Marian Donnelly of Galloway Forest Park, Tuesday 12th January

Marian Donnelly gave us an inspiring and enthusiastic presentation on Galloway Forest Park which is situated in the heart of Galloway, southern Scotland. The Galloway Forest Park managed by Forestry Commission Scotland offers spectacular views and a diversity of dramatic scenery. Three hundred square miles of wild beauty are waiting to be explored, here, in Britain’s largest forest park.

Established in 1947, the park boasts tranquil valleys encompassed by heather-clad hills, rugged rock faces, burns cascading down majestic slopes and the forest, moorland and lochs rising up to the grandeur of the mountains. The Merrick, Mulwharcher and the Rhinns of Kells stand proudly above the home to much of the unspoilt, ancient woodland which attracts some 800,000 visitors every year.

Stretching from seashore to mountaintops, The Galloway Forest Park has an outstanding variety of wildlife. Red and Roe Deer thrive in this woodland park while mighty birds of prey patrol the skies.

This natural sanctuary is however easily accessible as a result of three Forestry Commission visitor centres at Glentrool, Kirroughtree and Clatteringshaws, which receive around 150,000 visitors annually.

Known affectionately as the “highlands of the lowlands”, the Galloway Forest Park offers an endless assortment of things to see and do, to suit everyone, in some of the most breathtaking scenery Scotland has to offer. Kenneth Dickie provided a humorous VOT