Posts for June, 2025

Join us at The Ben Mhor Hotel for a night of Stand Up Comedy!

Brought to you by Monster Comedy, this night will feature some of the best up and coming comedians from around Scotland.

Robert MacGregor will host a show featuring performances from Marc Ross, Mike Hendry, Arnold Cavendish, Billy Bremner, and The Pirate King!

A Celebration of the Doors Open Days, Badenoch & Strathspey weekend.
( www.doorsopendays.org.uk/2025-weekends )

We plan to have some stalls and refreshments from 11am to 3pm.

Join us this year for our first retreat – Bag Making!

Our Bag Making Weekend will include:
– 2.5 days of sewing, with all patterns, materials, haberdashery and hardware included
– 2 night stay at The Railway Rooms – boutique group accommodation in Kingussie
– Breakfast, Lunch & one Dinner (leaving one evening to sample local restaurants, grab a takeaway or bring your own meal)

Sewing Projects will include:
– Project Pouch from Country Cow Designs – an opportunity to sew with vinyl & create a great storage bag for your sewing projects
– Caravan Tote from Noodlehead – an amazing tote bag with so many pocket and customisation options
– Kaede from Country Cow Designs OR Haralson from Noodlehead – both lovely crossbody/hip bags with adjustable straps
– Optional: A collaborative evening project, bring fabric scraps to share with the group & create a patchwork pouch as a special keepsake from the event

Check In: 5pm on Friday 31st October
Check Out: 5.30pm on Sunday 2nd November

All initial bookings must be completed on the Learn & Create website. To secure your place you must:
– Complete the online booking
– Agree to the terms and conditions
– Pay the deposit

Once we receive your booking we will ask you to complete a detailed booking form where you can highlight any dietary needs, room preferences, workshop options and any other retreat specific questions. Please complete this & return it promptly so we can confirm your preferences. 

All rooms at Railway Rooms are double occupancy so if you would like to bring a non-participating friend or partner you are welcome to for an additional cost of £150 – this covers room and meals but not participation in workshops.
Unless bringing a guest, participants will get their own room, with a choice of double or twin.

Please note – as this is our first retreat images shown are from Country Cow Designs & Noodlehead websites. Further images will be updated soon

Enjoy vintage cars, motorbikes, stationary engines, buses, tractors, choppers, lorries, auto jumble, BBQ, stalls and more – fun for all the family!
No entry charge, donations welcome (Car parking charges apply)

Come along to the Old Bridge Inn and give Screen Printing a try with Colleen from Timber + Stitch.
Screen print your own T-shirt or Tote bag by designing your own stencil or use pre made ones.

Keep the kids entertained or get involved yourself creating your own holiday keep sake on the banks of the Spey while enjoying good beer and food – What’s not to love?

All those who give screen printing a try will be entered into a raffle to win a £50 OBI voucher – yay!

No creative ability required, just come along and give it a go.

Celebrate insect week by signing up to our “meet the experts” skill sharing session!

In this session, which has been specially developed for home educating and flexi-schooling families, you will spend 90 minutes getting to know some of your smallest neighbours. You’ll discover how we’re bringing some very special species back from the brink of extinction and learn what you can do to protect these amazing animals!

This session is targeted for primary age but all are welcome.

Each ticket admits two adults and three children to the session.

Join us for a fascinating evening celebrating some of Scotland’s most intriguing and elusive invertebrates as part of Insect Week!

From Highland Wildlife Park’s Learning Hive, join us for an evening talk brought to life by expert guests:

Tom Prescott from Butterfly Conservation Scotland will open the night with an ode to a Kentish glory moth – expect surprising facts and captivating stories!

Hayley Wiswell of the Cairngorms National Park Authority will delve into the world of ants, with a spotlight on the rare and remarkable narrow-headed ant, a species fighting for survival in the Highlands.

Gen Tompkins, RIC Species Champion, will buzz through the story of the aspen hoverfly, a striking and secretive species whose future is tightly entwined with Scotland’s native woodlands.

Finally, Helen Taylor from RZSS will introduce the visually stunning blood red longhorn beetle who have an important story to tell.

Whether you’re an insect enthusiast or just curious about Scotland’s mini-wildlife wonders, join us for an evening of insight, inspiration and a newfound love for the smaller things in life.

This talk is free to attend but we ask to donate what you can towards facilitation costs.

This summer foraging course is an invitation to learn about the edible and medicinal summer plants found in the grounds of Blair Castle & Gardens. Summer is a special time for foraging and this walk will give us time to celebrate the best of this season, as the plants bring forth the last of their flowers, nutritious seeds and ripening berries.

The course consists of a 2.5 hour foraging walk, in which you will learn lifelong identification techniques, inspiring recipe ideas, and a wealth of ethnobotanical tales.

During the walk we will move through a variety of habitats – woodland, meadow, hedgerow and garden – taking time to connect with each surrounding environment, noticing their changing flora and subtle variations in character.

We will finish up with a wild tea in Hercules Garden, with time to revise the plants learnt and how best to store them for future use.

All participants will also receive a personalised PDF containing information about all the plants met.



This course will give you:

How to safely identify over 20 edible and medicinal summer plants and trees Methods and techniques for how best to work with them as food and medicine A time of mindful walking among beautiful grounds Exciting recipes to regularly include wild plants in your meals
What to bring:

Shoes that are comfortable and waterproof

Wet weather gear in case of rain

A basket or container

Meeting point:

Meet on the green in front of the castle, next to the ‘The Cannon’ coffee cart.

This autumn foraging course is an invitation to learn about the edible and medicinal autumnal plants and fungi found in the grounds of Blair Castle & Gardens. Autumn is a special time for foraging and this walk will give us time to celebrate the best of this season, join us as we discover many different varieties of mushroom, nutritious nuts and seeds and succulent berries.

The course consists of a 2.5 hour foraging walk, in which you will learn lifelong identification techniques, inspiring recipe ideas, and a wealth of ethnobotanical tales.

During the walk we will move through a variety of habitats – woodland, meadow, hedgerow and garden – taking time to connect with each surrounding environment, noticing their changing flora and subtle variations in character.

We will finish up with a wild tea and homemade cake and biscuits in Hercules Garden, with time to revise the plants learnt and how best to store them for future use.

All participants will also receive a personalised PDF containing information about all the plants met.



This course will give you:

How to safely identify over 20 edible and medicinal autumn plants, fungi and trees Methods and techniques for how best to work with them as food and medicine A time of mindful walking among beautiful grounds Exciting recipes to regularly include wild plants in your meals
What to bring:

Shoes that are comfortable and waterproof

Wet weather gear in case of rain

A basket or container

Meeting point:

Meet on the green in front of the castle, next to the ‘The Cannon’ coffee cart.

Loch Muick Guided Walk
A fairly level circuit around the spectacular Loch Muick on the Balmoral Estate provides good views of the surrounding mountains and the local flora & fauna.

The walk takes in the impressive Glas-allt Shiel house on the shore of the loch. Queen Victoria built it in 1868 and is nicknamed ” Widow’s House”

There is an optional detour to see some waterfalls, just let your guide know your ability.

Loch Muick – The “loch of the swine” on the Royal Balmoral Estate. See Regeneration of the Highland Environment and the late Queen’s picnic spot (where you can stop for lunch as well). Transport needed.