Travelling on the Scottish Isle of Islay you sooner or later end up at Loch Gruinart which is pronounced as Loch Grinjart. The whole area is designated as Nature Reserve and is an important area for wildlife, home to large numbers of Barnacle and White-fronted gees in the wintertime. In spring Loch Gruinart is full of life with breeding wading birds such as Lapwings, snipe and redshanks. At night the Corncrake is a prominent guest. The Royal Societey for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have a special bird hide close to Aoradh where visitors are able to observe the wildlife. Loch Gruinart is an area of outstanding natural beauty and historically important. The shores of the loch were sometimes the battlegrounds of the clans in the early days and at Kilnave chapel 30 people were locked inside the chapel after which it was burned killing 29 people. Only one person survived this tragedy. In earlier days the Gruinart Flats were flooded at high tyde all the way up to Druim na h-Erasaid untill a Dutch man was hired to build an original Dutch polder. When he arrived around 1850 a dyke was built creating extra grasslands for the Geese. The idea behind it was that the Geese would leave the grasslands from the farmers alone and stay in their designated area. Wishfull thinking at that time and the Geese continued to graze on the farm lands leaving the farmers with a problem. Nowadays the farmers are financially compensatated by the government for letting Geese graze on their land. Besides a Nature Reserve Loch Gruinart is a magnificant place for walks on one of the stunning beaches on either side of the Loch. Close to the RSPB visitor centre at Aoradh Farm is a bird hide and a wonderful sheltered woodland walk. The finest walks however can be made on the west side of the loch where a circular walk takes you up to Ardnave point. Just before the parking place on the right are the remains of the ancient village of Tayovulin. In the 1800's a place where a few hundred people lived and worked in the herring industry. Tayovulin was located on a main route from the other Western Isles Lewis and Harris. Another wonderful walk can be made on the east side of the Loch crossing Killinallan Point towards Gortantaoid Point. From there on Islay becomes almost inaccessible except for the more experienced walker. This is also a part of Islay where Jeremy Hastings from Islay Bushcraft takes people on a bushcraft course. |
