Posts for March, 2025

“Glenlivet it has castles three, Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskie”. This easy guided walk will take us to the 16th century tower house of Blairfindy and begins outside the iconic Glenlivet Distillery. On the walk in we’ll enjoy stunning views over one of Scotland’s most famous glens. You’ll learn a bit about Glenlivet’s rich history and some whisky history too.

Blairfindy Castle was completed in 1564 by John Gordon. In its heyday Blairfindy was a fine example of a three storey L-plan tower house and even today shows a remarkable degree of preservation. A project to stabilise Blairfindy Castle took place in 2019, funded through the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership, a programme supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The castle is now open to visitors for the first time in decades and has been specially adapted to encourage nesting birds and pollinators.

Still Game fans, this is your chance! Jane McCarry, the brilliant actress behind the legendary Isa Drennan, is back on tour in 2025 – and she’s bringing her hilarious stories and behind-the-scenes secrets to Boat of Garten Community Hall!

📅 Thursday 03 April
⏰ 19:30
📍 Boat of Garten Community Hall

Expect non-stop laughs, exclusive insights, and a chance to ask Jane anything about her life as a TV star. Whether you’re a long-time fan or just love a great night of comedy, this is one show you won’t want to miss!

✨ VIP Meet & Greet tickets available! ✨
Meet Jane in person
Get a photo & signed poster

Boat of Garten will be rocking to the sounds of Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly & Elvis Presley, performed by three incredible artists and a high-energy live band.

Expect all the classic hits, from I Drove All Night to Oh Boy and Return to Sender. Can you resist dancing? We wouldn’t bet on it!

🌟 Featuring Marc Robinson from Stars in Their Eyes & Buddy – The Musical, bringing timeless hits like Heartbeat, Peggy Sue & True Love Ways to life.

📅 Friday 21st March
⏰ 7:30pm (Doors open 6:30pm)
📍 Boat of Garten Community Hall

🎟 Tickets still available: wegottickets.com

Don’t miss out—grab your tickets now and get ready to shake, rattle, and roll!

Come and join us for this extra special music event – home-grown folk music, local heritage and good company, in the Talla nan Ros in the heart of Kingussie, in Badenoch.

Local musicians Hamish Napier (flute, whistles, harmonium, vocals) and Jordan Neil (guitar, Scottish small pipes), a brand new all-Strathspey musical duo, will present a programme of folk music themed on River Spey, surrounding hills and local heritage.

★★★★★ “Napier has the composer’s gift of painting a picture with sound, more evocative that an artist. Superb.” FATEA Magazine

Come and join us for this extra special music event – home-grown folk music, local heritage and good company, in the beautiful surroundings of Boat of Garten Community Hall in Strathspey.

Local musicians Hamish Napier (flute, whistles, harmonium, vocals) and Jordan Neil (guitar, Scottish small pipes), a brand new all-Strathspey musical duo, will present a programme of folk music themed on River Spey, surrounding hills and local heritage.

★★★★★ “Napier has the composer’s gift of painting a picture with sound, more evocative that an artist. Superb.” FATEA Magazine

Come and join us for this extra special music event – home-grown folk music, local heritage and good company, in the cozy atmosphere of Edinvillie Community Hall, near Aberlour.

Local musicians Hamish Napier (flute, whistles, harmonium, vocals) and Jordan Neil (guitar, Scottish small pipes), a brand new all-Strathspey musical duo, will present a programme of folk music themed on River Spey, surrounding hills and local heritage.

★★★★★ “Napier has the composer’s gift of painting a picture with sound, more evocative that an artist. Superb.” FATEA Magazine

Come and join us for this extra special music event – home-grown folk music, local heritage and good company, in the cozy atmosphere of Laggan Village Hall in Badenoch.

Local musicians Hamish Napier (flute, whistles, harmonium, vocals) and Jordan Neil (guitar, Scottish small pipes), a brand new all-Strathspey musical duo, will present a programme of folk music themed on River Spey, surrounding hills and local heritage.

★★★★★ “Napier has the composer’s gift of painting a picture with sound, more evocative that an artist. Superb.” FATEA Magazine

Arboreal By Liz Green explores the iconic Highland woodland types made by Pine, Birch and Oak trees as well as plantations. These paintings are a feast of colour, pattern, texture, season and botanical identity distilled to depict the character and atmosphere of uniquely different woodland places.
‘I hope these paintings immerse the viewer in arboreal realms that I have found to be awe-inspiring, grounding and uplifting. Knowing trees can span several human generations and support an intricate wealth of other life is endlessly fascinating at every scale of observation’.
Liz Green is a self-taught artist based at WASPs Inverness Creative Academy and living in Inverness since 2003. Working in both oils and acrylic, her paintings include a mixture of realistic detail and stylised abstraction at differing scales. Her previous life strongly informs her art. With a degree in Botany and career as a plant ecologist, then environmental campaigner Liz has a deep understanding of ecosystems, the value and jeopardy of habitats and the complexity of trying to influence policy. Doing garden design work to suit places and people, then working in schools embedded her interest in visual communication. It was worsening arthritis that propelled her to start painting more in 2010 and she has not looked back.

WENDY GROSVENOR
BA(Hons)Fine Art

AN INTENTION – A stretching or bending of the mind toward an object; closeness of
application; fixedness of attention.

You are invited to view an artist’s exhibition of intention, process and outcome. And to take a tiny glimpse into the world of a sensory practice.
Semi-figurative artist Wendy Grosvenor uses a variety of different mediums to explore and respond to sensory connections and the sensory places that she inhabits.
‘My artmaking always begins with an intention.
My practice embraces tactile markmaking :- paint, water, charcoal, graphite – spoken word, sounds, found objects and three-dimensional form.
My process takes me to unexpected places and invariably, regardless of my intent, my painting seems find a life of it’s own. This is the explorative part for me.
It is exciting to visit a ‘different place’- an unexpected place – on a canvas. There is the gambler’s thrill in the unknowing, together with pure happenstance, which is quite addictive. When this overrides the intention – well, then I am delighted.
Wendy Grosvenor

“Who owns Strathspey”. Fascinating insight into this oft pondered question from Will Anderson, Chief Executive of Seafield & Strathspey Estates. Hosted by The Grantown Society (NOTE change to normal venue: this talk is in Grantown YM/YW Community Centre Cinema).