Posts for May, 2024

Come and celebrate National Meadows Day with us on a walk to enjoy the beauty of summer wildflowers!

We will walk the Invertromie Trail and see lots of different flowers, from the common, such as Bird’s-Foot Trefoil, Bedstraws and Stitchworts, to the uncommon, such as Rockrose and Petty Whin. The highlight of the walk will be gorgeous Tromie orchid meadow where we will hope to see five species of orchid, including Heath Fragrant Orchid and Small White Orchid.

Some areas may be rough underfoot. This 5k/3mile route is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies, and we recommend sturdy footwear.

Feel free to bring a packed lunch with you as we will be having a lunch stop. There are no facilities to buy food on site – the nearest shops and cafes are in Kingussie.

Under 12s free.

Aviemore Community Enterprise Ltd community market on Aviemore village green every 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month. Many different stalls which vary each event

🌟 Calling all PAW Patrol fans!

Join us at Landmark Forest Adventure Park on June 22nd and 23rd for a special meet-and-greet with Skye and Chase. Bring the whole family for photo ops, hugs, and high-fives with your favourite superhero pups!
Start planning your epic adventure with the PAW Patrol crew today by booking a visit to the park.

Secure your tickets by visiting www.landmarkpark.co.uk!

Remember and bring your cameras!

This is a half day guided walk for those wishing to explore the Glenmore area and find out a bit about it’s natural and human history.

Purchase tickets for children under 18 HERE, under 5s go free.

You can also enjoy lunch after your walk, with filled rolls, soup, cake, and tea & coffee available to purchase.

DETAILED INFO

IS IT FOR ME?

This is perfect for anyone visiting Glenmore who has a few hours to spare and would like to find out more about our special local area while taking in its beautiful scenery. We’ll mostly be on forest tracks and may head off the beaten path a little bit, but the aim of the walk will be to enjoy spending time in the natural environment so no need to worry about hiking up hills!

Families welcome – please book tickets for under 18s at a reduced rate HERE. Under 5s are free of charge

CONTENT

Glenmore Lodge is surrounded by a stunning landscape, and nestled in a beautiful forest at the foot of the Cairngorms. Join us on a guided walk around our local area and explore what makes it special; from the endangered flora and fauna, to it’s human history.

Find out about:

– The protected Caledonian pine forest’s ancient origins and its more recent renewal
– How reindeer came to live in Glenmore
– The native species of wildlife that call the Cairngorms home
– The people who have lived and worked in the area
– You’ll get to hear about this from a friendly guide, while you explore the forest and enjoy the lovely scenery on offer!

The Babble Ride Across Britain covering 980 miles of beautiful landscapes that two wheels can access. Across 9 days, cyclists will make their journey from one end of the UK to another, going from the most southernly point at Land’s End to the most northernly point at John O’Groats.

Although this event is a tough one, it allows the most experienced riders an opportunity to see some the UK’s finest land whilst raising millions of pounds for charity.

The race is split into stages for the Full Race. Glenshee is in stage 7: Hopetoun House to Bellabag.

Weaving amongst the glens and making their way through the glorious highlands of Scotland.

“Day 7 starts with one for the bucket list, an epic crossing over the iconic Forth River Bridge. Your journey continues into the stunning Grampian Mountains through the Cairngorms National Park, conquering the mighty Glenshee on your way. As the route winds into Strathdon, take a minute to admire the historic Braemar Castle”

Key Stats

Distance: 112.3 miles

Ascent: 7,332ft

Challenge Rating: 5/5

‘Rise, winds of autumn, rise; blow upon the dark heath! Streams of the mountains, roar!’

Join a walk to explore the importance of the oral tradition in the Highlands and learn how everything is connected to our landscapes. Experience Ossian’s bardic tales in their natural environment. Listen to history, tales, and Ossianic poetry, while looking at the scenery that surrounded the bards and storytellers. Think about the concept of Dùthchas, a feeling of belonging, understand, how the Ossianic stories generated a fascination with our Highland landscapes far beyond the Scottish borders and why all these stories still matter, today.

On this walk, you will hear stories and have a chance to share your own. You will also be encouraged to participate in a dialogue about our understanding of landscape, culture, and belonging.

