Posts for February, 2025

Family fun day with trade fair, bouncy castle, pony rides and more. Finishes with a duck race at 3pm followed by a pipe band parade through the village.

A family fun day on the village Greens in the centre of Ballater on Royal Deeside involving over 50 trade, craft and food stalls, with entertainment for children including hook-a-duck, merry-go-round, bouncy castle and slide.

The Ballater Pipe Band and a 20-piece brass band will play throughout the afternoon, culminating in a giant inflatable duck race on the River Dee at 3pm and a Tote operates if anyone fancies a ‘flutter’ on one of the ducks

Following community engagement events in the summer of 2023, RSPB Insh Marshes has been working with consultants on detailed plans for the next stage of the River and Floodplain Restoration Project.

Join our drop-in sessions at the Lookout Hide for a cuppa and some cake, and find out about plans for the River Tromie, prior to us submitting a planning application.

10am-12noon, or 2pm-4pm

Everyone welcome!

How do I become an instructor?

The honest answer is it’s not for everyone, but if you choose to answer the call and step out of your comfort zone, the rewards and the personal growth you experience are beyond belief. Even if you don’t want to become an instructor, you can still immerse yourself fully in the experience of a lifetime as you complete the most empowering course on the planet… The Firewalk Instructor Training!

The time you spend with your fellow delegates during the training, will be one of the most challenging, but worthwhile experiences you will have… ever!

Training
Throughout The Firewalk Instructor Training, you will learn all you need to know to be able host and facilitate your own empowering events including firewalking, but you will learn so much more. You will learn about the nature of fear, and how it will affect your audience, and understand what tools and resources you can use to get the very best from everyone in the room!

Workshops
Team Building exercises
Eliminating Limiting Beliefs using metaphor
Breaking through Fear
Overcoming Obstacles and Barriers
The Power of Focus
Risk & Safety in your seminar
Hazards – Identifying and eliminating
Creating The Elements of your course
Fire building, safety & management
Firewalk preparation and delivery
Hands On Empowerment Training Classes
Firewalking
Glass Walking
Board Breaking with Bare Hands
Brick Breaking with Bare Hands
Arrow Breaking with your Throat
Steel Bar Bending with your Throat
Falling into Friends

Hands On Empowerment Training Classes
Firewalking
Glass Walking
Board Breaking with Bare Hands
Brick Breaking with Bare Hands
Arrow Breaking with your Throat
Steel Bar Bending with your Throat
Falling into Friends

Come for a Wildlife Wander with someone from our knowledgeable team to see some of the amazing wildlife that Spring brings to Insh Marshes.

March is a time when we can still see winter migrants like Whooper Swans and Greylag Geese. Wading birds will be returning in increasing numbers after their Winter absence so we may see or hear Oystercatchers, Curlew, Redshank and Snipe.

As we walk along the trail, woodland birds will be singing as they feel the stirrings of Spring. So we will listen and look for Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Chaffinches, Mistle- and Song- Thrushes, whose songs may be joined by the drumming of woodpeckers.

Buzzards are fairly common and we may be lucky enough to see Hen Harrier hunting low over the marshes.

We will meet in the RSPB Insh Marshes Car Park – what3words: ///epic.youth.venturing and grid ref: NN775998

Some areas may be rough underfoot. It is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies, and we recommend sturdy footwear.

No way! GRINDURO SCOTLAND is a muckle dram of two-wheeled FUN in a laid back atmosphere finished off with a rocking PARTY OF Type 1 fun. (Well ok, you may suffer too.)

Picture it now… a weekend of celebrating all that is great about cycling, part race, part party, surrounded by the stunning scenery of the stunningly majestic Scottish Highlands… you won’t get bored along the route of Grinduro Scotland.

Come experience a Highland Adventure previously known only to insiders: one of secret paths, ancient military roads, winding trails, wooded climbs and gripping descents. All in good company to the familiar sound of gravel crunching beneath.

Grinduro: A 100km ride with the perfect blend of gravel and singletrack.
Grindurito: A half-distance ride for those looking for a more relaxed challenge.

Picture it now… a weekend of celebrating all that is great about cycling, part race, part party, surrounded by the stunning scenery of the stunningly majestic Scottish Highlands… you won’t get bored along the route of Grinduro Scotland.

Come experience a Highland Adventure previously known only to insiders: one of secret paths, ancient military roads, winding trails, wooded climbs and gripping descents. All in good company to the familiar sound of gravel crunching beneath.

