Sampling site 2: Flow Country

A group of six from Edinburgh set out on a 6 hour drive to Forsinard. It is a long drive but spirits were certainly helped by a few good stops (e.g. House of Bruar) and the stunning scenery on the way up. Luckily for us, there is a new field centre located in Forsinard just a few minutes’ walk from the train station. A fully equipped kitchen, dining area, dry room, sample freezers, equipment room and a lab make it a very convenient and comfortable place to conduct field work (especially when the nearest shop is over 30 minutes away!).

With the aid of the RSPB we managed to get access to 3 different sampling sites (damaged, restored and 'pristine'). Apart from a few storms, long walks and a rather uncomfortable large-scale attack from midges the team did a fantastic job collecting samples to be analysed back in Edinburgh.