What lies above and below Argyll & Isles?
Visitors to mainland Argyll now have several new discovery trails to explore in Argyll and the Isles, highlighting great places to snorkel, wild swim, beach hunt, catch a sunset or marvel at the dark skies.
During lockdown, NatureScot commissioned work to scope out new and innovative nature-based green recovery initiatives to aid recovery, respond to the clear trends associated with people wanting to be active and explore the great outdoors and which would deliver strong responsible visitor propositions.
Above & Below was one of three initiatives to be piloted over winter and was formally launched at the AITC 10th anniversary tourism summit this week in Oban.
Above & Below was piloted by Argyll & the Isles Tourism Cooperative in partnership with NatureScot and has been coordinated by Keira Anderson from Tayvallich. The pilot centres on the Sound of Jura, Firth of Lorn and Loch Linnhe.
Cathy Craig, CEO at AITC, said: ‘These new trails have been developed through close working with local experts, community interests and local businesses. The themed trails are aimed at encouraging visitors and locals to slow down and explore that little bit more around the coast and to better understand and appreciate just how special a place this is. Scotland and Argyll are well known for their outstanding terrestrial scenery characterised by mountains, glens and lochs. However the marine and celestial environments of the West Coast offer even more points of interest and experiences which many don’t yet take time to enjoy.’
The five themed trails include a North Argyll snorkel trail, developed in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas project, adding to their existing snorkel trail network across Scotland. This trail provides a simple guide for beginner and more advanced snorkellers, highlighting great locations to explore Argyll’s fascinating marine environment with sensitivity and safety in mind.
The Wild Swimming trail focuses on good locations to get in the water and provides important tips from local wild swimming coach Dan the Merman on how to swim safely and get the most out a dip in the sea.
Working with the Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation, the Beach Hunt trail highlights locations where low tide exposes beaches and rockpools with fascinating wildlife and geology.
And for those opting to stay on dry land and looking for evening activities, the Sunset Trail and Dark Skies Trail both showcase great locations that are easy to access and are the perfect spot to catch the setting sun and enjoy some of the darkest skies in Europe.
Above & Below also aims to highlight the fantastic work of local charities and projects working to improve access to the outdoors and to restore
Argyll’s marine habitats. Adventure Oban is a community-led charity that is piloting an Adventure Library this year, where you can borrow a range of outdoor equipment.
Seawilding, based at Loch Craignish, is the UK’s first community-led native oyster and seagrass restoration project. Its aim is to restore lost biodiversity, sequester carbon, and to create green jobs.
A key feature of Above & Below is promoting sites which are safe to access, have adequate infrastructure for visitors and where habitats will not be damaged.
Safe and responsible visits are foremost and local businesses will have access to top tips in a toolkit to help them make their premises more suitable for guests undertaking these experiences and to develop new collaborative experiences with other local businesses for their guests to enjoy the trails.