This is 12 season that we have hosted the event up the Cairngorm mountain resort. The weekend consists of demos backcountry seminars and a fun wee race. The moneys we raise from the legendry raffle goes towards the Cairngorm mountain rescue team. All event info is on the Facebook page and information can be found on Instagram.

Thunder in the Glens, by Dunedin Chapter Scotland (9083).

The Biggest and best Chapter run Rally in Europe. This event is held in the grounds of the MacDonald Resort and the event is supported by the whole of Aviemiore.

A must-do part of the Harley-Davidson rally scene.

Images credit Andy Martin

Join us for a monthly Wildlife Wander with our knowledgeable Volunteer Wardens to see some of the amazing wildlife at RSPB Scotland Insh Marshes NNR.

In April and May, we will see the lush green Aspen leaves trembling and hopefully a variety of bird species, including Curlew (which we may hear calling), Lapwing and Snipe (which could be displaying) and song birds singing through the trees. During sunny intervals early butterflies like Orange Tip and Small Tortoiseshell will be flying.

In June, the breeding season is well underway so young birds and other creatures like Roe Deer will be keeping their parents busy. Lapwing chicks will be feeding, running and hiding while relying on their camouflage and their parents to defend them. The marshes and trail are full of life and colourful scented flowers including orchids.

In July, the breeding season for birds is coming to an end, however there is still plenty of other life to be seen on the marshes and in the meadow. Colourful wildflowers include sweetly scented orchids, which attract beautiful butterflies and dragonflies. We will lookout for the scarce Scotch Argus butterfly which feeds on flowers like sunshine-yellow Rock Rose.

In August, the vibrant purple heather should be in full flower and Field Gentian may be coming into bloom. Wildflowers like Knapweed and Devil’s-bit Scabious provide nectar for butterflies. We will lookout for the nationally scarce Scotch Argus butterfly which breeds on the reserve and can be the most common butterfly to be seen this month. Dragonflies like Black Darter and the impressively large Golden Ringed may also be spotted.

September is a good time to look out for raptors like Hen Harriers hunting over the marshes. Buzzards are common and may be seen along the Tromie Trail. Butterflies and dragonflies will continue to fly as long as the weather is warm and sunny – Scotch Argus, Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Peacock and Black Darter are most likely. Many summer flowers have come and gone, but the blues and purples of Harebell, Devil’s-bit Scabious, Common Heather (Ling) and Bell Heather can be seen along the Tromie Trail. Other flowers may include the whites of Yarrow and Eyebright and the yellow of Lady’s Bedstraw.

We will meet in the RSPB Insh Marshes Car Park – what3words: ///epic.youth.venturing and grid ref: NN775998

Some areas may be rough underfoot. It is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies, and we recommend sturdy footwear.

Join Cairngorms Connect to get hands on doing practical habitat restoration work.

Help us to block up old, but still active, ditches on a small area of bog woodland in Glenmore Forest, using hand tools and wood. The aim is to hold more water in the peat, slow the loss of water from the site and to benefit the bog vegetation.

Tools and work gloves will be provided, as will instructions so no experience is necessary.

However, please note this is a physically demanding volunteering session, which includes walking roughly 2km to site and moving around on rough and wet ground with drainage ditches.

It is important that all people have equal access to Cairngorms Connect events. We are happy to provide for your requirements, wherever possible eg. BSL interpreters. If you have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch.

Glenlivet Trail Day – Women Only
Join us for an exciting day of mountain biking at Bike Glenlivet! Get ready to hit the trails and experience the thrill of mountain biking skills in the beautiful Glenlivet Estate. We will gather at Bike Glenlivet to kick off this amazing event which combines coaching, a guided ride, stunning scenary and of course great vibes.

Bike Glenlivet, tucked away in the heart of Glenlivet Estate, is the perfect location for beginner and intermediate riders. It has an amazing variety of confidence inspiring trails, set within gorgeous scenery. Your cheeks will hurt from grinning!

We will begin this incredible day with a full morning of coaching covering FUNdamentals to trail riding and riding features such as rocks, small drops, rollers and berms, working on control, technique and most importantly building your confidence. We’ll have lunch at the amazing trailside cafe before heading out for a guided ride of Glenlivet’s best trails in the afternoon, where we’ll have the opportunity to put our new skills into practice. Our Glenlivet Trail Day is for adult riders wishing to have fun on blue and red trails with like minded individuals.