New-look Beinn Eighe visitor centre set to open doors

Final touches are being made at the centre which is preparing to throw open its doors to visitors this Saturday (4 April).

The £330,000 restoration has been achieved thanks to 45% funding from the European Rural Development Fund (ERDF) as part of a drive to celebrate the many attractions on offer.

Around 50,000 visitors each year have the chance to see golden eagle, red deer, white-tailed eagle, and black-throated divers at the reserve, set amid stunning Wester Ross scenery.

And the visitor centre will remain open from Easter to October this year from 10am-5pm.

It is the ideal venue from which to explore the magnificent 4046-hectare reserve which stretches from loch shore to mountain top embracing rugged peaks, ridges, moor, pine forest and a cluster of islands.

Beinn Eighe NNR embraces more than 48 square kilometres from lochside to mountain top. And with the chance of anything from a 15-minute stroll to a strenuous mountain day, it is a wonderful location.

The portfolio of improved visitor facilities includes the local trail interpretation being given a makeover; new visitor centre installations, and a new wildlife viewing hide.

The visitor centre is a focal point for visitors to the National Nature Reserve. It now boasts new displays which are visual and appealing in design, and focus on landscape and species.

Ian Ross, the SNH chairman, confirmed: “We are committed to bringing the spectacle of the Highland’s wildlife to visitors and locals and are providing live camera feeds from the white-tailed eagle nest on the reserve and a wildlife viewing area. There is also interpretive information on local species and their behaviour.

“We also have nest cameras and feeders for woodland birds so that people can observe them in their natural habitat. And there is a new wildlife viewing hide which will allow visitors to get up close and personal with the array of other species at Beinn Eighe.

“This is a demonstration of our commitment to enhancing our natural heritage and also encouraging visitors to explore Beinn Eighe, discover the delights of Wester Ross and enjoy the wealth of landscape, plants and animals on offer.”

Beinn Eighe is Britain’s first national nature reserve and dates from 1951. Currently there are 47 NNRs in Scotland. All have special plants, animals and landforms that are worthy of conservation.