The Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest has named ten rainforest woodlands to visit this autumn, including many on our doorstep.
With spectacular colours, wildlife on the move, and fewer midges to worry about, this is a great season for visiting these stunning sites.
Temperate rainforest is a very rare habitat around the world, and in the UK, the best surviving fragments are in the west of Scotland.
These range from the stunning oak woods that fringe Loch Lomond, to ancient hazel woods near Oban, and the remote mountainous pine woods of Beinn Eighe near Ullapool.
They’re full of rare and fascinating wildlife, including species that are found nowhere else, and are particularly important for mosses, liverworts and lichens.
Autumn and winter are good times to enjoy these small and overlooked species, as they continue growing all year and often plump up and look their best in the rain.
The colder seasons also mean that trees and ferns, which can obscure lichens and mosses in the summer, are starting to die back.
Julie Stoneman, Saving Scotland’s Rainforest project manager, said: “Scotland has so many special places to visit, no matter the time of year, but our rainforests are often overlooked.
“Autumn is a particularly good time to visit, because not only are the leaves turning such beautiful colours, the rain helps the really special wildlife of these woodlands to shine through.
“You’ll see lichens here that are found in few other places, and some are truly spectacular, like the tree lungwort, and the white script lichen, which as far as we know, grows nowhere else apart from Scotland.”
The 10 rainforest sites include Crinan Wood near Oban, which looks out over Loch Crinan and Duntrune Castle. This ancient oakwood is full of rare lichens, mosses and liverworts, but is also home to red squirrels, otters and a huge range of birds.
Dunollie Wood, only a stone’s throw from Oban town centre, surprises with its views and variety. The hazel trees drip with mosses and liverworts, and if you look carefully, you might spot the hazel gloves fungus, a rainforest specialist.
Glen Nant is secluded ancient rainforest situated just south of Taynuilt that’s teeming with wildlife. A mix of hazel, oak and birch, Glen Nant had an industrial past, and the trees were once used for charcoal production. Now it’s fantastic for lichens and liverworts.
Take a wander around the incredible gorge of Puck’s Glen, Cowal, with its beautiful waterfalls and spectacular range of mosses and liverworts. You might not give these plants a second glance in the summer, but at this time of the year, they really come into their own.
Glenborrodale is home to a huge variety of wildlife, including otters and elusive wildcats, Glenborrodale is a great place for an autumn walk. It sits on the shore of Loch Sunart, and is a mix of oak woodlands, upland, and coastal habitats.
The green pillows of moss at Ariundle have to be seen to be believed! This National Nature Reserve is an ancient oak wood near Strontian, with a huge range of biodiversity. Along with other woodlands around Loch Sunart, it forms the largest area of this type of oak wood in the UK.
You can also drive to Inversnaid, on the shores of Loch Lomond, via Aberfoyle, or walk in on the West Highland Way. The ancient oakwood stretches up the hillside from the loch, and if you fancy a climb, there are some fantastic views.