Woodland Trust Scotland is looking to raise £1.6 million to allow Ben Shieldaig to flourish

A charity has unveiled plans to purchase a Highland mountain.

Woodland Trust Scotland has launched a £1.6 million fundraising drive as it looks to bring Ben Shieldaig into public ownership.

The mountain, set within the Wester Ross National Scenic Area, has been put on the market by its private landowner.

As well as birch woodland, the mountain is also home to a significant remnant of ancient Caledonian pinewood, and has stunning views of Skye and the surrounding area.

The Woodland Trust aims to protect and expand the unique and valuable existing native woodland at Ben Shieldaig through a combination of natural regeneration, new native planting and effective deer management.

Carol Evans, Woodland Trust Scotland director, said: "This is a rare opportunity for us to bring a whole mountain under our care.

"It already supports a magnificent area of ancient Caledonian pinewood and a temperate rainforest of native birchwood.

"Our aim is to see native woodland, montane scrub and open moorland habitats meshing naturally with each other from sea to sky.

"That would encapsulate all that a restored landscape can be, not just in Torridon but across the Highlands."