There will be ample opportunities to express your understanding of the land in creative photography.

Children: Children are very welcome to join. Please make sure, they are comfortable with the physical demands of the walk and are accompanied by an adult at all times.

Dogs: Friendly dogs are very welcome on these walks and they will at times be in the company of our Landscape Lore dogs, who usually come along on the adventure (If this poses a problem for you, please get in touch, so we can arrange for a dog-free walk).

Meeting Point: Glen Banchor, Newtonmore. The nearest bus stop is 25minutes walking distance away from the meeting point, or you can access it by bike or car. The exact meeting point will be shared with instructions and a pin on google maps after booking.

Route Description and Accessibility: These walks usually cover approximately 2-4km and an ascent of 100-200m. Parts of the route can be very boggy and there are some short, steep sections. We will walk through the foothills of the Monadhliaths and enjoy the views of hills, glens and valleys.

Please be aware that you will need sturdy footing and footwear, as the paths we take can be uneven, steep and rocky in parts.

At an average fitness level, these walks would take about 1 hour, however, I always plan with some extra time, as we will be taking breaks to chat, take photos and share stories.

In case of severe weather conditions, we reserve the right to change the route of the walk or cancel the event.

What to bring: Please bring waterproof clothing, as well as sturdy shoes, and be aware that sections of the path can be rather boggy. We recommend some additional layers, as the weather in the Highlands can change very quickly and be unpredictable at times.

Please also bring a protective cover for your camera, if needed and some snacks.

‘Rise, winds of autumn, rise; blow upon the dark heath! Streams of the mountains, roar!’

Join a walk to explore the importance of the oral tradition in the Highlands and learn how everything is connected to our landscapes. Experience Ossian’s bardic tales in their natural environment. Listen to history, tales, and Ossianic poetry, while looking at the scenery that surrounded the bards and storytellers. Think about the concept of Dùthchas, a feeling of belonging, understand, how the Ossianic stories generated a fascination with our Highland landscapes far beyond the Scottish borders and why all these stories still matter, today.

On this walk, you will hear stories and have a chance to share your own. You will also be encouraged to participate in a dialogue about our understanding of landscape, culture, and belonging.

There will be ample opportunities to express your understanding of the land in creative photography.

Children: Children are very welcome to join. Please make sure, they are comfortable with the physical demands of the walk and are accompanied by an adult at all times.

Dogs: Friendly dogs are very welcome on these walks and they will likely be in the company of our Landscape Lore dogs, who usually come along on the adventure (If this poses a problem for you, please get in touch, so we can arrange for a dog-free walk).

Meeting Point: Kingussie (accessible by public transport), more details will be provided after booking.

Route Description and Accessibility: These walks usually cover approximately 5-7km and an ascent of 200-300m. We will walk through the foothills of the Monadhliaths and enjoy the views of hills, glens and valleys.

Please be aware that you will need sturdy footing and footwear, as the paths we take can be uneven, steep and rocky in parts.

At an average fitness level, these walks would take about 2 hours, however, I always plan with some extra time, as we will be taking breaks to chat, take photos and share stories.

In case of severe weather conditions, we reserve the right to change the route of the walk or cancel the event.

What to bring: Please bring waterproof clothing, as well as sturdy shoes, and be aware that sections of the path can be rather boggy. We recommend some additional layers, as the weather in the Highlands can change very quickly and be unpredictable at times.

Please also bring a protective cover for your camera, if needed and some snacks.

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.

For almost 200 years, the Braemar Gathering has been a highlight of the sporting calendar in Scotland. Nestled beneath bucolic, heather-strewn mountains, it is the most prominent and well-attended Highland games in the world, drawing vast crowds from across the globe.

Held at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park each September in the beautiful Cairngorms village of Braemar, it is the proud continuation of an ancient tradition of Gatherings here — one that can be traced back to the time of King Malcolm Canmore, over 900 years ago.

The Gathering has been run in its present form since 1832. Queen Victoria attended in 1848, and since then it has been regularly attended by the reigning Monarch and members of the British Royal Family.

Celebrating everything 2 wheeled and 3! With a bit of rock and roll thrown in. 2nd weekend in July – go to our facebook page to find out more.