Between October 2025 and February 2026, CLIMAVORE is delivering a series of workshops across Skye exploring our relationship with the intertidal zone and imagining a shared shoreline garden space.
Tidal Gardens brings together artists and scientists, foragers, researchers and activists, families and community members in a collective process of imagining what an intertidal sea garden for Skye could look like, culminating in a public exhibition and trial garden in early 2026.
Responding to the complex realities of land and marine ownership, regulation and extractivism, the project seeks to imagine Tidal Gardens as “coastal commons”: places steeped in collaboration, local vision and care. Much like our gardens on land, a tidal garden could also be a place to cultivate, rest, play, learn and connect with nature and each other.
In this first blog post, as the weather turns stormy, the nights draw in and the Christmas lights sparkling, we reflect on the first five workshops that have taken place so far.
Photograph Jordan Young
What Does the Sea Awaken in the Body?
Our first workshop invited participants to move, breathe, and listen with the sea. Led by choreographer Dana MacPherson, this session explored how our bodies respond to the rhythms of tide and shoreline.
Through guided movement at the coast and creative reflection indoors, Dana helped us notice the subtle ways the sea shapes how we move and feel; awakening embodied memories and reminding us that the sea is not just something we look at, but something we live through.
Through group discussion, we asked: “How can we think more watery?” The workshop inspired participants to envision the tidal garden as a space that fosters emotional and sensory engagement with the ocean, including the development of somatic scores that could be placed within the garden to encourage reflective, embodied encounters.
What Do We Share Our Shores With?
Photo by Murdo MacGillivray
Marine biologist Hayley Wolcott joined S3 Biology students from Portree High School to explore what makes a good site for an intertidal garden.
On a guided walk to the Black Rock on the Scorrybreac peninsula students learned how to identify marine species, test environmental conditions, and use transects and quadrats to understand coastal biodiversity. Together, they discussed how water flow, exposure, and human activity shape thriving intertidal ecosystems.
This hands-on workshop encouraged young people to think like coastal stewards - blending scientific observation with creative thinking about Skye’s marine future.
Before heading home, students were set an open-ended assignment: to explore the shoreline near where they live, applying their new skills to assess whether it could one day host a tidal garden.
Seaweed Memories: Foraging, Story, and Song
Photograph Jordan Young
At the Tigh na Drochaid Day Centre in Portree, forager Lucy Cooke and Gaelic singer and storyteller Mary Ann Kennedy led a sensory day bringing the outdoors inside, exploring memory, and song with elderly service users from Staffin and Carbost, and native Gaelic speakers.
Together, they explored seaweed memories - the tastes, textures, and traditions that connect generations to the sea. Participants decorated seaweed cupcakes, made traditional carrageen pudding, and shared songs and stories that celebrate the shoreline as a living archive of culture and care.
We are currently collating and translating the stories shared during the session, which will contribute to a growing archive of voices, memories, and recipes tied to the intertidal zone.
What Can We Eat for Free?
Photograph Jordan Young
In full intergenerational circle, the following day Lucy Cooke (The Wild Cooke) led homeschooled children and their families on a shoreline walk in Sleat, where they explored the rock pool dances between species and learned how to forage responsibly.
Lucy reminded the group that we can never truly “eat for free” - that foraging requires reciprocity, care, and an understanding of how to nurture the ecosystems that feed us.
Back at Ardvasar Hall, everyone gathered to make lunch together: seaweed butter, miso seaweed soup, pumpkin soup, and pickled seaweed, followed by chocolate, bramble, and dulse cake. The hall filled with warmth, laughter, and the smell of salt and sweetness - a reminder that nourishment is as much about connection as it is about food.
What Coasts and Waters do we want for our Children?
Photograph Jordan Young
For our final workshop of the year in late November, nearly 50 people joined CLIMAVORE and marine scientists from the Scottish Association of Marine Science for a hands-on rockpooling day in Broadford. Despite stiff competition from Santa and his reindeer, parents and children donned waterproofs and explored the intertidal zone, discovering squid, sea urchins, starfish, otters, and a colourful array of seaweeds and shells. The day began in Broadford Village Hall with teas, an introduction to local species, and tactile displays before moving to the shoreline for guided exploration and expert Q&A.
While our ecologists shared the wonders of the rocky shore, social scientists spoke with parents about how they currently use the coastline and their hopes for the future. Activities like dog walking, rockpooling, kayaking, fossil hunting, and creative play were common, and many highlighted the importance of giving children freedom to explore, fostering love and care for nature. Families expressed a desire to keep the shore largely as it is - accessible, safe, and rich in wildlife - while supporting opportunities for education, low-impact restoration, and community activities such as beach cleans. Participants also reflected on wider concerns, including industrial development and environmental health, and emphasized the value of connecting children with coastal ecology so they “know more than we do” and can experience the same or better natural wonders.
The day revealed not only the incredible biodiversity on our doorstep but also a strong community commitment to protecting and enjoying it for future generations.
Looking Ahead
With the festive season approaching fast, we look ahead to planning more workshops indoors this time, in January. As Tidal Gardens unfolds through the seasons, each workshop adds new textures to a shared vision - of what an intertidal garden for Skye could be. Together, these gatherings are cultivating a deeper understanding of how we might live with the tides - shaping a future where art, ecology, and community meet in the space between land and sea.
With thanks
With heartfelt thanks to our funders, partners, and participants who make Tidal Gardens possible — helping us nurture this collective exploration of life between land and sea.