Natural treasures win over visitors

It was a picture-perfect ending to a trip for two visiting families.

 

The Hazel and Agg families took part in a Treasure Hunt Trail competition, a self-guided tour inviting participants to photograph points of interest in the area, run by Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation and Kilmartin Museum.

 

After being picked as joint winners, Georgina Agg from Ardchattan near Oban and Thomas and Emily Hazel of Macclesfield were rewarded with two lovingly-created and detailed illustrations of their favourite animals, drawn by Heart of Argyll Organisation's talented Oly Hemmings.

 

"attachment_605658" "" "225"] Oly truly brought the majestic sea eagle to life in her depiction for Emily and Thomas

 

Georgina opted for a baby goat and - noting how life-like it was - she was surprised to learn that it was Oly's first-ever drawing of a goat.

 

Thomas and Emily chose a sea eagle, and described the drawing as 'beautifully drawn', reminding them of the sea eagle they saw perched on a rock during a boat trip to Oban.

 

Anna Hazel, Thomas and Emily’s mother, was full of praise for the competition and for the area.

 

She said: 'We have had a great week in Argyll, staying with family and working our way through the treasure trail as a family.

 

'It gave us great ideas of places to visit; some we had visited before and some that were new to us.

 

'We particularly enjoyed visiting the beach at Carsaig which we hadn't been to before, where the children loved finding interesting shells and pebbles as well as clambering over the rocks and spotting little creatures including a very hairy caterpillar. Being chosen as winners was an added bonus!'

 

Georgina's mum Emma was similarly pleased with their experience, saying: 'We really recommend it for a family day, being outside enjoying the fresh air is good for well-being as well as learning new things.'

 

The self-guided tour is still open and available for those interested in taking part. Visit www.kilmartin.org/self-guided-trail to find out more.