Pupils branch out to learn about Kintyre’s rainforest

“The sound of excited chattering rang out from the great wrought iron gates of Torrisdale Castle, as, steadily, a small crowd of children emerged into the sunlight of the driveway approaching the Woodland School where we gathered,” said Sarah.

“We talked about rainforests, tall trees, scary animals, lots of rain in the Amazon. Short twisted trees, lichen, moss and ferns, even rarer in the world than the Amazon forests, and we have them here, with lots of Scottish rain, in our very own Kintyre rainforests. 

“We talked about mushrooms and squirrels and leaves and conkers and beech nuts. We learnt how to use magnifying glasses, and a magic microscope to see the incredible beauty of the lichen and leaves and fungi that we found.

“We explored and we walked and went right up on the hill above the castle, past the new apple trees and the lake, to see our rainforest trees. There were ash and alder and oak and birch and there were amazing glue fungi sticking sticks together on a very old hazel tree. 

“We walked and we chatted and we ran and we felt the joy of just being out in the woodlands together, exploring. 

“It was a lovely sunny day and we simply had the best of times learning about nature together.”

For centuries, temperate rainforest covered the Kintyre peninsula connected to a massive forest stretching across the western edge of Britain and Ireland. 

Rich in trees covered in rare mosses, lichen and ferns, including some of the world’s rarest species, these forests are here in Kintyre.

The Kintyre Rainforest Alliance initiative was instigated by South Kintyre Development Trust (SKDT) to help uncover and protect these woodlands.

Ed, who is a biodiversity researcher for SKDT, said: “It was great that the children were able to explore the temperate rainforest. 

“Kintyre has lots of patches of it, many of which have not been recorded. It’s vital that everyone living in Kintyre gets to appreciate these places. 

“Many thanks to Torrisdale Castle Estate for letting us use their facilities.”

A Dalintober Primary School spokesperson said: “Thank you to Jenn, Sarah and Ed from Kintyre Rainforest Alliance group and SKDT for leading the session, where pupils were able to investigate the characteristics of a temperate rainforest and compare them to tropical rainforests.”