Field Notes: Exploring Nevis
Our Digital Communications Officer Natalia Barbour enjoys her first visit to the land in our care at Nevis.
After my earlier visit to Schiehallion, it was only natural that the next wild place I visited would be Glen Nevis.
The day came for our walk and I was once again kitted out with waterproofs and walking boots, prepared for all weather. I joined the Nevis team (pictured above) to start our walk from the car park. We were were soon greeted by our first waterfall. We picked our way across the water while taking the views that we already had at this height.
As we continued our ascent, the mist cleared and we were suddenly walking into a sunny day. I was pleased to discover that although the walk to Steall Gorge is rocky, it is accessible. This was evident by the amount of prams and small children joining us along the path!
As the light filtered through the trees, I was able to see more of the wildlife native to Nevis. Among other plants, downy willows and wild garlic were pointed out to me, but the most interesting discovery was two identically sized boulders on opposite sides of the path that had different appearances due to grazing. The boulder that was accessible by deer and sheep was almost completely bereft of moss at the top, whereas the other was absolutely teeming with flora and fauna.
I caught some of nature’s determination in action in the form of an oak tree that was growing almost completely over the side of the sheer rock face, undeterred by the weather, people or wildlife around it.
The walk got steeper as we went on, almost having to scrabble at points, until we came to Steall meadow (pictured above) where we stopped to have lunch. It was incredible sitting among the peaks with a view of Steall Waterfall. The weather began to turn again, so we decided to make a much quicker and easier descent back to where we started.
When we reached the car park, I looked at the surroundings with a new appreciation for this precious wild place.
- Read more about our work at Nevis.
