by Bethany Hickling –
As part of their 2023 outreach programme, the Naturedays team at Aigas visited three primary schools across North West Sutherland to run workshops on “Brilliant Birds” and “Marvellous Maps”.
Sutherland is a remote area in the far north of Scotland, known particularly for its coastline where the mountains tower dramatically over the sea. From Aigas this is a round trip of over 200 miles. In an electric van with a range of around only 70 miles in cold weather, making this trip was no mean feat!
The education team acquired their branded “Naturedays” electric van (nicknamed “Mr J”) in 2021, thanks to funding from The Aigas Trust. It has been indispensable in helping us to reach local schools and events around Inverness, and has reduced our environmental impact to boot! The journey to Sutherland was the van’s longest yet, and a true test of the Highland’s charging network.
We left Aigas at 08:30 on a Monday morning, with a map of charging points ready at hand. Our first planned stop was to top up charge at the Falls of Shin visitor centre. Mr J was plugged in to the charging point, and all seemed to be going smoothly. After a short walk to the Falls of Shin whilst waiting for the van to charge, it was time to set off for the first outreach session of the trip. However, when we started Mr J, its mileage range had still not increased…
It was time for plan B! We headed to Lairg to charge instead. With views over Loch Shin, the charging point was a great place to watch sand martins foraging over the water’s surface – even if the wind was biting! Fortunately, this recharge was more successful and after 45 minutes the van was charged sufficiently to continue further north.
We arrived at our first school in Sutherland and were greeted by enthusiastic pupils, who were keen to help carry equipment and show off the impressive views from their playground which looked out onto the sea. With our first visit over, it was time to set up camp for the evening in Durness and charge the van ready for the next day. Just like the charging point in Lairg, the Durness charging point also had impressive views, this time of the dramatic Sango Sands beach.
However, neither the weather nor the charging point were cooperating. With only 11 miles of charge left, it was vital that the charging point worked to avoid the need to be rescued. In heavy hail and sleet, we turned to ChargePlace Scotland for help. Two very helpful phone calls later, and a few restarts of the charging point, a “beep” from Mr J reassured us that the van was finally charging. Fortunately, the weather also cleared, offering the opportunity to go for a brisk wander along the cliffs before settling down for the night.
With temperatures of 1°C and sleet showers overnight, it was a chilly night’s sleep! However, the warm welcome from the two schools the following day more than made up for it. The children at all of the schools were very motivated: they completed the bird jigsaws, interpreted maps, and made bird feeders and compasses with an abundance of enthusiasm and interest. As to be expected in a remote area, the schools had relatively low numbers of pupils, with most of the sessions having 6-11 pupils attending. This said, the students’ engagement and response to the activities highlights the importance of reaching more remote areas of the Highlands and ensuring that environmental education is accessible for all. This is the benefit of the outreach programme.
The journey back to Aigas went smoothly, with one more stop off at the Lairg charging point to top up charge. The education team really enjoyed the visit to North West Sutherland, and hope to see some of the children visit the field centre in the future!
Naturedays at Aigas is the education project based at Aigas Field Centre and funded by The Aigas Trust. To donate, visit our CAF page at https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/13625#!/DonationDetails
