Spending time in the Glengoyne bird watching hide at WWT Caerlaverock, near Dumfries, has become a work of art.
Through the low level windows of the turfed roof log hide visitors can look east over the Corner Field of the spectacular 1,400 acre wild reserve situated on the north Solway coast of Dumfries and Galloway.
From dawn until dusk, from January to December, in fair weather and not so fair, its open coastal landscape and wide skies are full of the sights and sounds of nature.
At this time of the year the reserve is deservedly famous for its vast flocks of over-wintering water birds, including around 30,000 barnacle geese from Arctic Svalbard and large numbers of pink-footed geese and whooper swans.
The Glengoyne Hide is a favourite to watch for barnacle geese, especially in the mornings. In summer the Corner Field can be covered in lapwings and golden plovers.
However, staff at WWT Caerlaverock were also keen to ensure visitors also had a memorable experience of the inside of the hide too.
They wanted a more welcoming atmosphere in the Glengoyne Hide which would encourage people to linger longer and a brief was created to find an artist who could create something that would embrace Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Whisky’s unhurried ethos that sometimes “the right way is the long way”.
And the task of a new installation fell on the more than capable local artist, Kirsty Harris, who began her design by meeting with visitors, WWT Caerlaverock staff and volunteers, and other local people.
She said that she wanted people’s experiences to inform the work and this helped answer her question of reciprocity – if we gift our time to nature, what do we get in return?
From the feedback she has transformed the interior with three key elements which completely changed the vibe and practicality inside, creating a much more comfortable, peaceful and inviting environment within the hide – using plenty of repurposed materials.
The hide previously had chairs with loud metal legs that were often too low to look easily out of windows but now there are new more in-keeping wooden chairs which have been given an added cosiness of cushions whose covers have designs inspired by visitors’ feedback.
There is also a beautifully-created landscape timeline which goes along the banister and, hanging in the centre, are the silhouettes of birds that visit Caerlaverock.
Kirsty said she hopes that her three new elements will encourage visitors and staff to “just stay and wait and be unhurried in how they spend their time here”.
She added: “The project that I’ve done here is about enhancing the inside of the hide to help people slow down and take in the nature around them.
“Nature comes along to people who are patient and there is reward in that.”
Marianne Nicholson, WWT Caerlaverock engagement officer, added: “It has been exciting to work with Kirsty and Glengoyne at all stages of this installation, from conception to design to our grand opening.
“We plan to upgrade the interiors of more of our hides soon so it was lovely to start this process with such a success.”