The peaceful nature of Tayvallich today belies a rich and often turbulent history. Evidence of this past can be found all across the landscape from burial cairns and standing stones to ruined crofts, fish traps and old field boundaries. 

Farming and more settled lives began approximately 6,000 years ago; trees were felled to make space for cereals and livestock. Ceremonial and burial monuments and rock art were created, such as the cup marked boulders that have been found at Learg Mhor, east of the now ruined Barbreack farmstead.

During the Bronze age (4,500 to 2,700 years ago), tools and weapons were made of metal, burial cairns were created and standing stones were erected, such as the one at Upper Fernoch.

During the Iron Age (2,700 to 1,500 years ago), settlements grew, such as the hut circle at Barnashaig, and defensive structures were built on top of hills as forts or duns.

By the early medieval period (1,600 to 900 years ago), Argyll was inhabited by the Gaels (also known as Scotti or Dál Riata) and this was a period of much conflict and social change. On the land, new types of plough allowed more land to be cultivated and oats and barley were grown. Livestock were predominantly cattle, but there were also sheep and pigs. The Vikings also left their mark, evident in a number of place names, for example Danna (Dane Island) and Ulva (meaning wolf). The subsequent merging of Norse and Gaelic society is again reflected in place names, such as Knapdale, which is derived from the Norse knappr, meaning ridge, and the Gaelic dalr, meaning valley.

Throughout the medieval period, despite many social changes, life continued in a number of settlements on Tayvallich peninsula. William Blaue’s Atlas of Scotland 1654, which was based on Timothy Pont’s maps from the late 16th century, lists a number of settlements, including  Barnshaig, Yrin na uaid Mor and Yrin na uaid Beg (location of both now unknown), Upper Fernoch, Drumnagall, Barbe, North Ardbeg, Barbreak, Coshandroichaid, Ulva and Danna.

By the late 1700s, there was increased industry on the estate, such as lime and kelp burning, oyster harvesting, slate quarrying, charcoal and leather production, and other agricultural developments, such as drainage, crop rotation and enclosure with the stone field walls. The dam across An Grianan (also known as the puddle) was built at this time as well.

During the next 100 years, throughout the 19th century, this increased industry continued but at the same time the rural population was experiencing poverty, emigration and a loss of tradition. The population steadily declined and one by one the majority of the crofts and settlements fell silent and we are left with only the signs and ruins across the estate.

We intend to collect detailed records and take this human history into account in our future land management plans.  

Tayvallich has exceptional biodiversity value, providing a mosaic of internationally important habitats at the landscape scale, from ancient temperate rainforests and species-rich grasslands to juniper heath and valley fens. Tayvallich Estate is subject to five different Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and three Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). A significant proportion of the site is designated, indicating the diversity of the features and biological communities it contains.

Beginning in earnest in spring 2024, we will be conducting a year of natural capital baselining, as we have carried out at both Bunloit and Beldorney, the results of which we will publish in a Natural Capital Report. Through this we aim to drive the development of high-quality and consistent monitoring of biodiversity and carbon, and quantify the impact of land-management interventions aimed at boosting both carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

Coastal and wetlands

Across the estate, a variety of both freshwater and coastal wetland habitats are supported, alongside several freshwater lochans. Freshwater wetland habitat includes valley and meadow fens, including mudflats. All the habitats within Tayvallich estate are heavily influenced by saltwater and wind exposure due to their coastal nature, and the wetlands include fringe saltmarsh.

These coastal habitats support an extensive list of species, including rich damsel and dragonfly communities, marsh fritillary butterflies Euphydryas aurinia, wintering Curlew Numenius arquata, breeding Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, Redshanks Tringa totanus, Snipe Gallinago gallinago, and 1% of the British winter population of Whooper swans Cygnus cygnus, to name just a few.

Woodlands

Over 80% of the woodlands and trees at Tayvallich are native, with small areas of non-native plantations.

Tayvallich contains fragments of exceptionally rare Temperate Atlantic Rainforest, thanks to the clean air and continual damp along the west coast. More than 500 species of lichens, mosses, liverworts and ferns have been found to thrive in Scotland’s rainforests, and many of these are found nowhere else. These woodlands are in unfavourable condition in areas of the estate. Restoring, connecting and monitoring this rainforest habitat will be some of our main priorities, working with the local community and our partners in ecological consultancies and universities.

Species-rich Grasslands

These habitats are scattered throughout the estate and encompass both wet species rich areas and drier, often calcareous, areas. As a result of the complex geology and hydrology of the estate, these grasslands often occur as a mosaic, interspersed with dry and wet heaths, wetlands and juniper scrub. These habitats support unique communities and have been maintained through low intensity grazing, particularly by cattle.

Calcareous grasslands support plants such as Fairy flax Linum catharticum, Wild thyme Thymus polytrichus, Self-heal Prunella vulgaris, and a wide diversity of orchids.

The species-rich grasslands support a range of butterflies and moths, most notably the Marsh fritillary Euphydryas aurinia, a priority species of the UK BAP and on the Scottish Biodiversity List.

Many farmland birds are also supported by these habitats, including skylarks Alauda arvensis, oystercatchers Haematopus ostralegus, curlew Numenius arquata and waders.

Heathlands

Wet heath, dry heath and Juniper heath exist across the estate in patches of more acidic rock types. In particular, the growth form and extent of juniper scrub in these areas is highly unusual in Argyll with both prostrate and upright Juniper found in places. Across the estate, but particularly on the heathy uplands, a range of raptors hunt with Tayvallich providing some prime foraging habitat. The birds seen locally include Osprey Pandion haliaetus, Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos, and Sea Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla.