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Gathering Registration Form

We’re really excited to announce these great events for the gathering this year. To help with planning, we’d really appreciate it if you could complete the form at the bottom of this page to let us know more details about you and your preference for Saturday’s trips and whether you will attend the buildings tour on Friday.

Please complete the form once for each person attending.

Program

Friday
13:30Buildings Tour (see section below)
16:30Registration opens @ Glengarry Community Hall
18:00Welcome to the area – a talk by Hector Rodgers
18:30Dinner
19:30Icebreaker / Housekeeping
20:30Soap Box – Bring your ideas or thoughts in a 5 minute talk. Maybe bring ideas for a Sunday workshop session
21:00Informal music session (bring an instrument!) & social time
Saturday
08:00Breakfast in the hall for weekend ticket holders
09:00Registration
10:00Welcome & Organisation
10:15Talk – Mairi Macfadyen, writer and educator talks about land reform, community ownership in the area and more.
11:00Pick up packed lunch & Visits instructions
12:00Site Visits (see below). Return by 17:00
17:00Tea & Coffee
17:30Talk: Sarah Watts discusses deer management approaches on Corrour estate
18:15Talk: Ciaran Watson introduces some novel approaches using drones for deer monitoring
19:00Dinner
EveningCeilidh & raffle (BYOB)
Sunday
08:00Breakfast in the hall
09:30RS project updates & AGM
10:15Tea & Coffee
10:30Workshops (see below)
12:00Feedback from visits and workshops
13:00Lunch
14:30Depart. Optional post-gathering visits if you have time.

Buildings Tour (Friday, pre-gathering)

The buildings tour is a chance to visit buildings and sites of interest, for example in terms of sustainability, wooden construction or community involvement. This year the tour will start from the north, in Inverness, and we will work our way down the Great Glen towards Invergarry. You can join onto the tour at any point using the (approximate) timings below.

Click below for more info.

RS organiser for the building tour is Peter Caunt. A separate email for the buildings tour will follow for those that sign up to it on the form below.

Saturday Trips & Workshops

We have a selection of great trips and workshops to choose from. You will just go on one. Each trip is for max 5 hours (including travel). Have a read through each one and then pick your preferred choice in the form below. We’ll do our best to make sure everyone gets their preference and have lists to remind you which you chose at the Gathering! There are no extra costs for any of the trips. We will organise car sharing on Saturday morning.

Click on each for further info…

We’ll head to the Forest & Land Scotland aspen seed orchard in Fort Augustus, planted many years ago, to hear about how and why it was planted and future plans.

Afterwards we’ll head to Dundreggan for a tour of Trees for Life’s tree nursery which specialises in montane and rarer native species, as well as having it’s own pioneering aspen seed project.

Accessibility: Easy terrain and mostly paths and short distances

Travel: We’ll car share for the trip

Further info: Dundreggan Tree Nursery

On the banks of Loch Ness Urquhart Bay is one of the best examples of surviving ancient wet woodland in Europe. Tree species include alder, ash, bird cherry and white willow. Footpaths form a rough figure of eight through the centre of the wood. Ross Watson, Woodland Trust site manager will be our guide for a ~2 hr walk around the woods including a lunch stop.

We’ll look at and discuss factors such as invasive species control, ash dieback and replanting options, understorey management and public access.

For those that wish to, we will travel back via the new Trees for Life Rewilding Centre at Dundreggan. There will be time to check out the visitor centre, explore the waymarked paths, and maybe sample the cafe! Note this will be a self-guided visit.

Accessibility: Urquhart bay is a 2 hour walk mainly on accessible paths but we may stray off into the undergrowth! Appropriate footwear and waterproofs are recommended.

Travel: ~45 mins drive. Car sharing required to reduce vehicle numbers.

Further info: Urquhart Bay Woods | TFL Rewilding Centre

Bunloit estate is a new and interesting model for estate management, combining rewilding, community engagement, and community focussed developments. We’ll be guided around the estate with plenty of time for discussion.

Accessibility: Uneven surfaces. Wear wellies or stout footwear.

Travel: 50 mins drive. Car sharing required to reduce vehicle numbers.

Further Info: Bunloit Estate (or have a look at the article in Journal 67)

Glen Garry has a very active community woodland with some really interesting projects such as newly built woodland cabins, and plans for woodland crofts. Our guided visit will be a 2 hour walk around the woodlands with plenty of time for discussion.

For those that wish to, there is an option to extend the visit to the the new woodland croft sites (short drive). Although these are early stages so there’s no development to see as yet, this will be a good discussion opportunity for those interested in woodland crofts.

