Gairloch Sitooterie
Just seven years ago, the local community decided to fundraise to attempt to transformation a hopelessly overgrown wasteland area in the harbour area of the village. This became the Gairloch Sitooterie. The Sitooterie was never originally intended to be a garden, just a “Sit-oot” area for locals and visitors to enjoy.
The Sitooterie Wildlife Observation Garden has been awarded, for the third consecutive year, a Keep Scotland Beautiful “Outstanding” accolade under the ”It’s Your Neighbourhood” Scheme 2022.
The Sitooterie is an “impossible” garden, with no shelter whatsoever and the sea frequently lashing its very edge. Dense litter-strewn gorse towering up to two metres high has been cleared, revealing the outstanding panoramic views from the roadside. The project involved extensive clearance and tidying up followed by an ongoing commitment to maintenance.
Gairloch is only one of 4 areas to be featured, the other places being Stirling, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
Sitooterie coordinator, David Carruthers was asked to make a presentation about the Sitooterie this week to Keep Scotland Beautiful’s annual seminar for Beautiful Scotland.
Mr Carruthers said: “This is the most astonishing tribute for Gairloch and, indeed for Ross-shire. A tiny local community garden is being recognised nationally as inspirational and is being asked to pass on its story to the rest of Scotland. This is a massive tribute to all who have supported the Sitooterie over the years and particularly to the team’s group of dedicated volunteers.
Highland Experiences is proud to have contributed a small amount of money to the sitooterie, but what makes this place so special is the number of hours local volunteers have put into the development and maintenance of the site. This is now an ongoing commitment. You can enjoy a visit to the wonderful gardens and wildlife observation area before or after you enjoy a kayaking experience with us in Gairloch.
The Sitooterie has a facebook site and its own five star slot on TripAdvisor.
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