Posts for May, 2025

Join us for a fascinating evening celebrating some of Scotland’s most intriguing and elusive invertebrates as part of Insect Week!

From Highland Wildlife Park’s Learning Hive, join us for an evening talk brought to life by expert guests:

Tom Prescott from Butterfly Conservation Scotland will open the night with an ode to a Kentish glory moth – expect surprising facts and captivating stories!

Hayley Wiswell of the Cairngorms National Park Authority will delve into the world of ants, with a spotlight on the rare and remarkable narrow-headed ant, a species fighting for survival in the Highlands.

Gen Tompkins, RIC Species Champion, will buzz through the story of the aspen hoverfly, a striking and secretive species whose future is tightly entwined with Scotland’s native woodlands.

Finally, Helen Taylor from RZSS will introduce the visually stunning blood red longhorn beetle who have an important story to tell.

Whether you’re an insect enthusiast or just curious about Scotland’s mini-wildlife wonders, join us for an evening of insight, inspiration and a newfound love for the smaller things in life.

This talk is free to attend but we ask to donate what you can towards facilitation costs.

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.

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.

Join us at Highland Wildlife Park for a Creep Calm Workshop where our expert team will help you fight your phobia!

Spiders are amazing creatures with incredible adaptations. They are an essential part of the ecosystem and those found in the UK are completely harmless and would rather avoid humans.

We understand how a fear of spiders can really begin to impact on people’s everyday lives. Based on our previous ‘Spiders: Fight Your Phobia’, we have refreshed and re-worked this interactive session to help you get you closer to overcoming your spider fear. Our workshops are split into three sections: theory, mindfulness and practical catch and release to help you develop your comfortability around spiders in a friendly, relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

Alongside our expert keepers, we are joined by experienced and compassionate psychotherapist Izabella Kathiravel specialising in anxiety, depression and trauma. Izabella will be delivering the theory element of the workshop, providing insight and practical techniques on managing fear. Izabella brings over a decade of experience working in the UK and beyond, dedicated to helping individuals navigate life’s challenges and achieve emotional well-being.

“Overcoming our fears and anxiety can be a hurdle, but it is not out of our reach!”

The workshops are suitable for participants aged 16 and over and includes entry into Highland Wildlife Park for the day.

For further information, please contact events@rzss.org.uk.

Join us for a natter and a brew as we explore our ‘topic of the month’ with our expert rangers!

Our tea and talk sessions are small-scale talks from the RZSS team taking place in our Learning Hive at Highland Wildlife Park.

Talks begin at 11am, with entry via our main entrance.

Your ticket includes entry to the park for the rest of the day, tea, coffee and a selection of biscuits.

For further information please contact events@rzss.org.uk.

Join us for a natter and a brew as we explore our ‘topic of the month’ with our expert rangers!

Our tea and talk sessions are small-scale talks from the RZSS team taking place in our Learning Hive at Highland Wildlife Park.

Talks begin at 11am, with entry via our main entrance.

Your ticket includes entry to the park for the rest of the day, tea, coffee and a selection of biscuits.

For further information please contact events@rzss.org.uk.

Welcome to the Deeside Nature Festival 2025, a wonderful amalgamation of local individuals, organisations and businesses drawn together to celebrate the natural heritage of Deeside in the Eastern Cairngorms, and coordinated by us, Wild Discovery.

We are thrilled that our small festival in 2024 is growing arms and legs and the overwhelming positive feedback for an event in 2025 has been very uplifting.

The Deeside Nature Festival is a celebration of nature and an opportunity to connect as many people with the natural world as possible. Those connections may present themselves in a variety of forms from direct observation of wildlife right through to the expression of nature through the arts. We have endeavoured to bring together as large a spectrum of events as possible over the long weekend and hopefully something for everyone.

Our goals are simple:
To connect people with nature
To promote the natural heritage of Deeside
To support rural livelihoods and green initiatives
Dan and Rachael of Wild Discovery with guests
The whole festival is organised in a voluntary capacity and while there may be charges to some of the events hopefully you will agree that this only reflects the value of the expertise and experience you have attended, and knowing that a fundamental aim of the festival is to promote rural livelihoods and green initiatives.

The 2025 festival is coming together nicely and we will be adding more events as they are confirmed. Keep checking back to make sure you don’t miss out!

Image credit www.wild-discovery.com

Get ready swing to the infectious rhythms of the Roaring Twenties in our Charleston Workshop!

We will guide you through the fundamentals of the Charleston, helping you build confidence, rhythm, and a whole lot of flair. You’ll learn a wee routine in this comical and fantastic dance style from the 1920’s and FAVOURITE on Strictly Come Dancing!

No partner required, but feel free to bring one along if you’d like!

This workshop was super popular last time and some of you missed out. So grab your tickets early to make sure you get your spot on the dance floor.

Date: Saturday 24th May 2025

Time: 2.00pm – 4.00pm

Venue: Inverallan Church Hall, Grantown on Spey

Tickets £20.00 per person

16 years and up

Due to Popular Demand… We’re Bringing It Back! 🔥

You asked, we listened! 🎉 Our Chicago Workshop was such a hit that we’re running another one! We are bringing the razzle-dazzle back and continuing with our jazzy number!

Date: Friday 9th May

Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: Inverallan Church Hall, Grantown on Spey

Tickets £20.00 per person

16 years and up

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss your chance to be part of the show! ✨