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Laide & Aultbea
Community Woodland
December 2016
Newsletter
www.laidewood.org.uk IN THIS NEWSLETTER
A Charity registered in Scotland number SC034434 A Company Limited By Guarantee without shareholders registered in Scotland No SC249676 1
Clear Felling under way Well, the past couple of months I don’t think many people will have failed to
notice all the heavy work going on at the Wood.
The team have been hard at work, and are making good progress with the
felling operation. We are hoping to have the work complete by Christmas, and
peace and quiet should return to the Wood in time for the winter solstice.
During this period, please keep to the marked paths and respect any marked off
areas, for your own safety.
CLEAR FELLING UNDER WAY
Timber cutting operation
AUTUMN WORKS
The heavy machines arrive
SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL
2017 subscriptions are now due
SEASON’S GREETINGS
Best wishes for the festive season
ANOTHER WAY...
Visits Attadale Gardens
SUBSCRIBE!
To receive this newsletter in full, why
not join us? For an application form, and
details of how to apply to become a
member, visit our website:
www.laidewood.org.uk Editorial team: Kevin Ginty, John Rippin
LAIDE & AULTBEA COMMUNITY WOODLAND December 2016 Newsletter
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. A Charity registered in Scotland number SC034434 A Company Limited By Guarantee without shareholders registered in Scotland No SC249676 2
Autumn works 2016 is a special year for the
development of the Wood, with the
second major phase of our clear
felling under way.
The digger starts to make a roadway
The first of the kit to arrive was the
two large mechanical diggers, and
their first task was to build a road.
Getting the harvester down to the
trees – and back out again
afterwards – can be something of a
challenge when several hundred
yards of peat bog are in the way.
The harvester unloading
The kit arrived in stages, and by the
time the harvester got here the
roadway was ready for it. The peat
bog is very deep in places, probing
for the depth of the peat showed it
to be well over four feet. A route
had to be found that kept the heavy
machinery on firmer ground.
Subscriptions Due Our new year began on September
1st, and subscriptions are now due
for the coming season. You can
download a membership renewal
form from the website, or
alternatively email us at
[email protected] and we will
mail you one back. Alternatively,
subs can be handed to the treasurer
or the chairman. We will be revising
the mailing list in the new year, and
paid-up members will continue to
receive this members-only edition of
the newsletter.
Season’s Greetings! Laide & Aultbea Community
Woodland wishes all of our
members, friends, volunteers and
visitors a very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year.
Laide Wood Painting Local artist, Angela Macrae, who has
work in various galleries for up to
£1,500, has kindly donated her
painting of the cascade to the Wood.
Her painting is
available to view at
John Rippin’s
house, by
appointment.
Offers are invited
in writing, or via
email.
[email protected] There is a
reserve price, so make sure your
offer is a good one!
Loading logs onto the trailer (photo: Peter Jarosz)
LAIDE & AULTBEA COMMUNITY WOODLAND December 2016 Newsletter
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.
.
. A Charity registered in Scotland number SC034434 A Company Limited By Guarantee without shareholders registered in Scotland No SC249676 3
Another Way...
This edition, Another Way is back in
the Highlands exploring the well
established ornamental and
woodland gardens at Attadale, near
Strathcarron in Wester Ross.
Attadale is open to the public from
March to October. The wooded area
around the gardens was planted in
the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, and range of tree species
from far and wide are established
there. Many are doubtless seedlings
of some of the original plantings.
A series of paths wind their way
through the woodland, taking in the
stream running through the garden
and a number of sculptures. When
we visited, it was a hot and sultry
August afternoon, and the trees
provided some welcome shade from
the summer sun.
Hidden among the trees are a few
surprises. In addition to the many
sculptures, there is a Japanese
garden, and a sunken fern garden.
The wood provides a beautiful
contrast, and complements the rest
of the garden perfectly.
Leaving the car at the entrance, walk
through the gate to the side of the
cattle grid, and head up the track
around to the left, to the garden
itself. There is a small hut collecting
admissions (see website for current
rates) and offering guidebooks and
other souvenirs.
Walking along beside the ornamental stream
LAIDE & AULTBEA COMMUNITY WOODLAND December 2016 Newsletter
.
.
.
. A Charity registered in Scotland number SC034434 A Company Limited By Guarantee without shareholders registered in Scotland No SC249676 4
Attadale House and Gardens
Walking along the drive, you come
to a path to the right, across the
stream, which takes you up into the
woodland area. This brings you out
at a viewpoint, looking down across
the ornamental gardens and the
house. The wooded area beyond is
rich in ferns and rhododendrons. A
return visit in about May would be a
good chance to see these at their
best.
Trees in the Japanese Garden
The path winds around just inside
the boundary of the site, taking in
the older woodland areas as well as
some of the more recent plantings.
On the way back, there are facilities
and a tea room with refreshments
not far from the main house.
Further back from the main house,
beyond the more ornamental
garden, is an area of mature
woodland with a variety of
subtropical and other trees.
The garden is privately owned and
managed, and fits in perfectly with
its sea side location. The current
owner restored much of it, following
storm damage in the 1980s, and it is
now a painter’s garden, showing off
the view to Skye and the
surrounding hills.
They have a website at
http://www.attadalegardens.com
Do take a look.
Satnav: IV54 8YX
Grid: NG 927402
Paths through the woodland
The ornamental gate to the Japanese Garden
