Posts for June, 2025

Come along and enjoy our annual Outlander Day! You can enjoy a programme of talks/demos including Andy the Highlander and Sarah Fraser discussing Andy’s book ‘Loch’s & Legends’, Marion from our Township team on 17 century dyeing and weaving, and a demonstration by the Badenoch Waulking Group.
Why not dress up and join in our costume competition? Spend time exploring our 1700s Township and meet the Inverness Outlanders Group. Hope to see you there!

EXPLORE WALKING HOLIDAYS IN SCOTLAND: WALK ON THE WILD SIDE IN THE CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK

When you explore walking holidays in Scotland with a focus on wildlife encounters, you’ll find this trip on your radar. This trip takes place in the Cairngorms National Park, Britain’s largest National Park.

visit the Strathspey Wildlife Hide managed by Speyside Wildlife
walk on the RSPB Abernethy reserve with the opportunity to see Scottish Crossbill, Crested Tit and even the elusive Capercaillie
keep your eye out for ptarmigan and snow bunting when we head up Cairngorm

Calling all knitters! We have an exciting new event exploring the art of natural dyeing together and learning about Cairngorms Connect along the way.

Discover Cairngorms Connect events are designed to give you an introduction to Cairngorms Connect while experiencing the landscape in different ways, in collaboration with local businesses and organisations.

Join us for an introduction to local plants, how to harvest them sustainably, and how to use them to dye wool.

Under expert guidance from Julie at Black Isle Yarns, we will learn how to use botanicals to safely and naturally dye yarn.We will then take a walk in local woods to talk about the types of plants we can use and how to identify them.

We will also share a light lunch featuring Cairngorms Connect Venison, prepared for us by a local chef.



All participants should wear sturdy shoes and clothing suitable for splashes and walking/working outdoors.

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 you have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch.

We don’t want finance to be a barrier to people attending and so have made some tickets available for free – please take advantage of this if you need to.

A Celebration of the Doors Open Days, Badenoch & Strathspey weekend.
( www.doorsopendays.org.uk/2025-weekends )

We plan to have some stalls and refreshments from 11am to 3pm.

Enjoy vintage cars, motorbikes, stationary engines, buses, tractors, choppers, lorries, auto jumble, BBQ, stalls and more – fun for all the family!
No entry charge, donations welcome (Car parking charges apply)

Come along to the Old Bridge Inn and give Screen Printing a try with Colleen from Timber + Stitch.
Screen print your own T-shirt or Tote bag by designing your own stencil or use pre made ones.

Keep the kids entertained or get involved yourself creating your own holiday keep sake on the banks of the Spey while enjoying good beer and food – What’s not to love?

All those who give screen printing a try will be entered into a raffle to win a £50 OBI voucher – yay!

No creative ability required, just come along and give it a go.

This summer foraging course is an invitation to learn about the edible and medicinal summer plants found in the grounds of Blair Castle & Gardens. Summer is a special time for foraging and this walk will give us time to celebrate the best of this season, as the plants bring forth the last of their flowers, nutritious seeds and ripening berries.

The course consists of a 2.5 hour foraging walk, in which you will learn lifelong identification techniques, inspiring recipe ideas, and a wealth of ethnobotanical tales.

During the walk we will move through a variety of habitats – woodland, meadow, hedgerow and garden – taking time to connect with each surrounding environment, noticing their changing flora and subtle variations in character.

We will finish up with a wild tea in Hercules Garden, with time to revise the plants learnt and how best to store them for future use.

All participants will also receive a personalised PDF containing information about all the plants met.



This course will give you:

How to safely identify over 20 edible and medicinal summer plants and trees Methods and techniques for how best to work with them as food and medicine A time of mindful walking among beautiful grounds Exciting recipes to regularly include wild plants in your meals
What to bring:

Shoes that are comfortable and waterproof

Wet weather gear in case of rain

A basket or container

Meeting point:

Meet on the green in front of the castle, next to the ‘The Cannon’ coffee cart.

This autumn foraging course is an invitation to learn about the edible and medicinal autumnal plants and fungi found in the grounds of Blair Castle & Gardens. Autumn is a special time for foraging and this walk will give us time to celebrate the best of this season, join us as we discover many different varieties of mushroom, nutritious nuts and seeds and succulent berries.

The course consists of a 2.5 hour foraging walk, in which you will learn lifelong identification techniques, inspiring recipe ideas, and a wealth of ethnobotanical tales.

During the walk we will move through a variety of habitats – woodland, meadow, hedgerow and garden – taking time to connect with each surrounding environment, noticing their changing flora and subtle variations in character.

We will finish up with a wild tea and homemade cake and biscuits in Hercules Garden, with time to revise the plants learnt and how best to store them for future use.

All participants will also receive a personalised PDF containing information about all the plants met.



This course will give you:

How to safely identify over 20 edible and medicinal autumn plants, fungi and trees Methods and techniques for how best to work with them as food and medicine A time of mindful walking among beautiful grounds Exciting recipes to regularly include wild plants in your meals
What to bring:

Shoes that are comfortable and waterproof

Wet weather gear in case of rain

A basket or container

Meeting point:

Meet on the green in front of the castle, next to the ‘The Cannon’ coffee cart.

Loch Muick Guided Walk
A fairly level circuit around the spectacular Loch Muick on the Balmoral Estate provides good views of the surrounding mountains and the local flora & fauna.

The walk takes in the impressive Glas-allt Shiel house on the shore of the loch. Queen Victoria built it in 1868 and is nicknamed ” Widow’s House”

There is an optional detour to see some waterfalls, just let your guide know your ability.

Loch Muick – The “loch of the swine” on the Royal Balmoral Estate. See Regeneration of the Highland Environment and the late Queen’s picnic spot (where you can stop for lunch as well). Transport needed.

Morven from Cairngorm Bothies is a there and back route of 16-17km with about 800m of ascent which would equate to approx 8 hrs hrs including stops.

A low Carbon Footprint walk from the Cairngorm Bothies to The Jewel of Deeside; the “Big Mountain” standing alone surveying Mighty Lochnagar; the awe inspiring Cairngorms and beautiful Royal Deeside.

Meeting Point is at the Solar array at Cairngorm Bothies.