Dundonnell Woods

Also within

Ross and Cromarty County Wester Ross Scenic Area

Condition (NatureScot)

Habitats

Fast flowing river and stream

Geology & landscape

Geological Feature: Gorge / Ravine

Landscape processes: Fluvial

Description

DUNDONNELL WOODS Dundonnell Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) lies 8km south of Ullapool at the head of Little Loch Broom in Wester Ross. The site includes one of the best examples of deciduous woodland in northwest Scotland. This site has the most northerly substantial stand of ash in Britain and the hillside ash-alder community is unique in Wester Ross. In the south of the SSSI, birch Betula pubescens and rowan Sorbus aucuparia grow on the block screes of Creag Dhubh Coille a’ Bhun. Heather Calluna vulgaris and bilberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea dominate the ground flora. Some ledges and crevices are well wooded with birch, rowan, willow Salix sp, aspen Populus tremula and holly Ilex aquifolium. Birch and alder Alnus glutinosa cling to the gorge sides along the Dundonnell River. In the central part of the SSSI the Dundonnell River plunges into a deep gorge 500m upstream of the confluence with the Allt a’ Chairn. A rich diversity of trees grow here, including wych elm Ulmus glabra, willow, Scots pine Pinus sylvestris, birch Betula pubescens, ash Fraxinus excelsior, oak Quercus petraea, hazel Corylus avellana, holly Ilex aquifolium, rowan and aspen Populus. Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum, ivy Hedera helix, dog rose Rosa canina, wood sage Teucrium scorodonia and hairy woodrush Luzula pilosa are typical species in the ground flora. Downstream of the gorge, the strath opens out and woodland grows on the west facing slopes, extending up onto the crags at the north end of the SSSI. The crags and the hill slope below support oak, ash, Scots pine, birch, rowan, aspen, hazel, willow, gean Prunus avium and wych elm. There is a diverse ground flora including wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, wild angelica Angelica sylvestris, wood avens Geum urbanum, sanicle Sanicula europaea, Wilson’s filmy fern Hymenophyllum wilsonii and oak fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris.

Species mentioned

Insects to look out for

These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.

Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Plant communities