Trumland

We are working hard to make our nature reserves safe and ready for our staff, visitors and wildlife. Many have now re-opened in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, although some facilities such as toilets are not yet available. All our other reserves remain closed for now. Please see our COVID-19 updates page for the latest information (link below).

Address: RSPB Trumland, The Cottage, Trumland, Rousay, Orkney KW17 2PU, UK

Grid ref: HY427275

See our updates page to see which reserves are open.

Trumland in Orkney consists of 131 hectares of blanket bog and 52 hectares of wet heath. It's a remote location and arguably the best time to visit is during the summer months, when you should be able to see breeding red-throated divers, hen harriers, merlins and short-eared owls.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

Picnic area
Viewing point
Nature trails
Educational facilities

Accessibility

How to get here

By road

No car parking available by reserve, access on foot only.

From the pier, follow the road uphill and left until you reach the T-junction at Trumland House, then head right and look for a small bridge and RSPB sign on your left after 600m.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

Rousay is reached by a roll-on-roll-off ferry from Tingwall on Mainland Orkney, which can take passengers and vehicles. Visit orkneyferries.co.uk for information.

For flights and ferry information to Orkney, contact VisitOrkney at West Castle Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1GU. Website: visitorkney.com Tel: 01856 872856.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Group visits are welcome. For more information, please contact the Orkney office on 01856 850176

School visits are available on our Orkney reserves on a variety of topics. Please contact the Orkney Office on 01856 850176 for further details.

10 degrees, Light rain

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 736Kb

Trumland trail guide

Contact Trumland

RSPB Trumland, The Cottage, Trumland, Rousay, Orkney KW17 2PU, UK
orkney@rspb.org.uk
01856 850176

What will you see?

Our star species

Great skua

Be careful you don't get too close to their nests as they have little hesitation in dive-bombing potential threats.

Hen harrier

Hen harriers breed on the moorland at Trumland.

Merlin

Keep your eyes peeled for a dashing merlin on a high-speed hunt.

Red-throated diver

Red-throated divers are adapted for life on the water.

Short-eared owl

Short-eared owls can be seen hunting over the moorland here in spring and summer. The afternoons are a good time to spot them.

Nature spectacles

Enjoy spectacular views of the Orkney archipelago from the tops of Knitchen Hill and Blotchnie Fiold (Rousay's highest hill), but don't miss the tiny moorland wildflowers at your feet and the plaintive cries of golden plovers as you pass by.

In spring, you can see birds of prey such as 'sky-dancing' hen harriers, kestrels, merlins and peregrines. Look out for short-eared owls and golden plovers.

During the summer, you can spot fulmars, Arctic skuas and great skuas. Look out for red-throated divers while enjoying the heather, bog asphodel and tormentil along the trail.

Look out for the subtle colour changes on the moorland as summer passes into autumn. If you are lucky you may spot a red grouse whirring away at your approach, or a snipe hunkered down in the long vegetation.

Take a brisk walk around the trail on a clear sunny day to the tops of Blotchnie Fiold and Knitchen Hill, and you will be rewarded with spectacular views over most of the Orkney archipelago, and even as far as Fair Isle out on the far horizon.

About Trumland

Habitat

The reserve's upland heath and mire habitats are home to some of Orkney's key breeding birds. Other habitats include willow scrub, which supports birds scarce elsewhere on the island and rocky outcrops, called hamars, on which fulmars nest.

Conservation

We are working to maintain a healthy mosaic of moorland habitats, including blanket bog and wet heath. This provides suitable conditions for breeding hen harriers, merlins and red-throated divers, and also allows us to safeguard specialist plants including alpine bearberry and round-leaved wintergreen. Part of this work involves removing invasive plants such as salmonberry and fuschia, which can threaten the important natural habitats.

We monitor the breeding populations of our hen harriers, merlins and red-throated divers annually, and carry out regular surveys of seabirds both on and off the reserve. We also record the presence of native mammals, including Orkney vole and otter, and conduct a five-yearly census of round-leaved wintergreen and alpine bearberry.

Site information

The best time to visit this 433-hectare Orkney moorland is during the summer months, when you might see hen harriers, merlins, red-throated divers and short-eared owls. The heather, bog asphodel and tormentil should also be flowering alongside Trumland’s nature trail.

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Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Check our events page for family-friendly events throughout the year.

Leisure activities

Birdwatching, walking, photography, botany.

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Trumland