Posts for May, 2023

Live music with Alan Frew. No need to book.
Come down, have a few drinks and some fun with us!

Live music with Jono. No need to book, just turn up and have some fun with us.
Head over to Jono’s Instagram page to check out his music @meandmyguitar
See you on the dancefloor!

Come down to The Balavoulin to see some awesome live music. We have tables available to book food up until 8pm and then relax with a drink to see Chris Grant from 9pm.
Free local event with plenty of fun to be had.
See you on the dancefloor!

Join us in Abernethy Forest for a behind the scenes masterclass with Cairngorms Connect Venison.


Together we will experience the whole journey, from forest to fork:

*Cairngorms Connect deer stalkers will talk about the methods, equipment, ethics and sustainability of deer stalking for conservation management and will demonstrate lardering the deer.

*A local butcher will then teach us about butchering, all the different cuts of meat and what they are best used for, and you can even have a go yourself.

*We will then settle down in the tepee at the Dell of Abernethy for a live cooking demo by a local professional chef, discovering unusual venison dishes and different ways to incorporate venison easily into our diet; before finally tasting all the dishes.


Please note the exact location of the event will be provided upon booking.


It is important that all people have equal access to Cairngorms Connect events.

We don’t want finance to be a barrier to people attending and so have made some tickets available for free – please take advantage of this if you need to.

We are happy to provide for your requirements, wherever possible eg. BSL interpreters, off-road wheelchairs, adapted bikes etc. If have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch.

An outdoor food market established in 2015, supporting local businesses, charities and organisations. Every 4th Saturday of every month, April – November. A chance to buy direct from local producers and artisans. Stalls range from local cheese, bread and beer to fresh meat, vegetables and honey – almost all are based within 40 miles of Ballater. Held on The Church Green.

Come and join the Ballater Walking Festival. We have 3 or 4 walks a day, from Strenuous uphill routes , Moderate walks, Easy walks and walks of Special Interest. The walks start on Sunday 4th June and are every day until and including Friday 9th June. Walkers meet in Ballater at the hut on the green in the centre of the village , usually at 8am (Strenuous), 9am (Moderate) and 10am for the Easy and Special Interest walks. Friendly and informative leaders.
There is also a programme of evening events – a reception, an informative talk about the future of the Cairngorm National Park, and a Ceilidh on the Friday night. These events are free to walkers. We also have a dinner in the middle of the week.
The event is run by a volunteer committee, who would be very happy to welcome you to our friendly festival. Places are still available, so please go on our website, book your walks, and we shall see you in June.

Join us for a day full of learning and experience. We’ll give you the downlow on key things we have learned about:

how to set up and run a productive kitchen garden
keeping hens
working with pigs
regenerative grazing
introduction to beekeeping
planting trees, including fruit trees

There is a HUGE amount of material to cover so this will be intense and fast paced. The day starts at 9am and finishes at 5pm with a BBQ lunch in between. If there is enough interest, we may look to run a second course so if booking is not available, please get in touch with us directly via our website contact form.

Booking Essential

Join us for a fully packed morning in our super abundant kitchen garden, where we will share our experiences in our journey to become self-sufficient, covering:

how to set up a kitchen garden and soft fruit garden
the role of wildflowers and medicinal herbs
growing in a polytunnel
making your own compost
simple water systems

We’ll stop part way through the morning for a cuppa and a slice of cake but otherwise, it will be all about the learning as we download our experiences to you.

Booking essential via website

Join us and foraging expert Clare Holohan from West Highland Herbal and co-author of Scotland’s Wild Medicine for a day learning about wild plants.

You will learn how to identify and use local plants for all round health, which will include a walk around the grounds of the croft in the morning with some foraging and discussion on food and medicinal uses of the plants we find.

You’ll then gather for a feast lunch, which will include some locally sourced produce, supplemented with anything edible we find in the morning.

In the afternoon, you’ll head back out with Clare to do some more practical learning, either making remedies or foods with whatever we have found. Throughout the day, we will talk a little about how we work with nature and our team of animals to build biodiversity across Lynbreck, a place that can provide for all of us.

Discover the very best food and drink the Cairngorms has to offer, alongside local high quality crafts and gifts. You’ll find freshly cooked food ready for you to enjoy straight away, as well as things to take away with you too.

There are games for children to enjoy; free parking nearby; sit down meals and drinks at The Winking Owl; outdoor seating and cover.

We aim to offer visitors a lively, bustling atmosphere; provide a balanced cross-section of products, and encourage shoppers to buy local.