Leanachan Forest South West – Lochaber – Forest Map circa 1990
The map was recovered from shed at Newton Nursery which acted as a storage area for Forest Research who used the maps to locate forest and tree experiments in the field.
The main area of Leanachan Forest was acquired in 1933 from an Investment company and totalled over 3000ha. The area acquired lay south of the Fort William to Glasgow railway line across rising ground to a flat moor and then partially up the steeper slopes of the Ben Nevis mountain outliers. This map depicts the western section of the original Leanachan Forest and also the later acquisition of land (1975 – about 1000ha) from the Great Glen cattle ranch.
The western extremity of the main forest is accessed via a minor public road at Torlundy over the railway line and appears to have been the long term forest office site and then Forest and District Office combined. A small forest machine and vehicle workshop was also located near to the office and in the early 1950s a number of timber houses (4 double houses) were built for workers and bungalow for the forester. Again in the mid 1960s or earlier a new combined Forest and District Office was erected nearby and three Dorran bungalows for foresters. A little later in 1969 land was purchased on a site before crossing the railway line and a new Mechanical Engineering workshop built.
The map of the early acquisition does appear to show that the planting years of 1956-1962 run from north of the Lundy Burn and minor public road and include an area from Torlundy to the Lon Leanachan bog. There is however some small fragments annotated as planted in 1933 within this locality. South of the Lundy the planting years are in the 1930s. The conjecture is that the fire in the early 1950s burnt most of this area which was subsequently replanted. Any confirmation or accurate details of the fire and area burnt would be very welcome.
Other points of note on this forest are that the tunnel carrying the water from Loch Treig to the generating turbines for the aluminium smelter at Fort William lies below ground on the eastern boundary. Addits or openings into the tunnel were created to clear the mined rock, stone and debris from the tunnel to dump locations on the surface of the ground. Two of these addits were located in this forest, possibly addits 9 and 10, and the material was perfect for making many of the forest roads. Connected with the tunnel and the water dams was a light railway that ran from the smelter to loch Treig. The ‘Puggy Line’ as it was called was a narrow gauge line but well constructed with substantial bridges and infill embankments crossing some deep depressions and gullies. The writer recalls that one morning in around 1972 coming across a scene of water devastation on one of the tributaries running into the Lundy Burn not far from Torlundy. Rocks, stones and shattered stems of trees lay all through the forest. The burn in question was actually running normally but edges all torn and obviously had a massive flood even. A large concrete forest road bridge higher up was almost all filled up with boulders and the railings totally swept away. Eventually walking much higher up and crossing the Puggy Line it was observed that a landslip had occurred in a wide steep gully and blocked up the little bridge at the bottom of a large 30 foot or so high embankment crossing the gully. This effective dam seems to have filled up with water and overnight gave way carrying all before it. That may have been the end of the Puggy Line.
A list of District Officer staff from the late 1950s would include Finlay Macrae, Ron Marnie, Sandy Morrison, Gordon Cowie, John Y Ogilvie, Paul Biggin and others. The Head forester and Chief forester list would include Bob Campbell, Alec Macleman, Alistair Crawford before changing to Forest District status headed by Paul Biggin. Mention must be made of Marion Bruce (nee Morrison) originally from Lewis who was a long term clerk in the forest and certainly there at the time of Finlay Macrae and on into the late 1970s.
In 1975 a substantial part of the Great Glen Cattle Ranch was acquired – totalling over 1000ha. The area was planted up from 1977-1982.
Any more details and information is very welcome.