Posts for December, 2024

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and members of Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust to learn about the planets Saturn and Venus in the constellation of Aquarius. We’ll also be looking at prominent winter stars and constellations and will share resources for improving your celestial knowledge. Please meet at the Discovery Centre at 5:00pm. We’ll then be walking a short distance down to a suitable viewing location in a group with red head torches that will help your vision adapt to the darkness.

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 cold January conditions and changeable weather. Sturdy footwear, lots of layers, along with gloves and a hat will make your 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.

10am registration, run starts at 10.30am.

Join us for a family friendly 2km trail run around the beautiful Abernethy forest!

Entry is £5 per person or £15 per family

Please note that children aged 12 and under should be accompanied by an adult.

All profits will go to Abernethy Primary School Parent Council.

Join us for a magical evening at the Aviemore Ice Rink as we celebrate everything we love about winter with our annual Winter Launch Festival.

Enjoy festive treats like BBQ, mulled wine, and mince pies, gather around the fire pits to toast marshmallows, and soak up the winter atmosphere.

Highlights include an enchanting Ice Dance Show, a chance to Skate with Santa, and a thrilling Ice Hockey demonstration.

This annual event, hosted by Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust, brings our community together for an unforgettable celebration of winter.

📍 Aviemore Ice Rink, within the Macdonald Aviemore Resort

Wrap up warm and join us for an evening of festive fun for all ages!

Grantown on Spey’s torchlight procession.

Meet at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start at The Craiglynne Hotel.

Featuring:
The Badenoch and Strathspey Pipe Band
Santa and his Reindeer
Carol Singing in the Square

The experience of running in the snow at night in the Scottish mountains makes Snow Running a unique event in the UK Hill Running Calendar.

Format: Hill running circuit around Glenshee ski station on the compact piste snow, run at sunset and into the winter night. Short (6.5km) and long (11.5km) courses for range of abilities.

Designed as a challenging but fun event. You can run it as an opportunity to simply experience the challenge of the snowy hills at night or as a fierce mountain competitor chasing the trophy!

Participants must have done sufficient training and have an optimal level of health and physical condition, plus experience of undertaking activities in mountain conditions.

Join us for festive family stargazing on Thursday, December 19th, 2024. We’ll have tea, hot chocolate and festive treats in the Discovery Centre before going outside to look for stars, planets, and constellations. Santa hats, bells, and reindeer noses and antlers welcome!

Toilets are available in the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre.

If the weather isn’t suitable on the day, we’ll endeavour to run an alternative session on the 20th.

As we will be outside in December, please dress extra warmly for cold and changeable weather. Please also wear appropriate shoes for wet, and wintry conditions.

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Group and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust in The Square, Tomintoul for an all ages telescope moon viewing session on Saturday, December 7th, 2024. The first quarter Moon is a great time to view and learn about the moon. Jupiter is also at opposition, which means that Jupiter is directly opposite the sun in the solar system from Earth’s perspective. This alignment makes Jupiter appear larger and brighter than usual, and is the best time to observe it. Saturn will also be in the sky and makes a superb telescope target. We’ll meet at Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre at 43 The Square, Tomintoul at 6:30pm.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. Not only does this remote area have stunning dark skies but it also has easy access allowing everyone to enjoy a night sky brimming with stars.

We’ll have the Celestron telescope and a smartphone bracket on the night that will allow you to take the moon home in your pocket!

Toilets are available in the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre.

If the weather isn’t suitable on the day, we’ll endeavour to run an alternative session in the days following.

As we will be outside in December in the highest village in the Scottish Highlands, please dress warmly for cold and changeable weather. Please also wear appropriate shoes for wet, and wintry conditions.

Would you like to learn more about the night sky and constellations? Join us at the Glenlivet Hall on Thursday, December 5th. We’ll have tea, biscuits, and a brief presentation in the hall before going outside for a short stroll in a group to look at stars, planets, and constellations and share resources for improving your celestial knowledge.

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 the most northerly in the world.

This work party will be removing small regenerating trees and bushes by hand and using hand tools to prevent the shading out of bird’s-foot trefoil, the foodplant of dingy skipper caterpillars. Please let the organizer know in advance if you plan to attend. Bring lunch and wear old clothes. If you have them, bring work gloves.

Image credit – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erynnis_tages,_Dingy_Skipper,_Llanymynech_Hill,_North_Wales,_April_2014_(21689891521).jpg

This work party will be removing regenerating trees by hand and using hand tools to prevent the shading out of kidney vetch, the foodplant of small blue butterfly caterpillars. Please let the organizer know in advance if you plan to attend. Bring lunch and wear old clothes. If you have them, bring work gloves.

The worksite is on the opposite side of the River Dulnain to the nearest road access. If water levels are low, we will be able to walk across the river in welly boots. So please bring welly boots. The work site itself is dry. If the river level is too high for wellies, we will need to walk 1.5 miles to get to the work site, some of this on pathless terrain.

Image credit – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Small_Blue_butterfly_in_the_Liz_Williams_Butterfly_Haven.jpg