Posts for August, 2024

🏊‍♂️🏃‍♀️Loch Garten Summer Olympic Challenge 🤸‍♂️🧘
Join us in our Olympic Challenge!
Compete in our five nature based events to win an eco friendly medal 🥇
When: August 12-18th
Where: Loch Garten Nature Centre
Price: £2 (includes kids Olympic challenge sheet and medal)
Can you build a nest like an osprey or run as fast as a wildcat? 😼Can you balance as well as a squirrel or jump as far as a frog? 🐸
Come along to find out!

“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.

Please park at the The Glenlivet Distillery car park. The walk will start from outside the stillhouse under the green signpost marked ‘Blairfindy Castle 1/2 mile’.

Join us for a walk around Moray’s earliest surviving tower house, reputedly built for Scotland’s vilest man, Alexander Stewart—the infamous Wolf of Badenoch. Drumin Castle, an impressive medieval fortification, stands on a commanding bluff overlooking the confluence of the River Livet and the River Avon.

Upon reaching the castle, you’ll learn about its architecture, history, and the notorious Wolf, whose evil deeds continue to cast a long shadow over Moray’s history.

Drumin Castle has now reopened after masonry repairs, with access to the first floor now possible via a narrow stone staircase. Sensible footwear is recommended.

Please park at the Drumin Castle car park. This short circular walk will begin at the Drumin Castle sign in the car park. The route follows a pedestrian trail to the castle and returns via a set of steps. Please dress appropriately for changeable weather. Children love castles and are very welcome to attend. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome.

Please note that toilets are not available on site.

This event is funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.

Heritage Ranger talk: Inveraven Church & Pictish Stones

Join the Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage and Dark Sky Ranger for an introduction to the Picts, their art and symbol stones. We will be examining the intricate carvings on the four stones discovered in the churchyard of Inveraven, which has been a site of spiritual practice and pilgrimage for centuries. This tour will provide an overview to Pictish art and culture and demonstrate how the Picts contributed to the founding of modern Scotland.

This event offers a unique opportunity to delve into Scotland’s past, allowing you to connect with its ancient roots. Join us for an afternoon of discovery and insight in stunning Speyside.

Children are usually fascinated by the Picts and are encouraged to attend. As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for changeable weather.

This event is by donation. Donations can be made through Eventbrite or in person on the day. Children and youth under 16 are free. Like many churches across Scotland, Inveravon Church and Pictish Stones have unfortunately been earmarked for closure and sale by the Church of Scotland. The local community is currently in the process of exploring ways to keep it open by creating a heritage centre and community hub. Thousands of tourists visit the stones every year from every corner of the globe and it would be disappointing if they were no longer accessible. Funds raised from talks and events help to support community and heritage events run by the Friends of Inveravon Church.

Please note that toilet facilities are not available on site. Public toilets are available in Cragganmore at Ballindalloch Station on the Speyside Way or in Aberlour. There are also customer facilities available at the nearby Lagmore Cafe when open.

Well behaved dogs may attend but must be leashed.

Funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.

Join Kathryn Joseph and Lomond Campbell in a world-first performance that reimagines Kathryn’s songs, born from their collaboration at Lengths Studio.

Discover the unique synergy between these two artists as they bring new life into familiar melodies on a night of innovative musical exploration where Kathryn Joseph’s heartfelt compositions meet Lomond Campbell’s atmospheric prowess.

Helped by expert scythers, we’ll be spending the day learning how to make and manage wildflower meadows. You’ll have a chance to learn the basics of how to use a scythe, as well as identifying different wildflowers and the invertebrates that use them. We’ll also discuss meadow management, the importance of species like yellow-rattle, and initiatives such as no-mow May.

Beautiful, biodiverse, and brimming with life, wildflower meadows are a key ally in the climate and biodiversity emergencies. However, in the UK we have lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 1930s. Here at Mar Lodge we are managing more of our grounds around the Lodge as traditional wildflower meadows, and our delighted to give you the opportunity to undertake a spot of traditional meadow management in the historic surroundings of Mar Lodge.

