This Friday afternoon loop is different from the longer ruins tour earlier in the week. Starting at the abbey church, the route moves through the hide where red squirrels are regularly spotted in the surrounding woodland, then picks up the medieval ruins path that runs around the original 12th-century site. About an hour, donation-based, and structured loosely enough that the pace adjusts to the group.
Quarr Abbey rewards repeat visits. The woodland around the medieval ruins has a particular quality on May afternoons: quiet, dense, and full of species that benefit from the lack of disturbance around the abbey estate. The red squirrel hide is one of the more reliable spots on the island for a sighting, and the walk is timed to pass it during the late afternoon when the squirrels are most active.
Donations welcomed; coordinate through the Walking Festival for meeting point details. The abbey church is open for visitors before and after the walk. Part of the walking programme for 16 May.
