Highland: Work Party - SLUGGAN near CARRBRIDGE

Meeting place: Grid ref NH878216.  What3Words messy.hampers.reckoned

From Carrbridge main street, turn up Station Road and keep going along this minor road, which eventually ends at Dalnahaitnach, for 3kms (2 miles). After this distance there is rough parking on the right-hand side of the road, just before a gated track to Sluggan Bridge. Please leave the gateway clear.

Description: In the Highlands, the Small Blue butterfly is mostly restricted to coastal sites around the Moray Firth and in Caithness. However, there are several small colonies inland, along the River Spey and its tributaries. This very restricted distribution is linked to kidney vetch, which is the sole foodplant of Small Blue caterpillars. In the Spey catchment, kidney vetch grows on open areas of river sand and shingle. However, tree regeneration, welcomed in other situations, is threatening to shade out the kidney vetch. We will remove regenerating pines by hand-pulling and using hand tools (poppers, loppers and saws) to enable kidney vetch to flourish. 

Approx duration: It's an earlier start time than normal due to the walk-in distance.  Up to 6 hours (finishing about 3.30pm). 

What’s needed: Please let Pete know in advance if you plan to attend. Bring lunch and wear old clothes. If you have them, bring work gloves.

The worksite is on the opposite side of the River Dulnain to the nearest road access. If water levels are low, we will be able to walk across the river in welly boots. So please bring welly boots. Don’t worry, I’ve done this before! The work site itself is dry so you may want to bring both wellies and walking boots. 

If the river level is too high for wellies, we will need to walk 1.5 miles to get to the work site, some of this on pathless terrain.