This is a free event, supported by the Cairngorms Trust.

Booking is essential as there are limited places.

You’ll need sturdy footwear (e.g. walking boots) and suitable clothing including waterproofs, and water and snacks.

Please note that in the case of particularly poor weather conditions, this event may be re-scheduled.

For more information, please call us on 01339720164.

Join the rangers for an afternoon stroll along the River Dee and around the grounds of Mar Lodge, and hear all about the history of this place, and the work we do. The tour gives you an opportunity to see inside the Lodge, Chapel and Stag Ballroom, which are not normally open to the public.

The tour finishes in the Dining Room, where you can enjoy Tea/Coffee and biscuits (included in the price) in this historic setting….and can ask us questions about Mar Lodge Estate that we haven’t already answered.

PLEASE NOTE that this is an extended tour, which includes an hour’s stroll outdoors. This gives us time to tell you a lot more about the estate: how it is managed, the wildlife we have, local history, extreme weather events etc. So if you are only interested in the history of the lodge itself, or are unable to manage a 1hr walk, our ‘ Mar Lodge – Guided tour ‘ events on Eventbrite might be more suitable.

Tour starts at 2pm from the Stables Building, and finishes at 4:30pm in the lodge.

Tickets are £12 per adult; children (under 16) are free; NTS members £9 per adult.

Booking is essential as places are limited. Call 01339 720164 for more information or simply book your place here on Eventbrite.

We will send you directions in your order confirmation.

Ranger Ramble: Explore the Dava Moor

This gentle Ranger Ramble at Dava Moor offers a serene stroll through a typical Highland moorland, with bogs, a lochan and even a few trees!

Bring your binoculars if you have them, but we’ll be concentrating on the botany and beasties, with some history thrown in too…hopefully we’ll get some gorgeous wildlfowers and weather permitting, a butterfly or two!

As we’re focusing on slow observation rather than brisk walking, this wee event is suitable for all – including good dogs.

Any queries please phone: 07818 588 222

Meeting place by the ‘Jesus Saves’ rock on the Nairn to Grantown road. Ignore the map!

We’re excited to be launching our much-loved nature photography workshops at Highland Wildlife Park this year, with renowned professional photographer Laurie Campbell.

The workshops consist of tutorials as well as a tour of Highland Wildlife Park taking in a number of different settings and animals – big and small, stripes and all. Laurie will be with you for the entire day, giving personal attention to each participant as well as sharing many tricks of the trade.

Laurie was a keeper at Edinburgh Zoo before embarking on a highly successful thirty-year career as a nature photographer and has now returned as the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) nature photographer in residence. He has over thirty-five years’ experience in leading photographic workshops, has illustrated and authored several books – including the bestselling ‘RSPB Guide to Bird & Nature Photography’ – and has won twenty-three awards in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. In 2014 he was awarded the RSPB’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A selection of his work can be viewed at lauriecampbell.com

Please read the full Nature Photography Workshop Terms and Conditions here before booking a place.

For further information please contact events@rzss.org.uk

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

* Cairngorms Connect deer stalkers will talk about the methods, equipment, ethics, and sustainability of deer stalking for conservation management and will give a hands on demonstration of lardering the deer.
* A local butcher will then teach us about preparing all the different cuts of meat and what they are best used for, and you can even have a go yourself.
* We will then relocate to the tepee at the Dell of Abernethy for a live cooking demo over the fire by a local professional chef. Discover creative venison dishes and different ways to incorporate venison easily into our diet.
* And finally, we’ll share a meal of delicious dishes at a long communal table.

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 or by donation – please take advantage of this if you need to.

Donations go towards our ongoing community engagement work, supporting more people to connect with this landscape. We’re able to offer these ticket options thanks to funding from the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Programme.

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.