The Highland Seashore Roadshow Rolls into Laide
The Highland Seashore Roadshow rolls into Wester Ross with a fun packed day of seaside adventures, exploration and games on Laide Beach at the Gruinard Bay Caravan Park on Saturday 7 September.
Laide Beach enjoys spectacular coastal scenery, and is well known for its soft sand, rock pools full of life and stunning views. On the 7th September it will host a wide range of fun activities exploring and discovering this amazing coast, with the Highland Council Ranger Service, WREN and other partners of the Highland Seashore Project.
The day kicks off at 11am with stories inspired by the magic of the local shore and sea with internationally respected local story teller George Macpherson. There will be activities throughout the day with the Marine Conservation Society’s marine touch tables and a giant inflatable turtle. The RSPB will be kite making and will have their Sea Eagle information stand while representatives from Laide Wood Community Woodland will be making Willow Fish. They’ll be Yurt Sealife Cinema and Sealife touch tanks with Wester Ross Fishery Trusts Peter Cunningham, Sea life Puppets with Janet and Cally Ullman from the Highland Seashore Project, Sand sculpture with artist Greg Dobson and timetabled with the low tide a Rock Pool Safari at 2pm with WREN’s very own James Merryweather.
If that isn’t enough there will be games, arts and crafts and races with Melanie Gaff Highland Council Ranger and Reuben Brown of the National Trust for Scotland Inverewe Gardens. Throughout the day there will also be displays from The Mink Project and Scottish Natural Heritage with linked activities.
Strath Stores from Gairloch will be there with their all day barbeque and selling their freshly prepared Salmon Fish Cakes and Prawn kebabs. A steaming pot of Cullen Skink and drinks and cakes will also be available. To add to the marine culinary theme, Dry Island Shellfish will be there too. Once everyone is full of good food and exhausted, the day closes at 5pm with the beach well and truly explored.
The Highland Seashore Project, together with The Highland Council Ranger Service and Wester Ross Environmental Network (WREN) this summer have been bringing Coastal Roadshows full of family fun to venues all around the Highlands.
The Project was launched in February, 2013. Project Co-ordinator Janet Ullman said “This is the last roadshow this year in a series of six family orientated events. The Highland Seashore Project aims to encourage local people to discover the magnificent coastlines the Highlands possess and about the wide variety of life that clings to those shores. We are already thinking about events for next year, so if you or your community want to get something happening at your local coast give me a call.
“We have had a great start to the project with lots of support and local enthusiasm. The Highland Ranger Service have been vital to the Roadshows, they have been brilliant partners getting the Roadshows together with the Seashore Project, using their numerous skills and knowledge of local coasts Contributions from our project partners, show how much important work is being done to show how our coasts and wildlife is being protected and we are grateful for their part in the project.”
The Wester Ross Roadshow starts at 11am, finishing at 5pm. Access is from the A832 in Laide so look out for signs for Gruinard Bay Caravan Park. Onsite parking is available.
The event is free so to find out more please email janet@highlandseashore.org.uk, or call the Highland Ranger Service on 01854 613904.
There will be two other Roadshows next year so look out for them and at least 21 Biodiversity week events, all around the Highland Coast in May 2014.
For more details please go to www.highlandseashore.org.uk or the Facebook Page at Highland Seashore Biodiversity Project