Alternatively the spare time could be used for local walks near the community centre or just chatting back at the hall which will be open.

Accessibility: Woodland paths, good footwear and waterproofs needed. This will be a shorter visit with the option to return back to the hall at any point if needed.

Travel: Walking distance from hall for the woodland. 5 minute drive to woodland croft sites.

A visit to the stunning Loch Arkaig Rainforest Pinewood restoration project with Arkaig Community Forest and Woodland Trust Scotland. Introducing the community Deer Larder and Tree Nursery in Clunes as well as visit to the Caledonian pinewood restoration site in Glen Mallie. 

Accessibility: Woodland paths, good footwear and waterproofs needed.

Travel: ~40 mins drive. Car sharing required to reduce vehicle numbers.

Kirsty will lead a 2-3hr walk starting near to the hall. The autumn season is great for wild fungi, but plenty of other wild plants with a myriad of uses are also in season such as natural fibres and dye plants. After the walk we’ll return to the hall and spend a bit of time looking at identification features and books.

Accessibility: Off-track walking into the woods.

Travel: Adjacent to Invergarry Hall, no transport required.

Paul and Jo (Green Aspirations) will lead a workshop on making traditional birch besom brooms. You’ll learn how to gather and prepare the materials, tie and finish your brooms and will be able to take one away with you. If there’s time you’ll also get to make a small hand brush too.

Accessibility: Outside at the hall, so bring warm clothes! Minimum age is 12.

Travel: None needed.

Saturday Evening Ceilidh

We’ll have a ceilidh on Saturday evening so bring your dancing shoes!

Sunday Workshops

On Sunday we will have a selection of discussion and practical workshops to choose from. If you would like to lead a workshop then you can either let us know in the registration form below, or just suggest it at the Soapbox session on Friday night. Workshops so far include:

  • Tree seed collection & treatment
  • Meadow and woodland ground flora establishment & management
  • Making artists charcoal
  • Making wood roofing shingles
  • Showing of the film “Clear on Deer” & discussion

Signup forms will be around at the Gathering – no need to pre-book these workshops.

Baking, books, music, raffle & booze…

We’ll be having plenty of tea breaks over the weekend and if you’d like to bake something or bring along some goodies to share, they will be very welcome.

On Saturday evening we will have a raffle, as well as swaps and sales tables for books and seeds. If you are able to bring something for these to swap or donate, please do.

We hope to have an acoustic music session on Friday evening. Please bring an instrument if you wish!

Please bring your own booze. There is no bar at the venue, and limited shopping nearby.

Food & Dietary Requirements

Lunch and evening meals will be catered by Janine again this year and will be vegetarian food. For those staying the weekend we’ll serve a simple breakfast at the hall on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll be asking for volunteers throughout the weekend to help with breakfast, dishes, serving and tea breaks. Please let us know any dietary requirements if you haven’t already done so.

Accommodation Check In

Please make sure you allow time for checking in to your accommodation if staying at either hostel or at the campsite. Check their websites for details: Great Glen Hostel | Saddle Mountain Hostel | Faichemard Farm Campsite. We will have a list of bookings at the hall if you need a reminder.

Getting to the Gathering

The gathering will be held at the Glengarry community hall. Here’s a Google map link to the hall.

Public transport: There are regular buses from Inverness to the north and Fort William to the south. If you would like us to try and hook you up with a lift share then drop us an email and we’ll do our best!

We’ll send out directions in an email to all attendees a few days before the gathering.

Registration Form

Please return to this page and complete the form for each person attending.

About You

In case we need to get hold of you over the weekend
Please indicate any requirements / allergies so we can let our caterers know
Can you offer a lift to others, or do you need a lift? Please say where from and number of spaces and we will try to link people up.

Trips and Activities

Do you need a lift for the buildings tour, or can you offer a lift to someone else? If so, how many spaces?
FLS Aspen Stand & Dundreggan Tree NurseryUrquhart Bay & Dundreggan Rewilding CentreBunloit EstateGlen Garry Community WoodlandLoch ArkaigForaging WalkBesom Broom making workshop
1st Choice
Backup Choice
We will do our best to make sure everyone gets their preference however some trips have limited numbers.
E.g. for couples, friends etc. Pleas enter their name(s) here.
Can you offer space in your car for trips? How many? Or do you need a lift? Please let us know here...
Feel free to suggest a practical or discussion workshop for Sunday here.
Let us know if you can bring anything.
Please let us know anything else we may need to know about your booking.