Home > Uniquely Unspoilt Magazine > Issue 7 > Wildlife

Scotland: wild by nature - by Nick Cheales

On the world tourist map, Scotland?s unspoilt countryside, beautiful landscapes and unique wildlife combine to provide a major attraction.

This north-west corner off the beaten track of Europe contains a variety of habitats that is hard to beat: there are the picture-postcard heather moors and rugged mountains, the ancient remnants of the Caledonian pinewoods, the oak ?rainforests? of the west coast, fascinating peatlands, thousands of lochs and lochans, and a coastline studded with hundreds of islands of all sizes.

So what would you like to see? There are dolphins in the Moray Firth, whales amongst the Western Isles and deer in the hills. The forests of Scotland are the strongholds of the red squirrel, and give sanctuary to recovering populations of pine marten and wildcat.

In the skies over Scotland the golden eagle, peregrine falcon and osprey can be seen, all classic stories of small populations now returning to their old haunts.

If you?re more comfortable with a crowd, the rocky coasts and islands of Scotland are home to large seal populations and to literally millions of seabirds, from the photogenic puffin to the glamorous gannet, while estuaries provide feeding stations for thousands of wildfowl and migrant geese.

Because Scotland is a small country, all this diversity is easily accessible.

Before breakfast you could see geese wheeling inland from the Montrose Basin to feed, then at lunch time witness a natural spectacle at Loch of the Lowes as an osprey crashes into the water to catch lunch for hungry chicks.

In the afternoon watch nesting peregrine falcons at close quarters at the Falls of Clyde, where bats and badgers provide wildlife-watching opportunities into the night, if you have the stamina!

Just by touring around the country you will have plenty of close encounters with the wild inhabitants, but if you want to find out more in advance, here are some good places to start:

Places to visit:

Scottish Seabird Centre - this popular tourist attraction in North Berwick is just half an hour by train from Edinburgh and has won several tourism awards.  If you can't make a visit in person, its website has live webcams and plenty of information about all the birds at the centre. 

Highland Wildlife Park - this park at Kingussie, in the heart of the Highlands, offers a very good chance of catching a glimpse of some secretive creatures.

Deep Sea World - for a wet day, this attraction on the Fife Coast gives you the opportunity to see what?s out there beyond the coastline.  The centre is currently holding an exhibition with rare artefacts from the Titanic, running until January 2004, and they even have a new range of clownfish to see (the same species as Nemo from Finding Nemo).

Scotland wildlife assocations:

Scottish Natural Heritage - an association concerned with preserving Scotland?s heritage, with general wildlife information as well as details of all of Scotland?s National Nature Reserves.

The Forestry Commission manages huge areas of Scotland?s woodlands, a great deal of which is open to the public. 

The Tourism and Environment Forum provides advice on wildlife watching opportunities for visitors.

Lastly, don?t forget the Scottish Wildlife Trust site has information on a range of Scottish species as well as a links section to other useful sites. 

Nick Cheales
Information Co-ordinator
Scottish Wildlife Trust

Cottages relevant to this article

The following holiday cottages are situated within easy reach of the locations mentioned above: