Ben Damph, or ‘Beinn Damh’ in Gaelic, is a conservation estate containing an awe-inspiring mixture of magnificent mountains and glens, sea lochs and inland lochs. The Gray family have owned the estate since 1983. At the time there was only a wee boat house on Loch Damph. It did not stop the family enjoying the estate, with a record 17 people staying in the Boat House one summer!
As time went on Duncan built more houses on the estate, first the Log House in 1994 and then a couple of years later the Thrail House. The Bothy was built from the ruin of one of the black houses left on the estate.
Today the estate is a much loved family holiday destination, and the family continue to work in line with a wider landscape scale project to regenerate Atlantic rainforest and the ancient Caledonian pine forests in the area. This means bringing down the deer population where necessary and controlling the invasive rhododendron ponticum.
There are two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the estate and protecting the environment has always been a priority. The family have planted thousands of native trees and you can see birch, oak, hazel and rowan regenerating around the estate. The work continues today and we are always looking for volunteers, so please get in touch if you want to help with planting trees or putting up fences.
The woodland on the Estate provides a great variety of plant life. An ancient woodland of sessile oak and silver birch on the border of Loch Damph has been designated an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), with over 200 species of vascular plants identified on the site. 200 acres have been fenced off for natural regeneration on the Estate, and a further 200 acres of woodland planted with native species.
Only a few hundred yards from the Ben Damph Lodge, a resident family of otters can be seen. Seals and porpoises are commonly spied in Upper Loch Torridon, and golden eagles are frequently observed soaring high overhead and occasionally the visitor is privileged by a glimpse of a white tailed eagle.
The huge quantity and diversity of bird life includes buzzard, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, merlin, grey heron, ptarmigan, red grouse, black-throated and red-throated divers, dipper, curlew, great and lesser black-backed gulls, cormorant and raven to name just a few.
Red and roe deer are widespread and often encountered even on short walks. Pine martens inhabit the woodlands and soay sheep roam wild on the estate.
Ben Damph means ‘hill of the stag’ in Gaelic and it is historically a ‘deer forest’, meaning it was managed for red deer stalking. In the modern age it has become as much about the forest as the deer. The estate has planted native trees such as birch, oak and Scots pine and fenced off large areas to encourage regeneration. In the long run, the deer exclosures should generate enough trees to connect surrounding fragments of the ancient Caledonian forest. We manage the deer as part of this programme of bringing back the forest, whilst also harvesting sustainable, healthy meat. On the wider estate we keep semi-wild sheep as a source of ethical meat. We also encourage people with the right skills to help us manage wildlife such as rabbits and greylag geese, that are controlled as part of food production.
Contact us for more information about pricing and availability for stalking with one of our local stalking partners.
Freshwater Lochs
At over three and a half miles long, Loch Damph is the largest inland loch on the estate. It is easily accessible by car and has some of the best brown trout fishing in Scotland. Boats are available to hire and are booked directly with the boat man and ghillie – contact numbers are available from the estate office.
Salmon River
The estate has one salmon river, The Thràil. The river Thràil flows into the Torridon river near where it meets the Sea at Upper Loch Torridon. It has some good pools and many excellent specimen salmon have been caught on this stretch. The Thràil House is situated next to this river.
Sea Fishing
Loch Torridon is a large sea loch which is impassable by fleet trawlers, this provides a mini haven for local fish stocks and good bottom fishing for the sea angler.Apart from the beach fishing from the shores of the estate, boats can be chartered for sea fishing at Shieldaig, just a few miles away.
We welcome enquiries from production companies interested in using the Ben Damph Estate as a location for filming or photography shoots. Our spectacular and varied terrain, combined with estate access tracks and local knowledge makes the estate an ideal backdrop. From ancient native woodland, scenic lochs and dramatic mountains, we would be delighted to show you all that Ben Damph has to offer.
