Posts for March, 2025

Ben Mhor Bar traditional music sessions arranged by The Grantown Society.

Mentored group sessions (£5). Bar music session free.

All welcome to come along and play or simply enjoy the bar atmosphere as you listen to master fiddler Paul Anderson and other talents.

Highland League: Strathspey Thistle FC v Wick Academy FC, Seafield Park, kick-off 3pm. Parking at ground at vehicle owner’s risk. Overflow parking at Burnfield Avenue car park (200m). Team sheets, merchandise, £50 raffle drawn at half-time. Hot and cold drinks and snacks. For hospitality packages in the Mackellar Suite, email hospitality@strathspeythistle.uk

Highland League: Strathspey Thistle FC v Brechin City FC, Seafield Park, kick-off 8pm Parking at ground and at Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club (by their kind permission) at vehicle owner’s risk. Overflow parking at Burnfield Avenue car park (250m). Hot and cold drinks and snacks available. Team sheets, merchandise, £50 half-time raffle drawn at half-time.

Highland League: Strathspey Thistle v Clachnacuddin, Seafield Park, kick-off 8pm. Parking at ground and at Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club (by their kind permission) and at vehicle owner’s risk. Overflow parking at Burnfield Avenue car park (250m). Tea and snacks available. Team sheets, merchandise, £50 raffle drawn at half-time.

Saturday, March 29th, SkyHide, Tomintoul
Partial solar eclipse, 10:00am-12:30pm
Cairngorms Astronomy Group – Public Solar Eclipse Observing Event

Join us at the Tomintoul SkyHide for a public solar eclipse observing event! Drop by and safely view a partial solar eclipse with the Cairngorms Astronomy Group (CAG).

🔭 Date & Time: Saturday, March 29th, 10:00am
📍 Location: Tomintoul SkyHide at the Field of Hope
🕶 Safe solar viewing equipment provided

This spring foraging course is an invitation to learn about the edible and medicinal spring plants found in the grounds of Blair Castle & Gardens. Spring is a special time for foraging and this walk will give us time to celebrate the best of this season, as the plants wake from the winter providing the first flowers, leaves and nutritious seeds of the growing season.

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 15 edible and medicinal spring 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.
Date: 10th May 2025 or 11th May 2025
Time: 10.30-13.30
Cost: £45, kids go free.
 
FAQs:
Are children allowed?
Yes, but one child must be accompanied by at least one adult. (16+).
Are there toilets?
Yes, toilets can be found in the Banvie Hall next to the restaurant.
Are dogs allowed?
The pace of foraging walks is quite slow, so if you think your dog will be bored by lots of standing still – then this might not be the walk for them!
 
About foraging expert, Tamara Colchester
Over the past eight years, Tamara has studied wild plants, she explored how people can live off the land in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in the UK. She has gained incredible knowledge of plants, their food and medicinal benefits, and how our dietary needs change with the seasons.

The Atholl Gathering and Highland Games will return to Blair Castle on Sunday 25th May 2025 and tickets available to purchase online.

The Atholl Highlanders officially open the Highland Games with a ‘March On’, led by the sound of their pipes and drums.

Strongmen from around Scotland take centre stage to battle it out. Events include tossing the caber, putting the shot and throwing the hammer. There are plenty of other attractions, such as highland dancing, tug o’ war, solo piping, trade stands and refreshments to provide a fun day out for all the family.

Full event details will be released soon.

Join us in the ballroom at Blair Castle on Thursday 28th August at 7.30pm for a live performance from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Experience an evening of energy and elegance as Jakob Lehmann conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a concert that sparkles with wit and youthful charm.

The night begins with Rossini’s ever-popular Overture to The Barber of Seville, a whirlwind of bustling brilliance and comedic flair. SCO Principal Clarinet Maximiliano Martín takes centre stage for Spohr’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2, a lyrical gem of the Romantic era that Maximiliano champions with passion and virtuosity.

The concert concludes with Schubert’s Symphony No. 2, a joyful work that brims with youthful exuberance, irresistible melodies and boundless energy.

Kindly supported by Eriadne & George Mackintosh, Claire & Anthony Tait and The Jones Family Charitable Trust.

There will be an interval with tea, coffee and soft drinks available.

Programme:
ROSSINI – Overture, The Barber of Seville
SPOHR – Clarinet Concerto No 2 in E-flat, op 57
SCHUBERT – Symphony No 2 in B-flat
Jakob Lehmann conductor
Maximiliano Martín clarinet

Tickets available from the SCO: Rossini & Schubert | Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Join us at Blair Castle & Gardens this Easter for some family fun. We have an Easter Egg Hunt at the castle throughout the school holidays and some extra special activities on Easter Sunday.

After all that Easter eggcitement why not head to the Tullibardine Restaurant for some Easter themed treats!

Easter Egg Hunt | 5th April – 22nd April

Inside the Castle
Join in with our Easter Egg Hunt inside the castle throughout the Easter holidays. Collect your prize from the shop upon completion!

Available for free with a Castle ticket.

Easter Sunday Fun Activity Day | Sunday 20th April | 11am – 3pm
Banvie Hall (The glass entrance doors at the far end of the Castle)
Meet the Easter Bunny at the Banvie Hall at 11am to guide you through our fun children’s activities this Easter Sunday. The events below will flow from one into the next and there are prizes for both competitions and the Egg Hunt.

– Easter egg decorating competition

– Easter egg rolling competition

– Easter Egg Hunt in Hercules walled garden

– Deer Feeding

Admission included with a Gardens and Grounds ticket.

Enjoy a night of Scottish Ceilidh music with BlackRock Ceilidh Band at The Duke Of Gordon Hotel