When is this event?
This 2.5 hour guided walk begins at Grantown Caravan Park before travelling to Castle Grant along the old Highland Railway line (The Dava Way). We will then walk into Grantown to find out why the town was moved.
Hear stories about the Comyn Skull, Lady Barbara’s ghost and why a railway cutting is named after a outlawed clan.
There will also be a chance to forage for seasonal medicinal and edible plants.
This 4 hour guided walk (including breaks) will start at the medieval Castle Roy with its connections to the infamous Wolf of Badenoch, before walking past the elegant Aultmore House. We stop at a viewpoint to see an awe inspiring vista of the Cairngorm mountains before climbing up to the breathtaking Backharn Valley.
Hear stories from the local folklore of an ambush of cattle thieves in the Backharn valley, the evil white serpent and fairy changelings.
The walk will also include an opportunity to forage for seasonal wild food, just as highlanders did through the centuries.
Visit the ancient Pictish Stone at the old Inverallan churchyard and learn about the mysterious Picts. Hear stories of drowned Bailies and cursed Lairds. Visit the standing stones of Ballintomb and explore the unexplained cross shaped earthwork.
Grantown East Car Boot Sale
First Sunday of every month, March to November, 11:00-15:00
Spaces for 50 sellers
Spaces for sellers £10.00 each
Free entry and parking for customers.
To book a space, visit; www.grantowmeast.com/car-boot-sale-booking
Join artists Louise Emslie and Louise Kernaghan on an artful walk exploring concepts of the physical and metaphorical boundaries within the landscape.
Through a series of creative exercises that Louise and Louise will guide you through, we will ask ourselves ‘what does it feel like to walk along a line on a map and what will we discover along the way?’
We’ll be walking a total distance of 6.5k at a gentle pace along a smooth gravel track. All ages welcome (under 18s accompanied with a responsible adult). For more info, please email louise_emsile@msn.com
No previous art experience required and all materials provided.
This event is free, but please ensure to book as places are limited.
Our through hike goes from south to north cutting directly through the heart of Britain’s largest mountain range. The route will take us along the Lairig Ghru which is the best known hill-pass in Scotland. It climbs to an altitude of 835 metres and crosses through the central Cairngorms.
It is essentially a valley hike, so is sheltered from the worst of the elements and (if needed) bothies can provide extra protection. We will hike, wild-camp and cook as a team. Unpredictable weather will add to the test as we get these hard 30kms under our belt.
This trip will require a basic level of fitness and some experience with hiking in windy or rainy conditions. Our trips are not feats of endurance or about rushing up mountain peaks, they are immersive outdoors experiences, so there are always opportunities to rest and take in the views.
Our guides James and Scoob walk with you offering help and advice or sarcasm and negativity depending on the situation! We’ll laugh, we’ll swear, we’ll breathe the cleanest air, we’ll see hidden mountains and drink from clear mountain streams, we’ll have fun, we’ll learn and when we get to Aviemore we’ll drink the most well-earned beer of our lives. And we’ll leave with a story to tell and, after the blisters heal, a newfound spring in our steps…..
Our feral Konik ponies make light work of grazing the Marshes, keeping the habitat in tip-top condition for the special birds that live there.
Join us to learn all about them, before going on a short walk to find out about how they fit in with our wider work managing the reserve and our plans for the future.
Wednesday 2nd February
10am-12noon
This event is free, but booking is essential as places are limited by parking capacity – please email: insh@rspb.org.uk
(Our walk will be about 1 mile over uneven pathless terrain with one small, but fairly steep slope. Unfortunately this route is not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies. Wellies are essential as the entrance to the field regularly floods in winter – we do have a small number of pairs available to borrow, please let us know and we’ll see if we have your size!)
Come and experience all our new Christmas activities and exhibits this December!
Letter to Santa
Have you written your letter to Santa yet? No, well we have everything you need to write your letters at our magical posting station in Bamboozeleum.Watch out for the elves coming through the Elf Portal to collect your letters from our magical postbox. They will keep checking in, right up until Christmas Eve. Santa might have a letter for you too!!
Winter Mystical Mashup
Santa and some of his wintery friends have mysteriously teleported into our Tropical Hot House and are having a blast in tropical style… see how many of these unusual guests you can spot and what they are getting up to?
Duetting Reindeer
Stop in and see our talented duetting reindeer, singing some of your favourite Christmas songs in Wonderwoods! Don’t worry, they are more than happy for you to join in if you know the words (or… even if you don’t!).
Majestic Unicorn
A truly majestic unicorn has blessed us with it’s presence at Reception- who would like a selfie with this magical beauty?
Every year since 1984, mushers from the UK have gathered in the forests around Aviemore for the biggest event in the British sled dog racing calendar, The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain Aviemore Sled Dog Rally January 29th-30th will return after a year out due to the covid pandemic.
Organised by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain in conjunction with Forestry and Land Scotland and sponsored by CSJ specialist canine feeds, Leucillin, and Photizo Light Therapy .The race is run on forest trails around the beautiful Loch Morlich, in the shadows of the Cairngorm mountains.
From an original of only 12 teams, the race is now one of the most prestigious sled dog races in the UK . The race features teams of between two and eight dogs pulling their musher on a sled around a four to seven mile trail. If there’s no snow at ground level for the event, the races still go on with mushers using a three-wheeled or four wheeled rigs. There are eight adult classes and two children’s classes and mushers range from just 8 years old to over 60. Along with the Siberian Huskies, race dogs include Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds, Greenland Dogs and Canadian Eskimo Dogs – the pedigree breeds of dogs first bred to pull sleds in Arctic conditions hundreds of years ago
The trail is a designated cross-country ski course and is clearly defined. The Start lies just over the wooden bridge from the car park and runs parallel to the ski road for a short distance before entering the forest. The first part of the trail is quite demanding, but then runs along the loch side to the Finish without great problem.
There will be available viewing areas for public viewing but please be aware of any covid restrictions that may be in force during that time.
We have some fun additions to the park this Winter.
First, meet our duetting reindeer in Wonderwood. They love nothing more than singing their favourite tunes…you might find yourself joining in with them!
Then there is something rather unusual happening at the Tropical Hot House- some familiar wintery creatures have mysteriously appeared and are enjoying the tropical climate in style.
See if you can spot them all!
Finally, we have a magical Winter wonderland photo op in Bamboozeleum- plus all those cool exhibits to play around with. We are sure some little ones will love to take photos with our majestic Winter unicorn at Reception.
Where is this event being held?
Meet at the entrance of the caravan park.
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