Gateway to Nature Centre

Featuring a remarkable historical suspension bridge, Corrieshalloch Gorge is a designated National Nature Reserve situated on a remote, sloped wilderness site twenty minutes from Ullapool and one hour from Inverness, possessing a distinct ecology, geology and history. 

Our team were appointed to help the National Trust for Scotland realise their ambitions for a sensitively designed visitor centre to enhance the experience of visitors to the Gorge rather than disrupt or compete with the unique natural environment. 

The Gateway to Nature Centre provides a place for arrival, orientation and interpretation before a visit to the spectacular gorge which runs through the NTS nature reserve.  It includes essential facilities for visitors, including toilets, a coffee kiosk, an office, a ranger base and a welfare area for staff and provides wayfinding at the beginning of the journey through the nature reserve. It is anticipated to serve approximately 140,000 annual visitors.

The building features a distinguishable ‘flicked’ canopy roof protecting visitors from the Scottish weather and collecting rainwater to be filtered and reused. 

A ranger base also includes a covered outside space with perimeter seating that serves as an outdoor classroom sheltered from the elements.

Tommy Gallagher of the NTS remarked, “The Gateway to Nature Centre has had rave reviews from locals and international tourists. The centre has increased its staff strength, providing more jobs within the NTS”,

“The brand-new facilities are wonderful; the trails are firm and wide and the area is safe,” said visitors to the site. To the entertainment of the practice, the centre has been described in social media as having ‘Scotland’s best toilets’.

The facility aids the safe and sustainable management of visitors, ensuring that Corrieshalloch’s built and natural heritage is well-cared for, now and in the future.