The Flow Country: UNESCO recognises what lies at our heart
Beside the railway station at Forsinard, a modest plaque marks an extraordinary achievement. King Charles unveiled it in July 2024 to celebrate the Flow Country becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, bringing a royal occasion to a landscape whose remarkable qualities can take time to appreciate. Across the north, pools, grasses and peat stretch towards distant hills, while the roads carry many visitors around their edges. Now this landscape shares international recognition with places such as the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef. I rather enjoy the thought of our peatlands keeping that company.
World Heritage status recognises places whose importance extends beyond the country in which they sit, making their care a responsibility to future generations everywhere. Here, UNESCO recognised an exceptional blanket-bog ecosystem, where climate, geology, water and living plants have created an intricate landscape which continues to develop. Its pools and ridges, deep peat and specialised vegetation belong to a functioning system, with thousands of years of environmental history preserved beneath its surface. Earning recognition required scientific evidence, international comparison and independent assessment, together with plans for its continuing care. Behind that small plaque lies a considerable achievement by the people who demonstrated why this place matters to the world.
The opportunity reaches well beyond the ceremony. International attention can encourage visitors to turn inland, spend longer exploring and discover communities they might otherwise pass by. That creates possibilities for accommodation providers, places to eat and guides such as me, alongside work in restoration, conservation and research. The designated areas lie within the wider Flow Country, where people continue to live and work, so caring for the place depends on their involvement. I hope recognition also gives those of us living nearby a fresh reason to explore, enjoy and recommend what sits at the heart of our region.
As a member of the Flow Country Partnership, I am enthusiastic about helping that happen. Good information, opportunities to stop and someone who can bring the landscape to life can turn curiosity into a memorable visit. Sometimes, in my case, it begins with a dripping handful of developing peat. In the audio blogcast, I explain why I believe the Flow Country could readily fill a three-day tour, bringing its human stories and working lives into our exploration of a remarkable natural landscape.
To learn more, listen to the blogcast or book one of our North Coast Explorer private tours.