Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area
Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area | |
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Location | Perth and Kinross and Stirling (council area), Scotland |
Coordinates | 56°40′59″N 4°18′50″W / 56.68306°N 4.31389°W |
Area | 486 km2 (188 sq mi)[1] |
Established | 1981 |
Governing body | NatureScot |
The Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area is a
National scenic areas are primarily designated due to the scenic qualities of an area, however NSAs may well have other special qualities, for example related to culture, history, archaeology, geology or wildlife.[6] Areas with such qualities may be protected via other national and international designations that overlap with the NSA designation. Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon includes a National nature reserve at Ben Lawers, and there are three Special Areas of Conservation and one Special Protection Area within the NSA.[7]
Creation of the national scenic area
Following the
Although the national scenic area designation provides a degree of additional protection via the planning process, there are no bodies equivalent to a
Geography
- Main articles: Ben Lawers, Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon
The designated area covers much of the historical province of Breadalbane, and covers landscapes ranging from flat, fertile farmland up to exposed mountain summits.[5] Ben Lawers, at 1214 m, is the highest point in the highest and most extensive mountain massif in the southern part of the Scottish Highlands.[13] Schiehallion, an isolated peak lying in the east of the NSA, is one of the most prominent mountains in Scotland.
The area is drained by two tributaries of the River Tay: the River Tummel (which drains Loch Rannoch) and the River Lyon, which flows through Glen Lyon.[2] Most human settlement and activity has been concentrated along these two rivers; many of the smaller side glens also contain visible signs of previous occupations, for example in the presence of old shielings.[5] The area contains fragments of the ancient Caledonian pinewood, along with areas of native birchwood.[5]
Other conservation designations
There are a number of other protected areas that overlap to some extent with the national scenic area.[7]
- Ben Lawers has been designated as a National nature reserve since 1964.[14] It is protected due to the presence of many rare and endangered arctic–alpine plant species,[15] and has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 1950.[16] Ben Lawers is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), again due to the presence of arctic-alpine flora.[17]
- The rivers Lyon and Tummel are both tributaries of the
- The Black Wood of Rannoch, a fragment of Caledonian Forest which lies on the southern short of Loch Rannoch, is also designated as an SAC.[19]
- Loch Finnart, which lies to the south Loch Rannoch at a height of 280 m black-throated divers.[21]
References
- ^ a b "National Scenic Areas - Maps". SNH. 2010-12-20. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ a b "Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon National Scenic Area". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon". Protected Planet. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "The special qualities of the National Scenic Areas" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2010. pp. 105–113. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ "The special qualities of the National Scenic Areas" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2010. p. 2. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
- ^ a b "Sitelink - Map Search". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "History Leading to the Cairngorms National Park". Cairngorms National Park Authority. Archived from the original on 2018-01-15. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas Review" (PDF). SNH. 1997. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas: background, guidance and policy". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Development management and National Scenic Areas". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas (NSAs)". Dumfries and Galloway council. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
- ^ D. Bennet & R. Anderson. The Munros: Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalkers Guide, pp. 30-32. Published 2016.
- ^ "Ben Lawers NNR". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve". National Trust for Scotland. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
- ^ NTS Guide (2018).
- ^ "Ben Lawers SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "River Tay SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "Black Wood of Rannoch SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50000 Map. Sheet 51. Loch Tay and Glen Rannoch
- ^ "Rannoch Lochs SPA". NatureScot. Retrieved 6 October 2020.