Posts for October, 2023

Sarah White from the RSPB will talk about Cairngorms Connect – Landscape Scale Restoration. Open to all.

Join Santa and his reindeer through the streets of Grantown on Spey on the evening of 23rd December at 19.00 for a 19.30 start as we celebrate the festive time of year. Torches (both flame and battery) will be available to purchase and will accompany your atmospheric stroll through the town to The Square. Here there will be some carol singing to end the evening on fine song. There will be the opportunity to meet with Santa and his reindeer and chat to the Cairngorm Reindeer staff.

Our last market of the season – lots of locally produced food, drink, crafts and gifts. Come and have a mooch around our wonderful wares – there will be Christmas gifts ideas and delicious treats in abundance!

On December weekends in the run up to Christmas, our Paddocks are filled with tinsel and decorations, kids can complete a festive quiz (please bring a pen!), and Santa himself comes to visit. We don’t run a grotto as such – instead Santa wanders round the exhibition area greeting visitors as he goes (occasionally he even has chocolates to hand out!).

As always, around four of our beautiful reindeer will be on display, though please note that they are across the other side of a fence and we don’t guarantee that they will come over to be patted. There is also an informative exhibition with lots of information about our herd, reindeer in general and other wildlife in the vicinity.

The Paddocks are self guided and are perfect for children and for visitors who are unable to go on the Hill Trip. They are wheelchair and pushchair accessible, and as well as being able to see the reindeer, there is lots of information about every aspect of reindeer. Do bear in mind that the daylight does start to go from about 4pm onwards in mid-winter, and while there are floodlights in the Paddocks, visibility will unavoidably be a bit reduced.

Please note that whilst you will get a close up view of the reindeer here, there is no direct contact with them and no opportunity to feed them.

Come and enjoy our annual shinty tournament which sees local youth teams compete to win the coveted Am Fasgadh Quaich!

Night Trail Race Events on the stunning Glen Tanar Estate in Aboyne – The Illuminator is Back!

8km, 15km or 15 miles by moonlight. Enter now for a unique experience – this is a Night Trail Race like no other!

Join foraging expert Tamara Colchester on a three-hour autumnal walk that will introduce participants to around 15 wild, edible and medicinal trees, flowers and plants, along with their etymology, folklore and how best to prepare them.

Learn as you go about poisonous plants, and how to safely identify and avoid them. This meditative, sensory walk will take you into the riotous abundance of autumn, ending in a foraged herbal tea with delicious cakes and biscuits prepared with wild ingredients.

Where: The walk will take roughly 3 hours and will remain within the Gardens & Grounds of Blair Castle, so an ability to manage this distance is required.

These short walks will introduce children to the practice of autumn foraging, allowing for a fun and relaxed morning of learning about the special flora and fauna of Blair Atholl.

During the walk we will learn about mushrooms, wild greens and berries, also taking the time to look at animal tracks and other signs of the abundant wildlife found in the grounds and gardens.

The walks will be multi-sensory, but very safe, with great care taken to teach children about how to safely learn about the natural world.

Age: Recommended for over 4 years old, but parents with other children attending can bring young children/babies. Children under 6 years old must be accompanied by an adult or older sibling.

Spookfest 2023 is back from the 7th to the 28th of October, so get your cameras ready to capture something truly creepy! Enter Wonderwood (if you dare!) and immerse yourself in our Halloween displays for some spooktacular photo opportunities!

We have a great line up of Spookfest competition activities at Bamboozeleum, Lost Labyrinth, The Butterfly House and Reception Halloween Corner. These include Glinda’s Golden Broom Competition, Trail of the Cursed Pumpkins, Spooky Spider Colouring Competition and Cassandra’s Cat Conundrum-all of which will run daily and are included in your ticket.

Come dressed for the occasion to enter our Spookfest ‘Photo Competition 2023’! Forgot your costumes, no problem we have a ‘Spooky Dress Up’ area so you can still take part-we can’t wait to see all your spook-tastic park photos! The winners of each ‘Spookfest Competition’ will be announced on the 1st of November.

We also have 20 attractions to explore, so if you haven’t made plans this October break-don’t miss out on some scarily good fun for the whole family!

Join us for three hours of scarily-good fun in the outdoors this October. Start by decorating your very own pumpkin pal before heading up to our archery range to use him as your terrifying target! Our ghostly hosts will be on hand to help you master your aim with a bow and arrow.

Afterwards, you’ll be treated to a roaring bonfire that’s perfect for toasting some tasty marshmallow treats and sipping on a warm chocolate drink. The Cairngorms are home to a whole host of frightening folklore tales that are perfect for some spooky storytelling!

Once you’re fuelled and ready for warfare, we’ll get you kitted up to take on BattleZone Laser Tag! You and your troops will be needed for our digital zombie shoot-off using infra-red technology guns.