Applecross Heritage Centre

The red deer changed the face of Highland Scotland. Cervus elaphus scoticus is slightly smaller than the European red deer and with a lighter coat. It's a native species that breeds prolifically and noisily, with a rutting season in October, so although from time to time it's eliminated from intensive farmland, it soon returns from its upland redoubts. In the 19th century Scottish crofters were evicted by their landlords to make way for sheep on the lower ground, and deer and grouse to shoot on the upper ground. It's now a balancing act to keep deer populations at an optimum level: those here are at low density, four per sq km, and often hard to spot against the brown heath. There's usually a herd in the enclosure by the visitor centre, which is closed in 2024.