Posts for June, 2023

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.

Looking to reconnect with nature and embrace your creative side?

To celebrate our summer exhibition, The Forest, we’re holding a special one-off workshop, combining the ancient Japanese practice of shinrin yoku (AKA forest bathing) and ceramics.

Running on Friday July 7, 10am-2.30pm, you’ll start the day with a session led by Highland Quietlife in beautiful Anagach Woods in Grantown-on-Spey. Cath will lead you through ways to find a connection with the forest and trees around you.

Then at the Spey Bank Studio, our lead tutor Angus Grant will show you how to make a pinch pot, using natural objects to add texture to your clay.

And best of all – Angus will glaze and fire your ceramics and you’ll get them to keep as a memento of the day.

Setting off at around 7pm on the Saturday night from the Cairngorm Ski Centre Carpark, we will head onto the Cairngorm Plateau. As we do so we will witness the last light of the day and the sun setting at approximately 9pm. As we ascend into darkness, we will use torches and night navigation skills to summit the highest mountain in the Cairngorms, Ben Macdui.

At this time of year in the Cairngorms, the nights are short so it won’t be long until we are able to witness the sun rising again. Before this happens we will make time to appreciate the night skies with opportunities for night photography and, if we’re lucky, to witness the natural phenomenon of noctilucent clouds.

Before we head back down to the car park, we take time to enjoy the setting with hot drinks (brewed by your guide) This is a great opportunity to have a wee blether and take in the dawn from an elevated mountain setting.

Come for a Wildlife Wander with someone from our knowledgeable team to see some of the amazing wildlife that Summer brings to Insh Marshes.

The breeding season for birds is coming to an end, however there is still plenty of other life to be seen on the marshes and in the meadow. Colourful wild flowers include sweetly scented orchids, which attract beautiful butterflies and dragonflies. We will lookout for the scarce Scotch Argus butterfly which feeds on flowers like the sunshine-yellow Rock Rose.

Some areas may be rough underfoot. It is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies, and we recommend sturdy footwear.

Come for a Wildlife Wander with someone from our knowledgeable team to see some of the amazing wildlife that Summer brings to Insh Marshes.

The breeding season for birds is coming to an end, however there is still plenty of other life to be seen on the marshes and in the meadow. The heather should be in full flower and field gentian may be coming into bloom. Wild flowers like knapweed and scabious provide nectar for butterflies. We will lookout for the nationally scarce scotch argus butterfly which breeds on the reserve and can be the most common butterfly to be seen in August. Dragonflies like black darter and the impressively large golden ringed may also be seen.

Some areas may be rough underfoot. It is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies, and we recommend sturdy footwear.

Up the riverside and into the forest, looking at the flowers in bloom at the moment

Forest Bathing in Spring brings with it glorious sunrises that slowly unfold across calm lochs and the dawn chorus bursts into life above us. Although we’ll be starting early, awakening our senses as the day breaks will give us the perfect chance to start our day connecting with nature.

Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-yoku is the practice of immersing yourself in nature; ‘bathing’ in the awesome goodness that trees release into the atmosphere; reaping the benefits from magic little things called ‘phytoncides’ and receiving mental calmness from the fractal patterns, vibrant shades of green and calming blues around us – what better place to do this than the Cairngorms National Park.

During a Forest Bathing session you can expect to be out for about 1 ½ hours, walking at a slow pace in nature and I will guide you through a series of ‘invitations’ aimed at opening your senses and reconnecting you with yourself and the environment around you. We spend time sharing what we are noticing to the group and finish with tea and snacks to bring our experience to a close and thank the land we have been supported by during the session.

During a guided forest bathing session, you can expect to walk less than a mile at a slow pace. The small group ensures we can feel supported and take our time as we wake up with the day.

This event is part of the Cairngorms Nature Festival which runs from 12 – 21 May 2023. It’s a ten day festival with over 80 exciting events across the Cairngorms National Park celebrating the incredible landscapes and nature found here.

To see full event details and book events please visit: https://www.cairngormsnaturefestival.co.uk

Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-yoku is the practice of immersing yourself in nature; ‘bathing’ in the awesome goodness that trees release into the atmosphere; reaping the benefits from magic little things called ‘phytoncides’ and receiving mental calmness from the fractal patterns, vibrant shades of green and calming blues around us – what better place to do this than the Cairngorms National Park.

During a Forest Bathing session, you can expect to be out for about 1 ½ hours, walking at a slow pace in nature and I will guide you through a series of ‘invitations’ aimed at opening your senses and reconnecting you with yourself and the environment around you.

We spend time sharing what we are noticing to the group and finish with tea and snacks to bring our experience to a close and thank the land we have been supported by during the session.

This event is part of the Cairngorms Nature Festival which runs from 12 – 21 May 2023. It’s a ten day festival with over 80 exciting events across the Cairngorms National Park celebrating the incredible landscapes and nature found here.

To see full event details and book events please visit: https://www.cairngormsnaturefestival.co.uk

“Join us for a guided dawn chorus walk onto Dun Coillich where we will listen, learn about and meet the birds that call Dun Coillich home.

Join ecologist and lifelong birder Aidan MacCormick for a guided introduction to the sounds of the dawn chorus at Dun Coillich. It is always great to spend time on the hill with Aidan; Learning about the calls and behaviours of our feathered friends helps to bring an extra dimension to our experience of the outdoors. Why not come join us?

This walk is part of our ‘Meet the….’ series of events we are holding this spring/summer. For more information see our website at: www.hpclt.org

We will meet at the main Dun Coillich carpark, please bring suitable outdoor clothing and footwear and be prepared to walk around 2 km across rough ground.

Free event for HPCLT Members, £5 suggested donation for others.

For more information contact Heather on 07849268411, email projectofficer@hpclt.org.

This event is part of the Cairngorms Nature Festival which runs from 12 – 21 May 2023. It’s a ten day festival with over 80 exciting events across the Cairngorms National Park celebrating the incredible landscapes and nature found here.

To see full event details and book events please visit: www.cairngormsnaturefestival.co.uk

Join us for a walk around Moray’s earliest surviving tower house 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.

“Cathedral and Toun

Wyld wrath did engulf

Lone Lochindorb Castle

The lair of the Wolf”

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.

Please park at the The Drumin Castle car park. This short circular walk will start from the Drumin Castle sign in the car park. Access is by foot along a pedestrian trail and will return by a set of steps. Please dress appropriately for changeable weather.

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.