Gairloch mining firm announces new eight month ‘exploration program’
Galantas Gold says it will treat the area 'with care.'
The Canadian mining firm Galantas Gold, which holds the rights to explore and develop mineral resources on Gairloch Estate land, has announced an eight-month exploration program.
In a community update shared with the Gairloch and District Times, Gavin Berkenheger, Exploration Manager for the UK, said the firm planned to deploy two drilling rigs from November 2026 at sites off the Old Kerry Road on Gairloch Estate land.
The drilling rigs will work 12-hour shifts up to seven days a week, aiming to complete 15 to 20 holes.
The firm emphasises that the works are temporary and that the land will be treated "with care" and restored once work is complete. While operations are ongoing, Galantas is asking locals to keep away from any fenced-off equipment and machinery.
In addition, helicopter surveys are planned for 2027 to identify further areas of the Gairloch Estate worth exploring for minerals.
Although this aspect of the program is still to be confirmed, if the survey goes ahead it will likely take a week, with timings dependent on weather conditions and ‘operational requirements.’ Berkenheger pledged that Galantas Gold would provide further community updates.
Although Galantas maintains that the current works do not constitute "the development of a mine", the firm has held an interest in Wester Ross since paying Gairloch Estate £347,000 in 2023 for exclusive mineral rights across 217 km² of land. Even if no commercial mining takes place, Galantas must pay the estate at least £69,400 annually from year six of the lease agreement.
If commercial mining does go ahead, the deal will see Gairloch estate paid at least £50,000 per "mining year", plus 5% of the profits.
Locals, Friends of the Earth Scotland, and Highlands MSP Ariane Burgess have all backed calls for a community benefit fund should a mine ever receive the green light.
In a 2023 Inverness Courier report, Duncan MacKenzie of Gairloch Estate said a combination of direct estate investment in the community and a locally controlled benefit fund could be possible if a commercial mine ever goes ahead.
The full statement from Galantas Gold is available for our paying subscribers below. It will also be published in the next issue of the Gairloch and District Times.
