Posts for August, 2022

As the nights begin to draw in, join us for a special evening of yoga and nature connection at the gorgeous Kinrara House

We will begin our evening in the beautiful grounds of Kinrara estate, walking through woodland and up to the Duke of Gordon viewpoint looking over the Cairngorm mountains. Led by a local wildlife guide, we will learn more about the land we are walking through and looking at, and what Cairngorms Connect is doing to protect and restore it.

As darkness begins to fall, we will return to cosy Kinrara House for a candle-lit yoga session, led by local yoga instructor Jo of Wilderness Flow Yoga, who will guide us through a dynamic yoga flow, suitable for beginners.

To round off the evening we will share a delicious meal of Cairngorms Connect venison, prepared by The Pagoda. This local, sustainable source of meat is an important part of the habitat restoration story, and gives us another way to connect with the land we are in. (A vegetarian/vegan option will also be available.)

Booking is essential.

Join Cairngorms Connect and friends for a day celebrating and exploring local forests and enjoying delicious local food.

*Enjoy local, sustainable, tasty food like wild Cairngorms Connect Venison, at the free BBQ which will also celebrate other local, foraged and gathered produce. Full menu to be announced.

*Local musician Hamish Napier will be performing music from his award-winning album, The Woods, inspired by the beautiful Caledonian pine forest here in the Cairngorms.

*Discover new ways to incorporate local food into your everyday meals with simple and inspiring cooking demonstrations from Scottish food expert Catriona Frankiti.

*Explore nearby Dell Woods on a guided walk with woodland and wildlife experts from NatureScot and learn more about how our local forests are managed to provide benefits for people and nature.

*Learn how to identify edible plants, fruit and mushrooms growing wild with foraging expert Natasha from Gathering Nature.

*Meet Cairngorms Connect deer stalker, Jack, and find out all about the importance of deer management and the benefits of venison, for our health and our climate.

*Immerse yourself in the folklore and stories of the forest with Sarah from Strathspey Storywalks.

*All ages welcome: there will be plenty of family-friendly games, crafts and activities throughout the day – to be announced!

Hill to Grill is completely free and there is no need to book, but why not click ‘Going’ on our Facebook event so we can make sure we have enough burgers for everyone!

*An important part of Cairngorm Connect’s habitat restoration work involves controlling deer numbers in order to protect woodlands from the pressures of grazing. Cairngorms Connect Venison uses venison produced from necessary deer management to share the story of Scotland’s recovering forests. While supporting forest restoration, the project also enables local people and visitors to benefit by increasing access to local venison.

Each month we have a different seasonal theme for our Stories Round the Fire.

We’ll be going outside so please dress warmly!

The event is free, but donations are always welcome.

Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult

BOOKING ESSENTIAL

Follow General Wade’s road as it makes its way to Ruthven Barracks. The walk will be led by Pete Moore (Laggan Heritage) and Eve Boyle (HES).

Come and take a walk around the Museum with Lorna from the Highland Archive Centre, as part of the Badenoch Heritage Festival. Lorna has been giving online talks about the collections in our High Life Highland Archive through lockdown and we are really pleased that she is coming to give us a live talk, connected to our collections here at the Museum. No need to book, just meet at reception at 11am. (Museum open 10.30am – 4pm, entry by dontation.)

Scalan was originally the site of a secret Roman Catholic seminary where priests, known as ‘heather priests’ were trained during 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 Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage Ranger Lydia on a guided tour of the site and the mill buildings. You will learn about the history of the site and the mill buildings and we’ll touch on the history of illicit whisky distilling and smuggling too. In addition to being of historical interest, this area 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 at 1:00pm 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.

Children are very welcome to attend.

Toilet facilities are available during 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.

How to get to the Carrachs car park:
Turn east off the B9008 at Auchnarrow (signposted for Scalan) and follow this road right to the end ensuring to follow sign for Chapeltown of Glenlivet. If you are using a navigation system, the postcode AB37 9JS will take you most of the way to Chapeltown of Glenlivet. Drive past Braeval Distillery and at the road end follow the 90-degree right hand turn which leads to the car park. This track is quite potholed and uneven in places so please proceed slowly and carefully.

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

Join Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage Ranger Lydia for a talk on 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 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.

Well behaved dogs may attend but must be leashed.

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

Please note that toilet facilities are not available on site.

“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 , Smugglers Trails’.

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.

This imposing tower is reputed to have been built in the late 14th century for one of Scotland’s vilest men- Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch. Drumin Castle is the earliest surviving tower house in Moray and stands on a commanding bluff that overlooks the confluence of the River Livet and the River Avon. This castle has recently re-opened to the public after masonry repairs.

Please park at the The Drumin Castle car park. This short circular walk will start from the Drumin Castle sign. Access is by foot along a pedestrian trail and will return by a set of steps. There is also a narrow set of stone stairs to climb from the ground floor to the first floor of the castle. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing 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.

Join artist and historian, Dr Charles Fletcher and Curator, Dan Cottam on a walk up into the past of the abandoned crofts on Dava Moor. A walk on the beautiful and terrible moor that set the scene for Maurice Walsh’s novel ‘A Key above the Door’ celebrating the novel’s 100 anniversary for Scotland’s Year of stories. The stories of the people who
lived on the moor and the landscape itself are told as we journey to find the scene of the crime where Walsh begins his tale.