Posts for October, 2025

Unleash the magic of the season and join us to create a stunning, one-of-a-kind Christmas table centrepiece.
​Using the highest quality fresh Nobilis pine and lush greenery as our base, you’ll learn how to build a fragrant, long-lasting display. We’ll then adorn your creation with a sophisticated mix of seasonal treasures: flickering candles, warm sticks of cinnamon, vibrant dried orange slices, and other festive sundries.
​This isn’t just a decoration—it’s an experience! You’ll leave with a beautiful, handmade piece that fills your home with the unmistakable scent and glow of Christmas.

Spaces are limited, so be sure to reserve your spot early!

Price includes:

All necessary materials to decorate the centrepiece;
Sustainable greenery & foliage,
Decorations & ribbons
All Equipment
Breaktime refreshments- Mulled wine, tea, coffee and cake.

Why not make a day of it and join us for Sunday lunch beforehand (separate table reservation required)

Join us in the heart of the Cairngorms for a cosy, candle-lit Hogmanay celebration full of great food, good company and live music.
This is not your average Hogmanay. No crowded pubs, no cold buffets — just an indulgent 4 course dinner, flowing drinks and an evening to remember.

What to Expect:
Canapés & a glass of fizz on arrival
4-course dinner followed by tea, coffee and truffles

Live music (and maybe a wee dance…)
A warm atmosphere with our renowned Highland hospitality

Tickets:
£120 per person

What’s Included:
Glass of fizz (or non- alcoholic alternative) on arrival
Canapes
4 Course dinner
Tea and Coffee and truffles
Piper on arrival- Robbie Milne of Badenoch & Strathspey Pipe Band
Live music from Barry Middleton, Jazz Pianist

Please note:
A Deposit of £40.00pp is payable at the point of booking.
All deposits are non-refundable. The remainder of the balance is due on the evening.
A pre-order will be required.
There is no dress code 🙂
Not suitable for children under 12, there is no children’s menu available for this occasion.
Last orders at the bar 10:30pm. Carriages 11pm.

Guided stargazing sessions in small groups of up to 10 people in the stunning Cairngorms National Park, with its exceptional dark skies.

Ever wondered about the stars and constellations and wanted to find out more? Take some time out with a star gazing experience at Howe of Torbeg! Spend time in a gorgeous rural location & learn how to find key objects and constellations in the night sky on your own.

Simple & accessible, looking at the stars and learning a bit about them is the perfect way to get away from it all for a few hours, & spend some time in nature.

Scotland has some of the best dark skies in Europe, including across the Cairngorms National Park, where Howe of Torbeg is situated, just outside Ballater, with simply amazing star gazing opportunities. A dark sky area is an area with exceptional dark skies and little to no light pollution.


On the night, we’ll gather in our Wee Studio for an interactive presentation, introducing you to the night sky. This is followed by an outdoor fire bowl & hot chocolate to keep you cosy & then a guided walk up the Glen to see the stars. Looking at the night sky will be a group experience guided by laser pointer.

No queuing for telescopes, we’ll be observing in the great outdoors, away from buildings.
Suitable for beginners.

Returning on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December. Nestled in the heart of the beautiful Findhorn Valley, just six miles from Forres, Logie Steading invites you to discover a weekend full of seasonal cheer, creativity, and community spirit.

With over 55 of talented exhibitors joining us per day, this is a perfect opportunity to shop local and support small, independent businesses from across Moray and the Northeast of Scotland. From handcrafted gifts and artisan wares to delicious local produce, you’ll find something truly special for everyone on your Christmas list.

Logie Steading is already home to a vibrant community of makers and retailers, and the Christmas Markets bring even more creative energy to the site. Visitors can meet the people behind the products, hear their stories, and enjoy a festive shopping experience in a unique and welcoming setting.

With delicious hot food, live seasonal entertainment, and marshmallow toasting by the fire, we’re all set to celebrate the season with you and the whole family!

