Posts for November, 2024

Join us for festive family stargazing on Thursday, December 19th, 2024. We’ll have tea, hot chocolate and festive treats in the Discovery Centre before going outside to look for stars, planets, and constellations. Santa hats, bells, and reindeer noses and antlers welcome!

Toilets are available in the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Discovery Centre.

If the weather isn’t suitable on the day, we’ll endeavour to run an alternative session on the 20th.

As we will be outside in December, please dress extra warmly for cold and changeable weather. Please also wear appropriate shoes for wet, and wintry conditions.

Would you like to learn more about the night sky and constellations? Join us at the Glenlivet Hall on Thursday, December 5th. We’ll have tea, biscuits, and a brief presentation in the hall before going outside for a short stroll in a group to look at stars, planets, and constellations and share resources for improving your celestial knowledge.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. It is Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park and the most northerly in the world.

21 December 2024

Dark Skies Walk – Ursid Meteor Shower, catch the shooting stars of the last major meteor shower of the year, the Ursids. At its peak, observers may be able to view as many as 10 meteors in an hour.

Please be aware this is an outdoor event and participants should come dressed for walking in the dark in winter for 2 – 2.5 hrs

13th December 2024

Dark Skies Walk – The Geminids are considered to be one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, with the possibility of sighting around 120 meteors per hour at its peak.

The shower owes its name to the constellation Gemini because the meteors seem to emerge from this constellation in the sky.

Sunday 1 December 2024

Dark Sky walk – The New Moon phase is the best time to explore the night sky. Find planets, stars, and constellation. There are two New Moons in December 2024. The first one falls on the first day of the month.

This is an outdoor event, following a short presentation participants should expect to be outdoors for 2 – 2.5 hours and come dressed for a winters evening walk.

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and members of the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Dark Sky Park Group at the Field of Hope, Tomintoul for a comet spotting session. Please meet at the Field of Hope from 6:00pm.*

The comet will be closest to Earth on October 12th with good visibility in the northern hemisphere. Assuming clear skies we hope to be able to see it in the telescope at the Field of Hope. As comets are notoriously unpredictable, there’s no way to know at this time exactly how bright this comet will become. The comet is named after the observatories that discovered it. In this instance it was discovered by the Tsuchinshan or “Purple Mountain” Observatory in Nanjing, China on January 9th, 2023 and also by the ATLAS telescope in South Africa on February 22nd, 2023.

We’ll have the Celestron telescope on hand for comet spotting.

(*If the weather conditions are unfavourable on the 12th, the event will run again on Sunday, October 13th.)

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. Not only does this remote area have stunning dark skies but it also has easy access allowing everyone to enjoy a night sky brimming with stars.

Public toilets are available in Tomintoul at Tomnabat Lane, opposite the public carpark. As we will be outside in October please dress appropriately for cool autumn conditions and changeable weather.

Limited parking is available at the Field of Hope, but you can also park in the village and walk down to the bird hide.

Tickets are free for this event. Donations are also always appreciated and can be made on the night if you wish.

Thanks for supporting our Dark Sky Park!

Would you like to learn more about the night sky? Join us at the Discovery Centre in Tomintoul for an all ages stargazing session during the new moon. We’ll have a presentation in the Discovery Centre before walking down to a nearby stargazing site in a group to look at stars, planets, and constellations and share resources for improving your celestial knowledge. The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. It is Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park and the most northerly in the world.

The new moon is an ideal time to go stargazing as the moon is not visible in the sky, which means there is no moonlight to wash out the light from fainter stars.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cold and changeable weather. Lots of layers, along with gloves and hat will make your stargazing experience more enjoyable. Please also wear appropriate footwear for potentially wet and wintry conditions.

If conditions are unsuitable on the day of the event the organiser will email attendees.

Toilets are available in Tomintoul and in the Discovery Centre.

Suggested donation £5 on the night helps to support the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Cairngorms Dark Sky Park.

Join us for a walk around Moray’s earliest surviving tower house, reputedly built for Scotland’s vilest man, Alexander Stewart—the infamous Wolf of Badenoch. Drumin Castle, an impressive medieval fortification, stands on a commanding bluff overlooking the confluence of the River Livet and the River Avon.

Upon reaching the castle, you’ll learn about its architecture, history, and the notorious Wolf, whose evil deeds continue to cast a long shadow over Moray’s history.

Drumin Castle has now reopened after masonry repairs, with access to the first floor now possible via a narrow stone staircase. Sensible footwear is recommended.

Please park at the Drumin Castle car park. This short circular walk will begin at the Drumin Castle sign in the car park. The route follows a pedestrian trail to the castle and returns via a set of steps. Please dress appropriately for changeable weather.

Suggested donation of £4 helps to support heritage tourism in Glenlivet & Inveravon. Children and youth under 16 are free. Children love castles and are very welcome to attend. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome. Donations can be made through Eventbrite or in person on the day.

Please note that toilets are not available on site.

This event is funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.

Heritage Ranger talk: Inveraven Church & Pictish Stones

Join the Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage and Dark Sky Ranger for an introduction to the Picts, their art and symbol stones. We will be examining the intricate carvings on the four 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 demonstrate how the Picts contributed to the founding of modern Scotland.

This event offers a unique opportunity to delve into Scotland’s past, allowing you to connect with its ancient roots. Join us for an afternoon of discovery and insight in stunning Speyside.

Access to Inveraven Church and burial ground 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.

Children are usually fascinated by the Picts and are encouraged to attend. As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for changeable weather.

This event is by donation. Donations can be made through Eventbrite or in person on the day. Children and youth under 16 are free. Like many churches across Scotland, Inveravon Church has unfortunately been earmarked for closure and sale by the Church of Scotland. The local community is currently in the process of exploring ways to keep it open by creating a heritage centre and community hub. Thousands of tourists visit the stones every year from every corner of the globe and it would be disappointing if they were no longer accessible. Funds raised from talks and events help to support community and heritage events run by the Friends of Inveravon Church.

Please note that toilet facilities are not available on site. Public toilets are available in Cragganmore at Ballindalloch Station on the Speyside Way or in Aberlour. There are also customer facilities available at the nearby Lagmore Cafe when open.

Well behaved dogs are welcome to attend but must be leashed.

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

“Glenlivet it has castles three, Drumin, Blairfindy and Deskie”. This easy guided 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 stunning views over one of Scotland’s most famous glens. You’ll learn a bit about Glenlivet’s rich history and some whisky history too.

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’.