Posts for November, 2023

We’re extremely excited to announce that Santa Claus will be visiting the park on the 2nd & 3rd and 16th & 17th of December.

Santa will be arriving at the park on his Christmas sleigh, getting pulled along by some of his favourite reindeer! Yes, that’s right, real reindeer!

Santa will be arriving at the park at 12pm and will be hanging around for photo opportunities with his reindeer until around 3pm!

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Group and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust for a night of introductory stargazing and star stories during the new moon at Inveraven Church & Pictish Stones. Where do we get our stories of the night sky? What did the Celts see in the night sky? Come along to find out more and have a go trying out our community telescope.

Access to Inveraven Church is off the A95 about half a mile north of the entrance to Ballindalloch Castle, and can be found by following the brown tourist sign directing visitors down the single track road to the Inveraven Pictish Stones.

Parking is available at the bottom of the drive before you arrive at the church or in front of the church building. We will be meeting in the foyer inside the church building before walking up to field above to access the telescope.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cold and changeable weather. Please also wear shoes appropriate for outdoor, wet, and muddy conditions.

Suggested donation £5 on the night.

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

Join us from 6pm at Lynstock Crescent in Nethy Bridge

We will be piped off by a young local piper at 7pm and create a river of light through the village.

Torches £5 | Hot Chocolate | Mulled Hot Drinks

Join Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage Ranger Lydia for an introduction to Pictish art and symbol stones. We will be looking at four Pictish 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 will show how the Picts contributed to the shaping of modern Scotland.

Access to Inveraven Church is off the A95 about half a mile north of the entrance to Ballindalloch Castle, and can be found by following the brown tourist sign directing visitors down the single track road to the Inveraven Pictish Stones.

Parking is available at the bottom of the drive before you arrive at the church or in front of the church building.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for changeable weather.

Children are very welcome to attend. Please note that toilet facilities are not available on site.

Well behaved dogs may attend but must be leashed.

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

This year we are raising funds towards Phase 2 of our Ski slope, which is the addition of the Magic carpet feature which will open up the slope to people with additional needs.

We are limiting numbers this year due to a reduced parking area so please book your slot here online to secure a space.
Times –

Registration forms from 9.30am
Dip 10.30 am

£10 Entry fee donation

WE ASK PARTICIPANTS TO SIGN UP ONLINE BEFORE 11AM ON 31st DECEMBER

Consent forms MUST be filled out and either email it back to beach@lochinsh.co.uk or bring it in the morning of the 1st to hand into registration desk on the beachfront.

FOOD AND DRINK
The Boathouse Restaurant will be open for Breakfasts and tables will be on a first come first served basis
We will also be offering takeaway breakfast rolls and hot drinks between 10am and 11am .

PARKING
Please allow some extra time for parking as this can get quite busy.

Moray’s earliest surviving tower house is reputed to have been built for Scotland’s vilest man- Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch.

Drumin Castle is an impressive medieval fortification standing on a commanding bluff overlooking the confluence of the River Livet and the River Avon.

Once we get to the castle, you’ll learn a bit about the architecture, history, and the notorious Wolf, whose evil deeds continue to cast a long shadow in Moray’s history.

This castle has recently reopened after masonry repairs. Access to the first floor is once again possible via a narrow, stone staircase. Sensible footwear is recommended.

Toilets are not available on site.

Children are very welcome to attend.

Well behaved dogs are welcome.

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

“Glenlivet it has castles three, Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskie”. This Heritage Ranger led castle 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 fantastic views over the glen. 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 1586 Blairfindy passed to the Earls of Huntly, another branch of the family, who used it as a hunting seat. A panel above the arched doorway bears the Gordon arms and this date. 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.

Research has shown that the castle was probably burned by troops after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and it was never repaired or occupied after this time. 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’ (see last photo).

Access is by foot along a dedicated track. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing for changeable weather.

Toilets are available inside The Glenlivet Distillery Visitor Centre.

Children are very welcome to attend.

Well behaved dogs are welcome.

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

Peaking on December 13th, the Geminids are set to be the most impressive meteor shower of 2023. Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and TGDT to experience this special celestial phenomena.

The meteors of the Geminid meteor shower are very bright, moderately fast, and are unusual in being multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue. These colours are partly caused by the presence of traces of metals like sodium and calcium, the same effect that is used to make fireworks colourful.

Please meet at the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre at 18:30 and come dressed for outdoor weather. We’ll have a briefing in the Discovery Centre before taking a short walk down to the Field of Hope or over to the school field dependent on conditions. Parking is available in the square. If the weather isn’t suitable on the night a presentation will take place indoors at the Discovery Centre and the Dark Skies Exhibition will be accessible.

Suggested donation of £5 will contribute to our local lighting improvement plan in the Cairngorms Dark Sky Park.

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

Run Balmoral is a two-day running festival, plus mountain bike duathlon, catering for all age groups.

It is held in the stunning grounds of the Balmoral Estate with the famous Castle providing a spectacular backdrop. All races are held on traffic-free roads and trails, offering wonderful views of the Deeside countryside and the Cairngorm mountains.

In addition to the races, there’s a vibrant Event Village offering a range of quality catering facilities and numerous fun activities for children.

It’s a true family day out.

Brooklynn Guest House and Strathspey tours will be holding guided Stargazing tours during November and December, guests will be taken out into a dark sky area in the Cairngorms and guided through the dark sky, identifying constellations and the planets. These tours are ideal for beginners and families. Contact us for further information .