DELL FOR NATURE

Dell is the most beautiful of places. The diversity of its landscapes is extraordinary. An entire walking holiday can be taken without ever leaving Dell. From the lush pastures around Dell Farm on to the rocky humps and bumps towards Loch Ness up to the lonely wilderness of the Monadhliaths. A walk along the Fechlin will reveal hidden gorges and secret pools, while a short walk from Dell House brings you to the breathtaking Loch Kemp. Beyond this, a brisk hike down the Kemp Burn takes you through the lush birch woods, for which Dell is renowned, to another gorge with glimpses of Loch Ness all the way down to the shores of that most famous of Scottish Lochs.

The range of bird life is very wide. Slavonian Grebe and Divers are specialities, while Osprey, Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Merlin, Red and Black Grouse, Ptarmigan, Ring Ouzel and many others are regulars.

If you are quiet and lucky, you will see one of the many otters that live in this area. Red Squirrels visit the garden regularly, especially if you keep the nut feeder stocked. Red, Roe and Sika deer are all common on the estate, and you would be unlucky not to see them during your stay.

The flora is so unusual that Dell is listed as both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and an EU Natura 2000 site.

 The birch woodlands that flank the southern shores of Loch Ness are particularly beautiful. Apart from birch, there is Alder, Juniper, Holly, Aspen, Ash and Oak, while the ground flora includes heathers, Blaeberry, Sundew, Bladderwort, Cotton Grass, Hard Fern, Bracken and other characteristic flora.

Photographers or artists will find numerous subjects, with ever-changing light. From the beautifully symmetrical eighteenth century White Bridge in the village, to the secret hill lochs and tumbling waterfalls around Dell House and farm and from the wide expanse of the purple Monadhliaths to the infinite greens of the Ness Woods.