Posts for May, 2025

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.

Loch Kinord & Muir of Dinnet Guided Walk
A beautiful circuit around Loch Kinord in the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve. The walk is excellent for nature lovers with plenty of flora and fauna both on and around the loch and in the surrounding birch woodland.

Loch Kinord – a short walk around Loch Kinord in the beautiful Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve – full of wildlife on the loch and in the surrounding Birch woodland. Included in the walk is the popular hidden gem; the Burn o’Vat – a fantastic example of a bowl-shaped “pot-hole”; a geological feature carved out by glacial meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age around 10,000 years ago. Please note Transport is needed.

Discover Blairfindy Castle: A Guided Walk Through Glenlivet’s Rich Past

“Glenlivet it has castles three – Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskie.”
Join us for an easy, guided walk through the heart of Glenlivet, beginning at the iconic Glenlivet Distillery. As we make our way toward the impressive 16th-century Blairfindy Castle, you’ll be treated to sweeping views across one of Scotland’s most renowned glens. Along the way, we’ll delve into the rich history of Glenlivet, with a dash of whisky heritage thrown in too.

Blairfindy Castle, completed in 1564 by John Gordon, stands as a nice example of an L-plan tower house that remains remarkably well preserved. In 2019, a major conservation project—supported by the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership and the National Lottery Heritage Fund—stabilised the structure and opened it to visitors for the first time in decades. The site has also been enhanced to support wildlife, with features that encourage nesting birds and pollinators.

Step into the story of Blairfindy and see a different side of Glenlivet—one where history, nature, and whisky meet.

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 as livestock live on site.

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

Please note that toilet facilities are not available on site.

Soak in the delights of the dawn chorus around the River Dee in Ballater with Dan and Rachael from Wild Discovery. Over the course of the morning we will listen for as many species as possible getting to know the commoner species and understanding a little more about how to identify different bird calls and songs. We will be able to hear and discuss the differences between birds that sing in woodlands and those in more open habitats and with luck our encounters could include Tree Pipit, Redstart, Sedge Warbler, Common Sandpiper and Dipper. Profits from this event will be donated to a relevant conservation charity.

This will be followed by the ‘Magic Moths of Deeside’ at Ballater Green.

Part of Deeside Nature Festival 2025
Our evening will start by looking at the marvellous moths that have been caught in the light traps from the previous evening. We will then go on a short walk to explore the clear, evening sounds of the glen. As dusk falls hone your senses to experience this slightly different take on the wildlife of the area. Profits from this event will be donated to a relevant conservation charity. Run by Wild Discovery.

Part of the Deeside Nature Festival 2025.
Wild Discovery’s Dan and Rachael will lead a walk at Keiloch, Invercauld in search of open pine forest birds, such as Crossbills, and other wildlife. We will enjoy a round-walk from Keiloch car park of approximately 4km. We will search for Crossbills and other woodland birds, birds of prey, butterflies and plants along this scenic route with views across Craig Leek and down to the River Dee. Profits from this walk will be donated to a relevant conservation charity.