Boleskine to receive Highland Council funding for pond restoration
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The Boleskine House Foundation has been selected to receive funding from Highland Council to restore a historic freshwater pond.
It has been awarded £9400 from the council's Nature Restoration Fund.
The pond, which is situated behind the B-listed Boleskine House and was once stocked with fish, is part of the Loch Ness and Duntelchaig Special Landscape Area.
The origins of the pond can be traced back to at least the 19th century, and possibly further. After decades of neglect, it is now overgrown and in need of full restoration.
The pond also lies adjacent to the semi-ancient Farigaig Forest, which is currently being reviewed by Forestry Land Scotland for the South Loch Ness Land Management plan that is due for revision in 2024.
Proposals for the felling of hundreds of acres of trees surrounding the Boleskine Estate, which is open to the public, may form part of the new plan, an effort that has been challenged by The Boleskine House Foundation.
The charity has called for a public meeting to discuss the proposals. It is understood that more than 100 objections to the felling have already been lodged with Forestry Scotland.
“We are thrilled and thankful to the Highland Council for their decision to fund this important restoration project,” Keith Readdy, chairman of The Boleskine House Foundation, said.
“Given that the revised land management is exploring the possibility of logging in the forests surrounding the estate, it is more important than ever to protect and restore as much of the natural landscape as possible.
"We hope that this decision for funding by the Highland Council will reinforce the importance of the preservation and enhancement of nature at the estate.”
The restoration is planned to begin in the spring of 2024 and will include clearing back decades of overgrowth, including the eradication of the non-native rhododendrons around the pond.
Pathways around the pond will be restored for public access, and new plantings of native wetland pond plants will support biodiversity and provide a nesting space for newts, frogs, and dragonflies.
Information and updates will be available as the project progresses on the Boleskine House Foundation’s official social media accounts at https://www.facebook.com/boleskine.house.foundation and https://www.instagram.com/boleskine.house.
Boleskine House was formerly owned by occultist Aleister Crowley and later Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and was badly damaged by fire in 2015 and 2019.
The Boleskine House Foundation SCIO is a Scottish registered charity whose mission is to restore and preserve the historical legacy and heritage of the Boleskine House estate for the greater benefit of the public.
