Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Galson Estate Trust) is entrusted with the management of the 56,000 acre community owned Galson Estate covering North Lewis.
North Lewis is a beautiful and important place for natural, built and social heritage with unique interactions between crofting lifestyles, beautiful landscapes and a diverse natural environment. The area boasts fantastic coastal scenery, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Sites of Scientific Interest and an exceptional range of flora and fauna including Golden Eagles, Corncrakes, Fulmars, Gannets, Otters, the Great Yellow Bumblebee and many others.
Loch Stiapabhat is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and in 2005 it was declared a Local Nature Reserve. The reserve lies within the Ness and Barvas Special Protection Area making it a national and local treasure. A fantastic new nature observatory has recently been constructed complete with boardwalk and innovative interpretation, built for the local community to utilise for recreation and educational purposes.
The observatory is located just metres from the loch making it a great place to watch a wide range of wildlife without disturbance. The loch provides a vital feeding and resting spot for many migrating bird species such as; Whooper Swans, Barnacle and Pink Footed Geese, Wigeon, Teal and Tufted Duck. How many species can you spot before they continue on their 500 mile journey to breeding grounds in Iceland & Greenland?
