Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan is a national scenic area (NSA) covering the coastal scenery of three peninsulas in the western Highlands of Scotland: Ardnamurchan,

Moidart Moidart ( ; ) is part of the remote and isolated area of Scotland, west of Fort William, known as the Rough Bounds. Moidart itself is almost surrounded by bodies of water. Loch Shiel cuts off the eastern boundary of the district (along a south ...

and Morar. It is one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development by restricting certain forms of development. The Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan NSA covers 36,956 ha in total, consisting of 17,220 ha of land with a further 19,736 ha being marine (i.e. below low tide). 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. Areas with such qualities may be protected via other national and international designations that overlap with the NSA designation. Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan includes several

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

sites within the designated area of the NSA.

Creation of the national scenic area

Following the Second World War, a committee, chaired by Sir Douglas Ramsay, was established to consider preservation of the landscape in Scotland. The report, published in 1945 proposed that five areas ( Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the Cairngorms, Glen Coe-Ben Nevis-Black Mount, Wester Ross and Glen Strathfarrar- Glen Affric-

Glen Cannich Glen Cannich ( gd, Gleann Chanaich) is a long glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland and through which runs the River Cannich. Emerging from the reservoir of Loch Mullardoch, the river flows east to merge with the River Affric at the village ...

) should receive a level of protection. Accordingly, the government designated these areas as "national park direction areas", giving powers for planning decisions taken by local authorities to be reviewed by central government. Following a further review of landscape protection in 1978, additional areas, including the western parts of the Lochaber district, were identified as worthy of protection due to their landscape qualities. Accordingly, in 1981 the direction areas were replaced by the national scenic area designation, which were based on the 1978 recommendations and thus included the area entitled Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan. The defined area remains as originally mapped in 1978, but was redesignated under new legislation in 2010. Although the national scenic area designation provides a degree of additional protection via the planning process, there are no bodies equivalent to a

national park authority A national park authority is a special term used in Great Britain for legal bodies charged with maintaining a national park of which, as of October 2021, there are ten in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland. The powers and duties of all suc ...

, and whilst local authorities (in this case

Highland Council The Highland Council (' ), the political body covering the Highland local authority created in 1995, comprises 21 wards, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system, which creates a form of proportional represe ...

) can produce a management strategy for each one, only the three national scenic areas within

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

have current management strategies.

Landscape and scenery

The original 1978 report that led to the area being designated as a national scenic area noted: Much of the area, including the Arisaig and Ardnish peninsulas, as well as much of the coastline and the mountainous interior, cannot be accessed by road. Additionally, the north coast of Ardnamurchan can only be reached by single track dead-end roads. The area has strong historical links with the Jacobite rising of 1745, with

Loch nan Uamh The Sound of Arisaig Lochaber, Scotland, separates the Arisaig peninsula to the north from the Moidart peninsula to the south. At the eastern, landward end, the sound is divided by Ardnish into two sea lochs. Loch nan Uamh lies to the north of Ard ...

being the place where

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

first landed in Scotland: the row of beech trees known as the

Seven Men of Moidart The Seven Men of Moidart, in Jacobite folklore, were seven followers of Charles Edward Stuart who accompanied him at the start of his 1745 attempt to reclaim the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland for the House of Stuart. The group included En ...

commemorates the rising. The picturesque ruins of

Castle Tioram Castle Tioram () ( gd, Caisteal Tioram, meaning "dry castle") is a ruined castle that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately from Fort William. Thou ...

also add to the scenic beauty of the area.

Conservations designations

A small area of the NSA is included within the ''Moidart and Ardgour'' Special Protection Area, an area is protected under the

programme due to its importance for breeding golden eagles. There are six Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), within or overlapping with the NSA: * The ''Ardnamurchan Burns SAC'' protects several burns on the Ardnamurchan peninsula that host colonies of freshwater pearl mussels. * the ''Loch Moidart and Loch Shiel Woods SAC'' covers several areas of woodland (including acidic oak woodland) and mudflats, and host a population of otters. * The ''

Sound of Arisaig The Sound of Arisaig Lochaber, Scotland, separates the Arisaig peninsula to the north from the Moidart peninsula to the south. At the eastern, landward end, the sound is divided by Ardnish into two sea lochs. Loch nan Uamh lies to the north of Ardn ...

SAC'' covers an area of subtidal sandbanks. *

Kentra Moss Kentra is a hamlet overlooking the east coast of Kentra Bay, on the north east end of the Ardnamurchan peninsula near Acharacle, Scottish Highlands. It is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The small hamlet of Ardtoe is located 1 mile no ...

, together with

Claish Moss Claish Moss is an upland blanket bog on the south side of Loch Shiel, in the Sunart district of the west highlands of Scotland The Moss is designated as a Ramsar site of international importance (designated in 1981), a Special Area of Conservati ...

(outwith the NSA), form the ''Claish Moss and Kentra Moss SAC'', which represents an important area of blanket bog. Kentra Moss is a very unusual raised bog, that is rich in '' Sphagnum'' moss species. The area is also notable for representing the transition from bog to saltmarsh. * ''Glen Beasdale SAC'' lies at the northern end of the NSA and is protected due to the presence of freshwater pearl mussels, otters and acidic oak woodland. * The outer sea areas of the NSA are protected as the ''Inner Hebrides and the Minches SAC'' due to their importance for harbour porpoises. The grounds of Arisaig House, Kinlochmoidart and Eilean Shona are all listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

References

External links

The special qualities of the National Scenic Areas
{{NSAs in Scotland, state=collapsed National scenic areas of Scotland Protected areas of Highland (council area)