About Us & Our Plans

Our Story

In 1947, the land at Rumster was taken over by The Forestry Commission from Forse Estates to form the first planned forestry plantation in Caithness. Following a change in forestry management practices in 1971, the forester’s cottage became available and was converted into an outdoor centre which was managed by Highland Council until it closed in 1998.

• In 2004, The Rumster Outdoor Centre Steering Group was formed with a view to reinstating an outdoor centre in Rumster Forest                             
• In 2005, The Rumster Outdoor Centre Management Group was formed from the original Steering Group
• In 2006, the original building was destroyed by fire

Our Strategic Plan

Given the expectation of having a building on site by the end of June, we will :

• Plan an opening event.
• Plan a migration from the current phase of building procurement and installation to an operational phase where we will work with relevant organisations to ensure that the site will be used to benefit the communities of Caithness and provide a recreational facility which will contribute significantly to the health and wellbeing of all sections of the community.
• Seek to arrange events on site over the Summer / Autumn of 2025.

In addition, we will :

• Proceed with the installation of a camp kitchen ensuring that this does not interfere with the building installation.
• Manage the delivery and construction of a 6m diameter rotunda on site.
• Work to identify and procure an appropriate power supply on site.
• Identify potential partners.
• Continue to raise public awareness of the work of the Company and of our desire to provide a focal point in Caithness for outdoor recreation, education and other activities to promote wellbeing within the community by organising fundraising activities and promoting events onsite.
• Expand the membership of the Company to include individuals and organisations committed to the project.
• Ensure that the site is maintained by regular grass cutting, trimming hedges etc. So that a functional site is visible to users.
• Work with Forestry and Land Scotland to improve the forest environment around our site.
• Look at developing the forest path network for cycling / horse riding / carriage driving / walking and provide signage and seating as appropriate.
• We will continue to work with Forestry and Land Scotland to promote the use of Rumster Forest for leisure activities, particularly where they contribute to health and wellbeing within the community. In this regard, we welcome recent indications that Forestry and Land Scotland are interested in a greater involvement in the project and have expressed an interest in attending board meetings.