Inverpolly and Coigach mountains from Loch Badagyle in Wester Ross. GPAN 0021
The Inverpolly Estate compromises undulating heather moorland, peat bogs, lochs, pockets of birch, hazel and rowan woodland and is dominated by the magnificently isolated red Torridonian Sandstone peaks of Cul Mor (849m), Cul Beag (769m) and Stac Polly (613m) the smallest yet undoubtedly the most popular of the group and visited by thousands each year. Inverpolly's major lochs include Loch Lurgainn beneath Stac Polly, leading to Loch Badagyle and, in the middle of the reserve, Loch Sionascaig one of the largest and deepest in the area. Sionascaig is three miles in length, yet seventeen miles around its irregular shoreline. The A835 leads northwards from Ullapool and, at Drumrunie, a single track road enters the reserve, threading its way through the mountains. Badagyle Cottage is located at the fork of the road, which leads west to Achiltibuie and the tranquil Summer Isles, or north to Inverpolly Lodge, Inverkirkaig and Lochinver. Inverpolly supports a large number of high-quality freshwater loch habitats, the majority of which are oligotrophic standing waters There are several large lochs within the site, including Loch Sionascaig, together with many other smaller waterbodies which contribute to the overall habitat representation. The remote location and lack of environmental pressures means that the majority of lochs are undisturbed. The nutrient-poor lochs support a typically low diversity of plant species, including bulbous rush Juncus bulbosus, shoreweed Littorella uniflora and water lobelia Lobelia dortmanna. Larger lochs such as Loch Sionascaig have a more varied flora including other species such as quillwort Isoetes lacustris, awlwort Subularia aquatica and alternate water-milfoil Myriophyllum alterniflorum. The diversity of plant species is further enhanced by the range of marginal habitats, which include open stony shores, soft sediment embayments and wetland areas
Size: 7931px × 2997px
Location: Loch Badagyle, Ullapool. Wester Ross. Scotland. United Kingdom.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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