Posts for May, 2023

“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.

Join one of our experienced rangers on a guided walk at Cairngorm Mountain. This incredible half day experience will take you on a breath-taking walk exploring the Northern Corries. You guide will walk at your own pace and stop to allow you to take photographs and learn about the local environment. These walks run every Thursday from June – October.

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.

Scalan was originally the site of a secret Roman Catholic seminary where priests, known as ‘heather priests’ were trained in the 1700s when Catholicism was prohibited. Following the departure of the priests in 1799, Scalan reverted to a farm. Two steading buildings were built housing corn threshing mills which served the Glenlivet farming community. The threshing machines and water wheels are still in place along with a wealth of historical graffiti telling the story of farming life in the 19th and 20th centuries. A major project to conserve the mill buildings took place in 2019, restoring the waterwheel and lade in North Mill and improving visitor access to the site. This was funded through the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Join members of the Scalan Association and Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage Ranger Lydia on a guided tour of the site and the mill buildings. In addition to being a special area of historical interest, this area of the Glenlivet Estate abounds with oystercatchers, curlews, and lapwings in the spring and summer months – be sure to bring your binoculars if you have them.

We will be meeting in the Carrachs car park before proceeding by foot along a farm track, 1km from the car park at the end of the public road. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing for changeable weather.

Donations to the Scalan Association on the day are most appreciated and help them to care for this special place.

Children are very welcome to attend.
Toilets are available on site in the summer months.

Well behaved dogs are welcome in the mill buildings, but are not permitted in the seminary. Please note that sheep and other livestock live on site. Please be aware that there may be cattle present on the walk in.

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

Celebrate National Meadows Day with us on a walk to enjoy the beauty of summer wildflowers!

We will walk the Invertromie Trail and see lots of different flowers, from the common, such as bird’s-foot trefoil, bedstraws and stitchworts, to the uncommon, such as rockrose and petty whin. The highlight of the walk will be gorgeous Tromie orchid meadow where we will hope to see five species of orchid, including heath fragrant orchid and small white orchid.

Some areas may be rough underfoot. This 5k/3mile route is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies, and we recommend sturdy footwear.

Feel free to bring a packed lunch with you as we will be having a lunch stop. There are no facilities to buy food on site – the nearest shops and cafes are in Kingussie.

Under 12s free.

Discover Curlew secrets throughout the breeding season with the Curlew LIFE team! Get a great view of the birds with our binoculars and scopes and put your questions to us about these curious birds.

No need to book – just drop in any time from 9am to 11am.

For more info, email us at insh@rspb.org.uk.

Distance: 17 miles / 27.2 km
Grade: Challenging
Leader: Mark Johnston
Dogs: Sorry, dogs are not allowed

Join the Estate Ranger on a day’s hillwalking to this relatively unfrequented part of Glenlivet. Making our way from West Avonside, we’ll start big and ascend to the highest point in the Cromdales, Creagan a’ Chaise. At 722m this is classified as a Fiona which is a mountain in Scotland between 2000 & 2500 feet high – these were previously known as Grahams. Near the trig point at the top is a rather large Cairn built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

From there we will traverse the ridge also taking in the nearby Coronation Cairn, built to commemorate the crowning of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria in 1902. On a clear day, the views from the ridge are excellent looking to the Cairngorms and across Speyside. We will continue to take in the lesser summits of Carn Eachie and Carn a Ghille Chearn before making a rough descent back towards Knock farmhouse and onwards to the Car Park.

This walk will hopefully provide opportunities to see moorland birds and deer while crossing typical northeast Scotland hill and moorland territory.

The terrain will be a mix of rough track and heather moorland, involve some steep climbs and take us into a remote, exposed country. Please be prepared with appropriate clothing and plenty of food and water. A reasonable level of fitness and the knowledge that you are able to handle this type of terrain is required.

This is a full-day lengthy hill walk with steep terrain. It is essential participants wear or carry suitable clothing that reflects the potential weather. Items to be considered include multiple layers, waterproofs, sturdy walking boots, hats, gloves, insect repellent, and sunscreen.

Sufficient food and liquid should also be carried for at least seven hours in the hills.

There are no toilet facilities at the start/end point or on the walk.

