26th January 2022, by Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape

 

This mini-festival aims to highlight the wide range of fantastic books, guides, music and interpretation that has been created through the Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape Partnership to celebrate and share the area’s unique historic, cultural and natural heritage. Working closely with the community groups and individuals who created these brilliant resources, we have organised a weekend of in person events, followed by some online talks, focussing on the amazing breadth of subjects covered.

All the events are free to attend, thanks to the way CALLP is funded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Publications and online resources produced through CALLP include:

• Coigach & Assynt—A Walker’s Guide by Dougie Cunningham
• Fishing in Assynt—An Oral History by Dave McBain
• Coigach Fisheries by Angus McLeod
• Between Mountain and Sea by Jenny Grant
• Wellies & Wildlife by West Sutherland Fisheries Trust
• The Coigach & Assynt Collection edited by Ronan Martin
• The Story of Achlochan by Lizzie Williams
• Butterflies of Assynt by Assynt Field Club
• Clachtoll Broch—An Iron Age Home in Assynt edited by Charlotte Douglas
• A Sense of Place Toolkit by North West Highlands Geopark
• Coigach & Assynt Heritage Interpretation
• Gaelic Place Names of Assynt by Assynt Field Club

The books are available at local shops and online (search book names).

Programme of events

Download a copy here

 

Saturday 26 February

Achiltibuie Hall 

Meet the Authors, Hear the Music 1—4pm

Meet some of the talented folk behind the books, hear some of the wonderful music from the Coigach & Assynt Collection played live, and enjoy hot soup and sandwiches on us. This is a free drop-in event. A selection of the books will be available for sale.

Between Mountain and Sea Children’s Workshop with author Jenny Grant 2pm

The book details a journey of a dog and her owner into the wilds of Coigach and Assynt. Join Jenny for an interactive reading of the book and an art activity to make your own journey map. For anyone interested in wildlife, art and dogs!  Aimed at 5- 10 year olds but younger children welcome to join their siblings and parents. Free, but please book at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/between-mountain-and-sea-childrens-art-workshop-tickets-251870400147

Achlochan Heritage Trail guided walk with Scottish Wildlife Trust 2pm

A chance to discover more about the wildlife and history of this fascinating area in the company of Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve Manager Michelle Henley and Reserve Project Officer Beth Harwood. Bring binoculars if you have them, and wear suitable footwear and warm, waterproof clothing—the path can be muddy after rain. Free, but please book at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/achlochan-heritage-trail-guided-walk-tickets-254392543947

Sunday 27 February

Clachtoll Broch guided walk with Historic Assynt  11am

Finn Valentine will lead this guided walk to visit the broch and highlight some of the unique discoveries that were made there during the excavations. Meet at Clachtoll Beach Car Park. May be cancelled in bad weather, as the broch can be dangerous to visit in high winds and rain. Free. Contact assyntman@gmail.com, 01571 833283 to check the event is going ahead.

Lochinver Hall 

From Brochs to Butterflies  2-4pm

A drop-in event with Historic Assynt and Assynt Field Club. A chance to get a flavour of the amazing heritage and wildlife of Assynt, as members of both organisations will be on hand to tell you more. There will be replica finds from the broch, weird and wonderful wildlife specimens, and online talks. All free for you to enjoy with a cuppa and cake, and live music from the Coigach & Assynt Collection. A selection of the books will be available for sale.

Thursday 3 March

How to write a walking guide 7.30pm

Free online Zoom talk with Dougie Cunningham, author of the Coigach & Assynt Walker’s Guide about how the book took shape . After the presentation there will be a live Q&A session with Dougie. Free, but please book at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-write-a-walking-guide-tickets-254399645187

Tuesday 8 March

The Unseen Fabric of Coigach & Assynt  7.30pm

An interactive online Zoom talk and discussion about how natural and cultural heritage are interlinked, with Seoras Burnett, lead contributor for the Coigach & Assynt Heritage Signage project. Free, but please book at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-unseen-fabric-of-coigach-assynt-tickets-254445442167