Posts for February, 2024

You’ll taste four spirits including gin and rum made at Lost Loch Distillery near Aboyne on Royal Deeside, while listening to the story of the Lost Loch, how Haroosh began and why we made Scotland’s first absinthe, Murmichan. THIS EVENT WILL ONLY GO AHEAD IF THERE ARE 4 OR MORE PEOPLE BOOKED (if this event is cancelled, your fee will be refunded in full).

We are getting together at Glenlivet Estate Office in Tomintoul to celebrate LGBT History Month with a special Rainbow Afternoon Tea, an LGBTQ+ Heritage Talk and a Pride Ideas Session to ask everyone what they might like to see as part of a Pride in the Cairngorms National Park.

Led by cultural interpreter Stef Lauer, the Heritage Talk will cover the lives of three very different LGBTQ+ people who all had links to the Park. This will start at 2.30pm and run until 3.15pm, including a Q&A. Then it’s over to Kath from Somewhere: For Us magazine from 3.30pm to guide us through a Pride Ideas session, collecting up everyone’s ideas and thoughts as part of a Park-wide consultation into the possibility of a new Pride next year.

Free tea, cake, chat and rainbow fun. See you there!

The Integrated Land Use Conference will take place in, and around Kingussie.

Organiser: UHI

The Integrated Land Use conference will take place 26 – 28 March 2024 in, and around Kingussie.

This year will be focussing on where we have come from and where we are going in terms of land management and use. What has changed and what has worked. Many aspects will be discussed like community, attitude/behaviour evolution, inclusivity, diversity, forestry, agriculture, wildlife and game management, energy, tourism and many more exciting topics.

The event will be packed with a mix of field-based and conference-style activities and talks. The speakers will share their knowledge and specialist expertise in the sector, and it will be a fantastic networking opportunity. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the conference.

Grantown Society historical talk: The Grants and the Jacobite Rebellions by Chris Grant (…and…. who were the Grants of Shewglie?). A presentation from local family research – with stories of loyalty, betrayal and much more! (Refreshments purchased at the bar may be taken through to the Osprey Room).

For many, standing on top of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, is crossing the ultimate frontier, the very edge of human resilience. For Sam, it was more a battle with his own mind, a battle that began years before touching down in Nepal.

Join Sam this April as he shares his journey to conquer Everest, step by gruelling step.

During a soul-searching and inspiring story, he reminds us all that sometimes, the most extraordinary moments in life are found beyond our comfort zone, when we say no to the easy way out.

“Bob Harris is a straight-up legend” Chris Martin / Coldplay

BBC’s Bob Harris and author/music journalist Colin Hall set out upon an intimate speaking tour based around their mutual love and appreciation of The Beatles, including rare archive from Bob Harris’ collection of interviews with Lennon & McCartney.

By 1963 the pair had written so many songs they simply couldn’t all be accommodated on just their own Beatles releases, so it made artistic and economic good sense to be offered to other artists for recording and the Merseybeat boom of 1963 & 1964 gave them a tailor-made outlet in artists such as Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer and Tommy Quickly.

This is the story behind those songs, the hits, the misses and the demos that the group never released: ‘The Songs The Beatles Gave Away’

This is a two-day workshop, based at Badaguish Outdoor Centre, covering the fundamentals of painting landscapes in oil. We will be learning how to create landscape paintings with depth, strong composition and beautiful colour in oil. The workshop will also cover the fundamentals of painting in oils, including how to use solvents and mediums, as well as techniques and application of paint.

Suitable for beginners or those who have some experience of painting in other mediums.

Our studio for the weekend will be the large and bright conference space at Badaguish Outdoor Centre, near Aviemore. Badaguish is situated in a woodland clearing, with views of the Cairngorm mountains. We will be making the most of our stunning location and will be painting outside in the local area, as well as spending time working in the studio.

This is a two-day workshop covering the fundamentals of painting landscapes in oil. We will be learning how to create landscape paintings with depth, strong composition and beautiful colour in oil. The workshop will also cover the fundamentals of painting in oils, including how to use solvents and mediums, as well as techniques and application of paint.

Suitable for beginners or those who have some experience of painting in other mediums.

Our studio for the weekend will be the large and bright conference space at Badaguish Outdoor Centre, near Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park. Badaguish is situated in a woodland clearing, with views of the Cairngorm mountains. We will be making the most of our stunning location and will be painting outside in the local area, as well as spending time working in the studio.

Accommodation is not provided, but there are several accommodation options on-site at Badaguish, including heated camping pods for individuals and couples and forest lodges for larger groups. These can be booked on their website here or by emailing bookings@badaguish.org.

More information and booking at www.shonacammack.com/workshops

Blythe Duff recently celebrated 40 years in the industry. Her career has spanned award-winning theatre, television, radio and film.

Join us for a one hour class and learn how to use your breath to unwind, de-stress, relax and recharge your body! This class will be a variety of different breathing exercises to improve your biomechanics and physical health, as well as guided breathwork meditations to ground yourself, become fully present in your body and tap into the power of your own breath.