondreach Wood is a very diverse woodland of 15 ha, dominated by pedunculate oak quercus robur and downy birch betula pubescens. Other species include rowan, aspen, bird cherry, wych elm, ash and hazel. A small ravine in the centre of the wood has been undisturbed for a long time and supports much ash and hazel, while bird cherry thickets are a feature in wetter areas. Beech was planted at the south-west corner of the site but these are now overmature and decaying quickly.
The ground flora contains an extensive range of species reflecting the rich soils and the diversity of habitats within the woodland. The wood is crossed by numerous small runnels and there is a ravine with steep rock faces which adds to the diversity of the woodland. Noteworthy species include alternate leaved golden-saxifrage, Chrysosplenium alternifolium, bird’s-nest orchid Neottia nidus-avis, moschatel Adoxa moschatellina, remote sedge Carex remota and wood millet Milium effusum.
by Julian Paren
The beech trees are now old and many have succumbed.
by Julian Paren
The beech trees are reaching maturity and a number are now horizontal. The long-term maintenance plan is (I believe) to discourage further beech trees.
by Julian Paren
Alien trees for an Oak Wood. Many are now horizontal.
by Julian Paren
A place to return to at any season of the year. The most characterful beech in the wood is in the foreground. Drummondreach Oak Wood is a SSSI.
by Julian Paren
These trees also look great in the autumn. NH5857 : Beech trees in Drummondreach Oak Wood SSSI
by Julian Paren
This lochan dries up in the summer. On this occasion there was quite a flow of water into the lochan.
by Julian Paren
DRUMMONDREACH FORT
There is little to see of this old fort except a rise in the ground, these walls and an ancient sign with the words Drummondreach Fort
by Julian Paren
The ground falls sharply away from Drummondreach Fort to the Ferintosh Burn which is not visible in its defile from the walls of the fort.
by Julian Paren
For a technical appraisal of the fort. See Link
by Julian Paren
Within the oakwood is a fort. There is little to see except a low broken wall and a lot of vegetation! Forv more details of the Dun (fort) see Link.
.by Julian Paren
Bright and sunny towards midday on a walk that circuits the burn in Drummondreach Oak Wood.
by Julian Paren
Bracken, oak trees and strangling honeysuckle that reached the full height of mature oaks. What a plant!
by Julian Paren
DRUMMONDREACH HUT CIRCLE
Late Bronze Age to Late Iron Age.
The hut circle is approximately 13 metres in diameter. The walls are denuded to the south east, but on the WNW side the remnants of a double-skinned wall are apparent.
The hut circle is approximately 13 metres in diameter. The walls are denuded to the south east, but on the WNW side the remnants of a double-skinned wall are apparent.
by Julian Paren
If you had arrived here without prior knowledge that a hut circle existed here, you would be hard put to "discover" it. On close examination a circle of stones appears in the undergrowth, but come the summer the stones are virtually invisible. A sign beside the path no longer exists.
by Julian Paren
If you had arrived here without prior knowledge that a hut circle existed here, you would be hard put to "discover" it. On close examination a circle of stones appears in the undergrowth, but come the summer the stones are virtually invisible. A sign beside the path no longer exists.
by Julian Paren
![Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/somerights20.gif)
Images used on this page, © Copyright Julian Paren;
licensed for re-use under a Creative Commons Licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/( Page < < prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ... next >> )
