Gearrchoille Community Wood
Gearrchoille Wood is a 30-acre semi-natural ancient woodland, predominantly oak and birch, situated just south of Ardgay on the Dornoch Firth, Sutherland. It was gifted to the community by Balnagown Estate in 2003.
The wood has been used in the past for curling; grazing livestock (it contains an old drove road); and the coppiced trees suggest timber production. Since it came into the care of the local community, access has been improved, the former curling pond has been restored for wildlife, and the wood is used as a venue for a variety of community events.
Gearrchoille Community Wood is a community-owned native woodland in Ardgay, cared for by local people for the benefit of nature and the wider community. The woodland supports wildlife, promotes sustainable land management, and offers opportunities for learning, recreation, and connection with the natural environment.
We organise a regular volunteer afternoon on the 1st Thursday of each month at 2pm, when we get together to carry out routine maintenance such as path clearing, birch thinning, and pond clearing.
Gearrchoille Community Wood Ardgay (GCWA) exists primarily to conserve and enhance the biodiversity, cultural & recreational value of Gearrchoille oakwood in Ardgay.
Gearrchoille Community Wood Ardgay is a company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity. It was formed to take ownership of the wood.
The Company objects are –
To conserve, preserve and protect the Gearrchoille Community Wood Ardgay for the benefit of the public and in particular for the inhabitants of Kincardine and Croick;
To conserve, preserve and protect the wildlife, flora and fauna of the Gearrchoille Community Wood for the benefit of the aforesaid persons;
To advance the education of aforesaid persons about Gearrchoille Community Wood, its wildlife, flora and fauna and the conservation, preservation and protection thereof;
To provide, in the interests of social welfare, facilities for recreational or other leisure-time occupation with a view to improving the aforesaid persons’ conditions of life. And in furtherance thereof but not otherwise;
To work alone or in partnership with any organisation, agency, authority or other body to establish, manage and improve woodlands in the said area including access, recreation, conservation, environmental and cultural matters.
To encourage community involvement in the management of local woodlands, and
To prepare, review and implement alone or in partnership management plans, schemes and proposals for the attainment of the objects of the Company.
Native woods mainly consist of species that arrived in Scotland without human assistance.
Semi-natural woods are self-sown, naturally regenerating woodlands.
Ancient woodlands are directly descended from the same sites where the original ‘wildwood’ established itself in Scotland when glaciers retreated following the last ice age.
Only about 1% of Scotland is covered in ancient semi-natural woodland.
Click the map to explore the Gearrchoille Wood in more detail. Click relevant tabs at the bottom of the interactive map; turn different layers on/off with the layers icon at the top-right—especially ‘Woodlands & Forests’ and ‘Basemaps’.
Gearrchoille Community Wood Ardgay (GCWA) is an independent entity. This page is only hosted by Mid Sutherland Community Land Trust (MSCLT).