Linger among the trees and lose your sense of time. Think of the generations that have walked through the strewn leaves, leaving traces for the first breeze to scatter.
Oak trees have flourished at Taynish for 6000 years or more, a little longer than people have lived here. The woodlands were once a source of timber and charcoal but now form one of britain’s largest remaining native oakwoods. Their importance recognised in 1977 when Taynish became a National Nature Reserve.
The peninsula of Taynish has shoreline, grassland, scrub, bog, heath and woodland, each of which is home to a host of plants, insects, birds and mammals that thrive here. You’ll see some of them easily – but a few seldom, if at all!
Otters live on the reserve, building their holts (resting places) in banks among the trees, sometimes using a badger’s den. You may see them in the water, fishing and tumbling with great skill. You might also glimpse a shy roe deer in the woods.
Taynish’s clean, humid air attracts many types of fern as well as the mosses, liverworts and lichens that often go unnoticed. Their variety and abundance add to the reserve’s importance.
Look for patches of filmy fern growing on trees and rocks- it’s almost transparent. You’ll see clumps of mosses everywhere, with names like mouse- tail, tamarisk, feather, fork and forest star.
The most obvous lichens growing on the oak trees are old man’s beard- which is easy to recognise-and lungwort.
In winter, old man’s beard turns the woodland grey- green while holly berries provide spots of colour. The leafless birches add a purplish tinge to many shades of brown. Spring brings white wood anemones, the unforgettable haze of bluebells and yellow primroses.
In summer, you’ll be dazzled by dragonflies and enchanted by up to 20 kinds of butterflies, including the threatened marsh fritillary. Lots of other insects feed on the plants and dead wood. Autumn is vibrant with the ochres, russets, reds and browns of oak, birch, willow, hazel and alder.
Birdspotting is easy here! Some birds are resident, such as the soaring, mewing buzzard and the natty-plumaged great spotted woodpecker, but redstart and wood warbler arrive in spring, singing lustily in search of mates. By May, there are lots of resident wrens and migrant willow warblers, and the woodlands are alive with song.
Tree pitpits dart from perch to perch, tiny goldcrests hang upside down from leaves, and treecreepers spirla up trunks in search of insects. Tawny owls prefer to hunt – and hoot – from dusk onwards.
Eleven thousand years ago, Ice Age glaciers scoured Loch Sween ( named after Dubhgall mac Suibhne, aLord of Kityre0 and Linne Mhuirich. Birch, juniper, hazel and willow colonised the land after the ice melted, followed by alder, holly and oak. However the woodlands are now called ‘ semi natural’ because they were managed, in various ways, through the ages.
To help the woods keep their near-natural character and rich wildlife, SNH
is encouraging the spread of native trees by controlling deer,which browse
on young tres. We’re also removing rhododendron, which crowds out other
plants. Cattle still graze here as they have since the Iron Age, keeping meadows
rich with flowers and butterflies.
People settled here about 5000 years ago, and used the trees for shelter, furnishings, firewood and stockades around theit homes. There was probably a fort on the Barr Mor and Dun Mhuirich stands nearby. Later, Iron Age people built platforms in the woods and erected their round huts on them. Archaeologists know this from the remains of timber post-holes they’ve found. The charcoal burners of more recent times simply re-used the old platforms.
Industrial iron- smelting needed charcoal to create the necessary heat. This led to great numbers of charcoal burners working in oaklands. There were two iron furnaces in Argyll (at Bonawe and Furnace) and even remote woods were put to good use. The Taynish ones were busy throughout the 19th century.
The burners stacked timber on the Iron platforms, covered the timber with turf and set it alight. After 24 hours, the charcoal was ready for transporting to the furnaces.
Oak bark is rich in tannin, which was used to make leather from animal hides.
During the 18th century, wars and a growing population increased the demand
for leather and oak trees were felled for their bark. Landowners, like Duncan
Campbell of Taynish, managed their woodlands carefully- and arrested locals
for stealing their timber!
The stumps of trees felled in spring were protected from grazing animals and
allowed to produce new shoots for harvesting 20 years later. You can still
see evidence of this ‘coppicing’.
Around 5000 years ago, the first settlers kept animals and sowed crops at Taynish. They cleared trees from the south end of the peninsula and Barr Mor’ summit. Oxen, pigs and sheep grazed in the woodland, changing its character over the centuries.
Early people grew emmer wheat and small spelt, the forerunner of modern wheat, and later farmers grazed black cattle. Climb to the top of the Barr Mor and picture the days when Taynish was isolated except from the sea. How much has changed?
From 1724 until the 1880s, Taynish Mill ground the grain from Taynish Estate. When Peter and Archibald Brown became tenants in 1803, they agreed to bring all their corn and bere (a kind of barley) to Duntaynish Mill. Water powered the mill – currently being restored – with its huge kiln for drying the grain.
Until recently, Argyll’s coastal communities depended on sea transport, often th ‘puffer’ of Para Handy fame. Charcoal and bark left by water. Boats would have brought materials to build Taynish House for MacNeill of Ross in 1650 and, when Campbell of Inverneill built his piggery nearby in the 18th century, the pigs would have sailed here too.
Sit down by the Mill Shore, scan Loch Sween and imagine the lapping of water on hulls and the swish of oars – or come by boat yourself next time!
Visit the reserve at any time but wear strong, waterproof footwear and clothing. Explore the woodlands by following the 5km (3 mile) circular route shown on the map or take the easy, wheelchair-accessible route to the Mill. If you’re energetic, follow the trail up the Barr Mor.
The mill building is being stabilised so please don’t go in, for your own safety. Taynish House, Duntaynish and their policies are privately owned and not accessible to visitors. Enjoy the rest of Taynish as the hidden peninsula that you discovered!
Taynish NNR lies not far from the Crinan Canal. You can walk to the reserve from the car park just south of Tayvallich village. If you want to use the small NNR car park, please drive carefully for a mile down the Taynish road. There is also a bus service rom Lochgilphead to Taybvallich.
Scotland’s natural heritage is a local, national and global asset. SNH promotes its care and improvement, its responsible enjoyment, its greater understanding and appreciation, and its sustainable use, now and for future generations.
Scottish Natural Heritage
1 Kilmory Industrial Estate
Lochgilphead
PA31 8RR
Tel: 01546 603611