Start your Christmas shopping at Blair Castle’s annual Christmas Market. Explore stalls from Scottish artisans and local businesses in the Banvie Hall and the Ballroom and enjoy a tempting selection of festive foods and drinks on the castle forecourt.

The Castle will be dressed for Christmas and reduced entry tickets can be purchased on the day. The Gift Shop and Restaurant will be open as usual.

A walking workshop to collect the ‘living’ placenames of the high Cairngorms, as used by you – hill-goers, local residents, mountain enthusiasts – but which aren’t on any maps or recorded in any way. This workshop will be delivered by Sarah Hobbs. Please bring footwear and clothing suitable for a 1-2km walk.


This project will map, record and eventually share placenames used by many different folk who live or work in the hills, and the corresponding stories behind them. Aiming to highlight ongoing and varied human connections with mountain habitats in the Cairngorms, the project will create a snapshot of a point in time as the climate and land use changes.


Who it’s for: Anybody who lives, works or plays in the Cairngorm Mountains (the high hill ground), and who may have their ‘own’ names for places – from individual memories, to names made up by families or social groups.


What to expect: 2 hours max – a mix of outdoor walking (2km max, on accessible paths) and indoor mapping.


This workshop has been made possible with funding from the Cairngorms Trust and the Scottish Government in partnership with the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.

A one-and-a-half-hour workshop where we will draw using our senses and work with tree-based inks.

Using ink made from trees and employing tree branches and leaves as found tools, this session is a drawing meditation, exploring ways to perceive trees beyond sight.

We will begin with observing the sounds of being amongst trees, the feel of bark under our hands, and the scent of early autumn leaves. Drawing will not be about creating a finished outcome but about observing and responding to qualities discovered through our senses.

“The body is not negligible,” Shepherd wrote, “but paramount. The hands have an infinity of pleasure in them. The feel of things, textures, surfaces, rough things like cones and bark, smooth things like stalks and feathers and pebbles rounded by water, the teasing of gossamers… the scratchiness of lichen, the warmth of the sun, the sting of hail, the blunt blow of tumbling water, the flow of wind—nothing that I can touch or that touches me but has its own identity for the hand as much as for the eye.”

Participants will leave with a deeper awareness of trees and their own sensory engagement in drawing, guided by the textures, smells, and sounds of the natural world.

This workshop has been made possible with funding from the Cairngorms Trust and the Scottish Government in partnership with the Cairngorms National Park Authority and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.

A walking workshop to collect the ‘living’ placenames of the high Cairngorms, as used by you – hill-goers, local residents, mountain enthusiasts – but which aren’t on any maps or recorded in any way. This workshop will be delivered by Sarah Hobbs. Please bring footwear and clothing suitable for a 1-2km walk.

This project will map, record and eventually share placenames used by many different folk who live or work in the hills, and the corresponding stories behind them. Aiming to highlight ongoing and varied human connections with mountain habitats in the Cairngorms, the project will create a snapshot of a point in time as the climate and land use changes.

Who it’s for: Anybody who lives, works or plays in the Cairngorm Mountains (the high hill ground), and who may have their ‘own’ names for places – from individual memories, to names made up by families or social groups.

This workshop has been made possible with funding from the Cairngorms Trust and support from the Cairngorms 2030 programme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund – thanks to National Lottery players.

Grantown and vicinity has a long tradition of brewers and distillers, licensed premises and off-licences. Join us on this virtual tour as we peer into dark corners and bright lounges and hear astonishing tales of some characters of long ago and more recent times. Researched and presented by Bill Sadler. (Drinks may be brought through from the bar!).

This workshop will be delivered by Clare-Louise Battersby and is designed for artists, makers, and creative practitioners who wish to explore how their practice can align more deeply with place, land, and non-extractive ways of working. Rooted in the principles of biophilic design and the Gaelic concept of Dùthchas, the session invites participants to reconnect with their creative practice through sensory exploration, storytelling, and material reflection.