Group plans to conserve the area for generations to come

Conservation charity Woodland Trust Scotland has purchased a hill and an ancient pinewood.

Ben Shieldaig, in Torridon, is categorised as a Marilyn which are hills with a drop of at least 150m on all sides.

The charity raised £1.6m to purchase the 534m hill after it was put up for sale by a private landowner.

The trust said the 9,884 acres (4,000ha) involved was among important habitats in the area.

It is now trying to raise more than £3m to help cover management costs.

During the bid process, WTS director Carol Evans said: "It already supports a magnificent area of ancient Caledonian pinewood and a temperate rainforest of native birchwood.

"Perhaps even more exciting is the potential to manage these within a mosaic of their natural neighbours."

She added: "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."