Posts for January, 2025

Meet at Braemar Mews for a welcome drink of mulled wine, courtesy of the Fife Arms Hotel. Take part in the Torchlit Procession, accompanied by the Braemar Pipers, down to the Highland Games Pavilion for our mountain food evening. Always a popular event so book now to avoid disappointment!

The Best Of Kendal Mountain Festival Films visits Braemar Mountain Festival. We wrap up this years Festival with a line up of cracking films. Braemar Village Hall. Licenced bar. Licenced to thrill…

Repair Cafe Cairngorms runs from 2 til 5 one Sunday afternoon most months (not April, July, August or December). Our volunteer repairers will have a go at fixing a wide range of common household items including textiles and clothing, lamps and other small furnishings, jewellery, metal and wooden objects, portable appliances, sewing machines, and garden items. They can also help you to work out how to repair something if you’re keen to have a go yourself. Our Repair Cafe events are always lively and welcoming. And our cakes and hot drinks are very popular too!

On 23rd January 2024 I was diagnosed as being neurodivergent which was kind of a surprise to me, funny enough not to anyone that knows me.

Although surprising this pretty much answered my full life and why I am the way I am. So come join me in a show where I’ll give you a 1st hand insight from my delusional eyes to what goes on in my ever expanding mind with stories of how I’ve manage to survive through a life of total confusement to how and why I now prefer to be alone, mostly!

Meet & greet included.

Age limit: 16+

Would you like to learn more about the night sky? Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust on Friday, February 7th at Inveravon Church & Pictish Stones at 7pm for a Moon at Inveravon telescope session to celebrate National Astronomy Week. On February 7th the Moon will be close to Beta Tauri in the constellation of Taurus in the evening sky. We’ll also be looking at the planet Jupiter as well as stars and constellations and will share resources for improving your celestial knowledge. Please meet at Inveravon for 7pm.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cool February conditions and changeable weather. Sturdy footwear, lots of layers, along with gloves and a hat will make your stargazing experience more enjoyable.

Toilet facilties are limited at Inveravon but there is a public convenience at Cragganmore near the parking on the Speyside Way.

Access to Inveraven Church is off the A95 about half a mile north the entrance to Ballindalloch Castle, and can be found by following the brown tourist sign directing visitors down the single track road to the Inveraven Pictish Stones.

If weather conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees.

A suggested donation of £5 on Eventbrite or on the night helps to support heritage and dark sky activities in Glenlivet & Inveravon. This event is generously funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Community Benfit Fund.

Would you like to learn more about the night sky? Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust on Saturday, February 1st at the Discovery Centre in Tomintoul at 5:15 pm for a Crescent Moon with Venus, Neptune and Saturn evening telescope session to celebrate the start of National Astronomy Week. On February 1st the Crescent Moon will form a triangle with Venus and Neptune. The fantastic telescope target Saturn will also be visible below right. As the moon sets, we’ll also look at stars and constellations and will share resources for improving your celestial knowledge. Please meet at the Discovery Centre at 5:15 pm.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. It is Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park and one of the most northerly in the world.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cool February conditions and changeable weather. Sturdy footwear, lots of layers, along with gloves and a hat will make your telescope and stargazing experience more enjoyable. If conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees. Toilets are available in the Discovery Centre.

Suggested donation £5 through Eventbrite or on the night helps to support the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Cairngorms Dark Sky Park. Under 16’s free.

Please note there are two events on the same evening.

EARLY SHOWING: 6:00-7:30pm (doors @5:40pm) and LATE SHOWING from 8:00-9:30pm

Join Anna Wells as she shares her journey to become the first woman and fourth person to climb all 282 Munros in a single winter season. On March 13th 2024 , she completed the extraordinary challenge with a week to spare, in just 83 days.

Anna will delve into her climbing background and explore the motivations that drove her to take on the Winer Munro Round. Discover what she learned about resilience, commitment and finding joy in difficult conditions.

Alongside photos and videos, Anna will recount her preparation, strategy and most memorable days of the winter; Soaring highs with breathtaking sunrises to long lonely nights battling through blizzards.

Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast or simply curious about Scotland’s wild places, join Anna for an evening that celebrates adventure and the power of setting big goals. The night will end with a Q&A, giving you a chance to ask questions about the journey.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult

Good Guy Hank
Live at Glenbuchat Hall
Saturday 17th May 2025
Entrance £15
To reserve tickets in advance

www.ticketsource.co.uk/glenbuchat-live-music

From the harmonious Heartlands of Scotland and the musical metropolis of Melbourne, Australia, Good Guy Hank bring all of the heartbreak, joy and everything in-between with blistering bluegrass country guitar, lightning mandolin, virtuoso fiddle playing and three part harmonies galore! Influences range from Hank Williams, Elbow, Lucinda Williams to Drive By Truckers, Gillian Welsh and Calexico.

The Ross Couper Band
Live at Glenbuchat Hall
26th April 7.30pm
Tickets
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/aberdeenshire/glenbuchat-hall/the-ross-couper-band/2025-04-26/19:30/t-pqezzkk

The Ross Couper Band features Ross Couper on fiddle, Michael Biggins on Piano and Paul Jennings on Drums, with Sam Mabbett sometimes joining them on accordion. Ross Couper is a known virtuoso with a distinctive Shetland style. Over the past 15 years, Ross has become a firmly established face in the Scottish folk scene performing in duo format with the formidable Tom Oakes, with folk band Bodega, and today his explosive fiddle playing lies at the heart of the mighty Peatbog Faeries – one of the best known names in Scotland’s contemporary folk scene.
The Ross Couper Band was born at Celtic Connections festival in 2023, with Ross joined by the incredible Michael Biggins on piano (BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year for 2021), fellow Shetlander Paul Jennings on drums and percussion, and Sam Mabbett on melodeon.
What followed was multiple approaches to perform at various festivals the length and breadth of the country and a week in the studio to record the band’s debut album , Homeroad, in December 2023.

During Froglets sessions you and your child will connect to the natural world through exploration of the park, sensory activities, stories, and songs about animals from around the globe. Specially developed for children aged 24-36 months, these sessions are designed to promote early learning and STEM development over a six week block. Your place also includes free entry into the park for you and your little one so you have time to explore and socialise with other parents and carers after each session.

Purchasing one ticket allows one adult and one child (aged between 24 and 36 months on the first session date) access to six 45 minute weekly sessions plus park entry after the event. The dates of thsi block are:

Tuesday 21 January 2025

Tuesday 28 January 2025

Tuesday 4 February 2025

Tuesday 11 February 2025

Tuesday 18 February 2025

Tuesday 25 February 2025

Please note, Froglets sessions will involve some travel around the park and (weather permitting) we will spend time outdoors during the sessions. Our sessions are designed with a flexible, no-pressure approach, so if you need to take time out of a session for any reason, you’ll be able to jump back into the activities whenever you’re ready.

We also run sessions for otjer age groups, so if this session isn’t right for your little one please look at Highland Wildlife Park Tadpoles (12-24 months) or Highland Widlife Park Frogs (3-5 years).

We offer a 10% members discount. If you are eligible for this discount, or have any other questions, please contact education@rzss.org.uk!