Although as individuals we both already support a number of conservation bodies and projects in Scotland – such as the John Muir Trust and the National Trust for Scotland – we recognise that driving guests around the Scottish Highlands has an environmental impact on the landscape we cherish. To offset that impact we are pleased to support a local environmental project, close to where we are based in Lochaber, by making a monthly donation to the Restore Loch Arkaig Pine Forest project managed by the Woodland Trust. Each month we use a carbon calculator to work out how much to donate to offset the carbon created by driving our guests around that month. When booking a tour with us guests are also invited to make a small donation to this worthwhile project at the same time.
The Arkaig Pine Forest is an important fragment of the Caledonian Pinewood, part of a much larger forest that circled the Northern Hemisphere after the last Ice Age. Although rich in wildlife such as pine marten, red deer and wild boar roaming the forest and osprey and sea eagle fishing the loch, it remains degraded following centuries of felling, planting of non-native species and over-grazing. The Woodland Trust has embarked on a twenty-year programme to restore this precious habitat to it’s former glory and allow it to be enjoyed by future generations.