Posts for July, 2024

Join us for an event like no other!

Start time picnic talk: 10:00
Start time walk: 11:00

Picnic-Talk
Time: 10:00 AM
Bring your own snacks and join us for an engaging outdoor talk where we’ll explore the sustainable practices of the historic Highland population. You will also have a chance to see how natural products were utilised. Items might include handmade rope, brushes, charms, and even some samples of food to try.

This session will blend historical information and captivating stories, providing a tangible connection to the past. The talk will last approximately 1 hour, including a Q&A session.


Guided Walk:
Time: 11:00 AM
Part two of the event takes us on a scenic walk in Glen Banchor. We’ll delve deeper into the availability of natural ressources for the historic Highland communities and discuss ways of living harmoniously with the land.
The walk, including breaks for discussion, will last between 1.5 to 2 hours. We’ll follow a 1.86 km route up the first part of Creag Bheag, avoiding the steepest sections. Depending on the group’s pace and interest, we can extend the walk with a visit to the nearby river.


Event Highlights:
Historical Insights: Discover how industrialisation and colonialism disrupted sustainable practices and contributed to the current climate crisis.
Traditional Stories: Hear tales that highlight the deep connection between people and the landscape, showcasing the wisdom and sustainable knowledge from the past.
Environmental Roots of the Scottish Enlightenment: Learn about the ‘improvers’ and ecologists who used the Highlands as a great outdoor laboratory, leading to improvement schemes and the resulting anxieties over overpopulation, resource exhaustion, and physical limits.
Evolution of the Idea of Progress: Explore how progress was once linked to moral and spiritual advancement but became increasingly associated with scientific and technological development, economic growth, and material advancement.
Sustainability Origins: Discuss the origins of the concept of sustainability.
Interactive Experience: Engage in conversations about sustainable practices, living with the land, and how to use our environment without abusing it.

🐷🎉Join us at Landmark Forest Adventure Park for a magical meet and greet with everyone’s favourite piggy, Peppa Pig! 🌳✨
📅 Date: 24th and 25th August
🕒 Times: 11 am, 12 pm, 1.30 pm, 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm
📍 Location: Dinosaur Kingdom, Landmark Forest Adventure Park
Bring the whole family for a fun-filled day of adventure and Peppa Pig smiles. There will be photo opportunities and plenty of laughs. Don’t miss out on the chance to make unforgettable memories!

Adult (15-64yrs) – £31 // Child (4-14yrs) – £29 // Senior (65yrs+) – £29 // Toddler (3yrs) – £14 // Super Senior (75yrs+) – FREE // Under 3yrs – FREE

Access to all 23 attractions is included in the ticket price. There is no extra charge to ‘Meet & Greet’ Peppa Pig! Please note these are our ‘online’ discounted prices if you book a day in advance (before midnight).

Get your park tickets by visiting www.landmarkpark.co.uk!

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.

“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’.

Welcome stargazers! Join us at the Field of Hope, Tomintoul as we celebrate the return of darker skies with the Perseid Meteor Shower on Monday, Aug 12, 2024 at 22:30. Bring your blankets, nibbles, warm flasks, and friends for a night of wonder under the stars with our local astronomer Sam. If the weather is unsuitable outdoors on the night a presentation will be given at the Discovery Centre indoors in Tomintoul where you’ll also be able to explore the Dark Skies exhibition.

We will be meeting at the Discovery Centre in Tomintoul from 10pm onwards. We will then walk in a group with red head torches down to the Dark Sky Discovery site and bird hide. Parking is available in the square.

Participants will be contacted prior to the event with an update on weather and conditions.

We Are Water Foundation and Craigendarroch Suites, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club and Craigendarroch Lodges, Managed by Hilton Grand Vacations join forces to kick off the second edition of “Walkathons For Water” with 21 walks in 21 European cities in Spain, U.K., France, Italy, Portugal and Austria. These charity walks aim to reduce the distance for children in their search for water and give them the opportunity to have a more dignified life. It is a special event due to its charitable nature, but also because of its significant distance: 6 kilometres is the average distance that millions of children in Africa, Asia and Latin America must walk every day to fetch drinking water. For every kilometre that is walked during these Walkathons will help to shorten the distance for those searching for water.

The Walkathons will help raise funds to support two aid projects to bring drinking water and sanitation to more than 5,600 beneficiaries in India and Tanzania. In India, funds are being raised for the construction of domestic toilets in 50 households in the indigenous Irular community (Ranipet, Tamil Nadu), while in Tanzania the project will provide sustainable access to safe water for the village of Kwedizinga (Tanga region).

The Walkathon will start at Craigendarroch Suites, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club – Braemar Rd, Ballater, Royal Deeside, Scotland AB35 5XA – on Tuesday, July 9 at 11 a.m. and the walk will be around the Moorland area. At the end of the Walkathon, participants are invited to enjoy some fun activities including a raffle.

To register, simply access the “Walkathons For Water” 2024 website and register with a minimum donation of €5, or register directly onsite.

Under the guidance of an instructor from Loch Insh Outdoor Centre, an RSPB Warden will lead this special guided tour through the reserve, where you can experience the unique habitats and species at Insh Marshes from the water.

Choose either to canoe or paddleboard: feel free to bring your own if you have one, but don’t worry if not – thanks to funding from the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme through Cairngorms Connect, equipment hire is included with your ticket, if needed.

Participants will also be welcome to claim 20% off a meal or snacks in the Boathouse Restaurant to refuel after the event.

Children over 12 welcome, under 18s with an accompanying adult. We will meet at the Loch Insh Outdoor Centre car park.

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, off-road wheelchairs, adapted bikes etc. If have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch.

“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 Scotalnd’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.

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.

Paddleboarding is a fun and accessible way to adventure on the water. Experience it with the support of one of our amazing instructors, who will be there to keep you safe, build your confidence, and help teach you all the essential skills and knowledge you need.