Monday, 29 August 2022
Did you know that Glenmore Forest Park played a key role in WWII? During the war Norwegian resistance fighters trained in the area as part of the top-secret SOE (Special Operations Executive), becoming known as Kompani Linge. Top Secret Training When Germany occupied Norway in 1940 many Norwegian resistance fighters escaped to Britain. Here they were trained as a special Norwegian unit of the se...
Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Monday, 20 April 2020
Sometimes, for whatever reason, everyone gets stuck indoors. But imaginations still need feeding, arty hands need things to do and energy needs to be burned off. That’s why we’ve put together this collection of activity sheets. They’re great fun for all ages and are an opportunity to be creative and to learn. And by helping to focus on the natural environment, the activity sheets are also a...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
In both World War 1 (WW1) and World War 2 (WW2) the Canadian government formed the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC), in answer to the British government's request for overseas woodsmen to cover a workforce shortage in Britain. In WW2, the CFC consisted of around 30 companies that were sent to work, mainly in Scotland, but also elsewhere in Europe. Although a military unit, the CFC’s main task was...
Tuesday, 03 September 2019
From Iron Age brochs to the remains of World War 2 defences. From abandoned Highland townships to works that trace the development of the Industrial Revolution. Our forests and land are home to a wealth of Scottish history. This page details some of the most interesting and evocative heritage destinations we care for. Why not pay them a visit and discover the stories of Scotland's past? Our h...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
The Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit (NOFU) recruited skilled lumberjacks to come to Scotland to cut down trees for the war effort. Over 3,500 men chanced their luck and volunteered. The island of Newfoundland is sited off the east coast of Canada. In 1949 it became part of Canada, but at the start of World War 2 it was its own country. Unlike the Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC), which was sent...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
Dun da Lamh is located on a rocky hill at the north-east end of Black Craig. It overlooks the junction of Glen Shira and the River Spey to the north and Strath Mashie and River Mashie to the south. The interior of the fort covers an area of some 4000 square metres. It is very uneven and includes several rocky outcrops. The east and south sides of the hill are steep and include some vertical crags...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
During the 19th century Britain grew as an industrial nation. As a result, wood was in high demand for fuel and building. Rather than developing its own forests Britain became increasingly reliant on imports to meet its growing needs. From the outbreak of World War I, Britain could no longer count on foreign wood. Overseas supplies were cut off due to blockades by enemy ships. Britain had to rely...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
This particularly fine small Roman fortlet is in excellent condition. It is rectangular on plan and is set within a rampart and double set of ditches. The fort would have housed a unit of 80 soldiers. Although it was one of the first Roman monuments to be excavated in Scotland (in the mid 19th century), its exact date of construction remains unknown. The absence of a Roman road in the vicinity ...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
Trees were an important building resource for townships. Early houses often had low turf or stone walls, but the main building material was wood. Large amounts of timber were needed for the construction of the roofs, which were then covered with turf and finished with a thatch of straw, bracken or heather. The weight of these roofs would have been too much for turf walls to bear, so they w...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
The stone circle in Clune Wood is located on the summit of the hill, with fine views out over the southern arc. The stone circle is roughly oval and measures up to 16.5 metres in diameter. It is formed from a single recumbent stone with two flanking stones and six upright stones. A stone cairn has been built within the circle. This is a recumbent stone circle, one of a number of distinctive meg...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
Wood was a vital source of fuel during the rise of Scottish industries in the 18th century, particularly for the iron industry. Early records shows estates sold timber from their pinewoods for construction. However, it was not until industrialisation that there was a rise in the demand for other wood. Oak was prized for making charcoal, used to fuel blast furnaces which smelted iron. ...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
Before May 1940, defences for mainland Britain were scant and mainly located in the south of England. There were though over 400 miles of British coastline suitable for landing enemy troops and tanks. This coast needed more protection from invasion. On 27 of May 1940, General Ironside took charge of the anti-invasion defence plan for Britain. With so few men at his disposal, the General focused o...
Tuesday, 02 July 2019
Trees, plants and fungi can all provide valuable clues about the age of a forest and how it was used in the past. Certain plants will only grow in places which have not been disturbed for a very long time. These places must also have constant cover provided by trees. Such plants are natural clues that areas of woodland are ancient (over 400 years old). Often these clues are difficult to find eve...