Fañch Bihan-Gallic - Urras Ceann a Tuath na Hearadh
Amongst the many duties of the Ranger Service, welcoming (and managing!) visitors takes a fair amount of our summer time. Contrary to what some may think, “visitors” does not only mean tourists, as many groups with an educational and/or scientific interest visit Harris throughout the year.
Students from HHBK Düsseldorf visiting the Eagle Observatory
2024 was particularly busy on that front. Some groups are regular visitors, such as the George Watson’s College (Edinburgh) and the Environmental Field Course of the University of Glasgow. Others are one-time or first-time visitors wondering whether they should start travelling to Harris regularly. This year, a Coastal Conservation course group from the University of Glasgow came to learn more about our local environment, Gaelic indigenous knowledge, and our community’s work. The Northampton Association of Youth Clubs also came to discover the area and learn about Gaelic language and way of life, and about community ownership. The latest in date was a group of Biology & Chemistry students from a vocational school in Düsseldorf (Germany). Following their stay in Lewis, they explored various areas in Harris before continuing to Uist. Neither the weather nor the omnipresent midges deterred the young people from discovering more about our environment.
These groups always give something back to our community by volunteering their time doing much-needed work with us. This year’s students have cleaned the shore at Ceann an Ora, worked on the Àird Mhulaidh path, and collected birch seeds for our habitat regeneration project, amongst other things. They often discover the Gaelic language, culture, and way of life for the first time, and are always keen to learn more. The way we have done things in North Harris since the buy-out seems natural to us all at this stage, but to those visiting from afar, we do a lot here that is unique and worthy of notice.
The North Harris Trust, Tigh an Urrais, Tarbert, Isle of Harris HS3 3DB
www.north-harris.org | 01859 502222 | ranger@north-harris.org
Company No: SC235889 | Charity No: SCO33412 | Established in 2003.
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