Visiting the NW Highlands

Visiting the NW Highlands

All the field areas described in this site are accessible to visitors subject to the usual precautions of walking in rough mountain country but there are a number of issues to consider.

Conservation

All the sites in Assynt are important geologically and should be conserved. Although the traditional image of a geologist is as some crazed rock-hammerer, the modern ethos is very much one of look but don’t touch. Please do not collect specimens for personal use. In some places even the collection of loose material should be resisted - for example almost all the examples of sheared pipes at the Stack of Glencoul have been removed in recent years - a huge loss to future visitors. It is possible to find hand specimens at the foot of road cuttings etc. but do not collect material that is intact - rocks generally have for more value geologically when they are in place, retaining their relationships with their neighbouring rocks!   Indiscriminate hammering has trashed many outcrops - careful examination of an outcrop will usually yield a fresh surface for closer inspection. Many parts of the Assynt area are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest and as such are protected by law.

Access

Scotland is currently acquiring some of the most liberal access laws in Europe - enshrined in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This gives people access to almost all the rural Scotland - but preaches a doctrine of access with responsibility. In practice these means everyone can visit the geological locations described in this web site provided that they cause no damage (see comments on conservation above) and do not disrupt key activities. The SOAC is currently going the Parliament - but check out the Scottish Natural Heritage site.

Logistics

The visitor information and guides elsewhere in this site may help you.

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