{"id":2614,"date":"2023-03-18T04:16:06","date_gmt":"2023-03-18T03:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2614"},"modified":"2023-03-13T08:37:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T07:37:36","slug":"glen-meavaig-the-eagle-observatory-harris-outer-hebrides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=2614","title":{"rendered":"Glen Meavaig &#038; the Eagle Observatory, Harris, Outer Hebrides"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=740,width=1220,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/> First published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('GlenMeavaig.jpg');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666527786_b1844a1c82_z.jpg\" title= \"Glen Meavaig and Loch Scourst near Eagle Observatory 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666527786_b1844a1c82_s.jpg\" alt=\"Glen Meavaig and Loch Scourst near Eagle Observatory 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52667029853_e4dcb9c1df_z.jpg\" title= \"boulders of 3,000 million year old gneiss, Glen Meavaig 1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52667029853_e4dcb9c1df_s.jpg\" alt=\"boulders of 3,000 million year old gneiss, Glen Meavaig 1\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666817909_4670e0220f_z.jpg\" title= \"boulders of 3,000 million year old gneiss, Glen Meavaig 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666817909_4670e0220f_s.jpg\" alt=\"boulders of 3,000 million year old gneiss, Glen Meavaig 2\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52667029733_02cbfbdc75_z.jpg\" title= \"boulder of 3,000 million year old gneiss, Glen Meavaig\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52667029733_02cbfbdc75_s.jpg\" alt=\"boulder of 3,000 million year old gneiss, Glen Meavaig\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666961445_da8df673b7_z.jpg\" title= \"new tree planting in Glen Meavaig\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666961445_da8df673b7_s.jpg\" alt=\"new tree planting in Glen Meavaig\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666817849_aba8efa1f1_z.jpg\" title= \"Glen Meavaig and Eagle Observatory\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52666817849_aba8efa1f1_s.jpg\" alt=\"Glen Meavaig and Eagle Observatory\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52667029688_e443c60fe3_z.jpg\" title= \"Glen Meavaig and Loch Scourst near Eagle Observatory 2\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm66.static.flickr.com\/65535\/52667029688_e443c60fe3_s.jpg\" alt=\"Glen Meavaig and Loch Scourst near Eagle Observatory 2\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:pwindow=window.open('\/Walks\/prn.php?f=2614','pwin','height=700,width=1000,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes');\" title=\"Click for printable version\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/Walks\/print.gif\" align=\"right\"><\/a><br \/>\nA windy spring morning in the Isle of Harris, cold and grey. Gunsmoke cloud drifted along the mountain ridges above Glen Meavaig, one of the prime locations in the Outer Hebrides for spotting a golden eagle. <\/p>\n<p>Maybe it was beginners\u2019 luck, but as soon as we set off up the glen we saw our first golden eagle, a big black shape cruising the air above the peak of Sr\u00f2n Smearasmal, keeping close to the ridge before diving low beyond the skyline. As it turned out, we would not see another until the end of the walk, a splendid view of a bird gilded by evening sun as it glided out across Loch Meavaig. <\/p>\n<p>The cold, clear Abhainn Mhiabhaig came rushing down among rocks spattered white with the droppings of dippers and wagtails. Deep purple violets and pale pink milkmaids grew among the pale wiry moor grass, insectivorous butterwort and fluffy white bog cotton like rabbits\u2019 tails in the wet squelchy peat.<\/p>\n<p>Boulders of coarse grey gneiss wore wigs of heather and peat. Grey knobbly outcrops of the three billion-year-old rock rose on either side to tall mountain slopes and craggy ridges. <\/p>\n<p>The curve of the glen sheltered us from the worst of the wind as we came in sight of the dark rippling waters of Loch Scourst. Beside it stood the North Harris Eagle Observatory, a modest wooden hut with picture windows looking out across the loch to the crumpled flanks of Cathadal Granda.<\/p>\n<p>Golden eagles nest close to Glen Meavaig, the actual locations of the nests kept secret to frustrate any selfish fool out to steal the eggs. Two are laid, hatching in early May. Of this pair, only one generally survives. An eagle chick can\u2019t regulate its own temperature, so the female adult broods it while her partner searches for food, their roles reversing every so often. The chicks grow like billy-o; by the time the young eagle leaves the nest in late July at ten weeks old, it is the same size as its parents, and often heavier.<\/p>\n<p>Eagles aren\u2019t the only attractions of Glen Meavaig. Red-throated divers nest around Loch Scourst, merlin hunt the moorland. As we sat eating our sandwiches by the loch, a bird hidden among the rocks maintained a silvery trilling call &#8211; a ring ouzel, keeping its conspicuous white bib well out of view.<\/p>\n<p>From the observatory we followed the stony track north up the glen, over a low pass and down past Lochan an Fhe\u00f2ir to the lonely shore of Loch Bhoisimid. Wind furrows raced across the steely water, and there was not a man-made sound to be heard. <\/p>\n<p>How hard is it? 8\u00bd miles there and back; easy; good 4X4 track all the way.<br \/>\nNB To avoid complications, main place names are given in Anglicised form. Maps and road signs also give Gaelic form.<br \/>\nDeer stalking season may stretch from 1 July to 15 February.<\/p>\n<p>Start: Roadside car park at Meavaig, north Harris, Outer Hebrides HS3 3AW approx (OS ref NB 100062)<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: Bus W12, Tarbert to Hushinish (schooldays and some summer days only \u2013 check with Lochs Motor Transport, 01851-860288, lochsmotortransport.co.uk)<br \/>\nRoad \u2013 car park is on B887 (Bunavoneadar to Hushinish), signed from A859 Tarbert to Stornoway.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Walk (OS Explorer 456): From the car park walk up the track, past the hide at 100088 and on past Lochan an Fhe\u00f2ir to the south shore of Loch Bhoisimid (105127). Retrace steps to car park.<\/p>\n<p>Lunch: Picnic<\/p>\n<p>Accommodation: Hotel Hebrides, Pier Road, Tarbert, Harris HS3 3DG (01859-502364, <a href=\"http:\/\/hotel-hebrides.com\">hotel-hebrides.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>North Harris Eagle Observatory: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.north-harris.org\">www.north-harris.org<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/visitouterhebrides.co.uk\/see-and-do\/wildlife\/bird-of-prey-trail\">visitouterhebrides.co.uk\/see-and-do\/wildlife\/bird-of-prey-trail<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Info: <a href=\"http:\/\/visitouterhebrides.co.uk\">visitouterhebrides.co.uk<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/visitscotland.com\">visitscotland.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A windy spring morning in the Isle of Harris, cold and grey. Gunsmoke cloud drifted along the mountain ridges above Glen Meavaig, one of the prime locations in the Outer Hebrides for spotting a golden eagle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}