Distance: 2.5 miles / 4 km
Grade: Easy Plus (info)
Leader: Annie Ives
Dogs: Sorry, dogs are not allowed
Category: Nature, Walk

Bumblebees need our help! In the UK, two species of bumblebee have gone extinct in the last 100 years, and a further seven are on national conservation priority lists due to concerns about their large-scale declines. Monitoring bumblebees is an essential part of helping with their conservation. Finding out where different species of bumblebees are thriving and where they aren’t doing so well helps to target conservation efforts to where they are needed most and can have the biggest impact.

Join Annie Ives from Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Mark Johnston from Glenlivet Estate to learn more about bumblebees and how you could help survey for them, from simply identifying and recording bumblebees in your back garden to becoming a ‘BeeWalker’ – counting the bumblebees you see on a fixed monthly walking route.

At this event, we will start indoors, brushing up on our knowledge of bumblebee identification and surveying methods, before heading outside on to Glenlivet Estate for a walk-through demonstration on our 1.5km ‘BeeWalk’ bumblebee survey route through grassland, woodland and moorland, working together to identify and count bumblebees along the way.

Cost:
£10.00 – £15.00
Distance: 13 miles / 20.8 km
Grade: ModeratePlus (info)
Leader: Stephen Reeves and Mark Johnston
Dogs: Yes, well behaved dogs are welcome
Category: Forest, Heritage, Hill, Moderate +, Nature, Walk

Join the Rangers from Dorenell Ranger Service and Glenlivet Ranger Service for a walk up the River Fiddich all the way to its source then over the watershed to meet the River Livet. We’ll park at the finish point in Glenlivet and be transported by coach to the start at Bridgehaugh, south of Dufftown. The route will follow Moray core path SP29, going past Glenfiddich Lodge and up Glenfiddich itself where we’ll have an opportunity to see Elf House cave and the McHardy stone. Once up on the watershed, we’ll hopefully have views across to the Cairngorms before following the Suie Burn down to the River Livet and out to Glenlivet.

Along the route, the Rangers will talk about the Cultural and Natural History of the area and will be on hand to point out any wildlife along the route which could include Red Deer and various birds of prey including Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles.

Although starting off on patchy tarmac track the route is mainly rough landrover tracks with a number of small stream and river crossings. A larger river crossing towards the end can be avoided by a bridge further upstream but walkers should come prepared for potentially wet feet.

Mark Johnston is Head Ranger for the 23000ha Glenlivet Estate. The Crown Estate acquired Glenlivet (now managed by Crown Estate Scotland) in 1937 which today comprises over 30 let farms, 1500 acres of commercial forests and a sporting tenancy including grouse moors, salmon fishing and deer stalking.

Stephen Reeves is Head Ranger for the Dorenell Ranger Service, set up by EDF Renewables in July 2019 as part of the Dorenell Wind Farm on Cabrach and Glenfiddich estate. Based at the Dorenell Wind Farm Visitor Centre, the Rangers are responsible for delivering the Access Strategy and Habitat Management Plan whilst delivering environmental education and guided walks in the Cabrach and surrounding area.

Come along for an evening stroll along the banks of the River Livet, through woodland which is home to the rare Twinflower and finishing with spectacular views from Drumin Castle.

Join the Glenlivet Estate Ranger for a guided walk on a on circular trail with detours to Drumin Castle and Twinflower translocation site. This walk follows a beautiful section of the River Livet where dippers, wagtails and other riparian wildlife are often seen. It will visit woodland which contains the rare Twinflower, where we will look for the plant and hear about the translocation project we are working on in conjunction with Plantlife and Cairngorms National Park. We will then finish up at Drumin Castle hearing a little of its history and enjoy the views across the surrounding hills.

Information for attendees
This is a three mile mostly gentle walk, however, there are a few moderate slopes. Most of the walk will be on tracks but some can be muddy and uneven. Wear sturdy footwear and clothing suitable for the conditions. Bring binoculars and cameras if you have them.

This event is free, but donations to Plantlife are welcome on the day.

Accessibility
There are steps and off-track sections so this walk is not suitable for wheeled access. For specific accessibility enquiries, please contact Mark at mark.johnston@crownestatescotland.com

Parking and public transport
There is free parking at Drumin Castle Car Park.
Unfortunately, this event can’t be accessed by public transport.

Toilets
There are no toilets on the walk.
The closest public toilets are on Back Lane in Tomintoul which is 10 miles away or a 20 minute drive. Alternatively, there are public toilets in Albert Place Car Park in Dufftown which is 13 miles away or a 25 minute drive.

Dogs
Dogs on leads welcome.