Posts for June, 2025

Come and enjoy a behind the scenes look at our collection store in Am Fasgadh on one of our Store Tours, every Weds at 11am.

With over 15,000 objects in the collection, there’s plenty to see! Donations welcome, just pay what you can.

Places limited, booking essential – at HFM Reception, on 01349 781650 or highland.folk@highlifehighland.com.

Calling all knitters! We have an exciting new event exploring the art of natural dyeing together and learning about Cairngorms Connect along the way.

Discover Cairngorms Connect events are designed to give you an introduction to Cairngorms Connect while experiencing the landscape in different ways, in collaboration with local businesses and organisations.

Join us for an introduction to local plants, how to harvest them sustainably, and how to use them to dye wool.

Under expert guidance from Julie at Black Isle Yarns, we will learn how to use botanicals to safely and naturally dye yarn.We will then take a walk in local woods to talk about the types of plants we can use and how to identify them.

We will also share a light lunch featuring Cairngorms Connect Venison, prepared for us by a local chef.



All participants should wear sturdy shoes and clothing suitable for splashes and walking/working outdoors.

It is important that all people have equal access to Cairngorms Connect events. We are happy to provide for your requirements, wherever possible eg. BSL interpreters, off-road wheelchairs, adapted bikes etc. If you have any accessibility requirements, please get in touch.

We don’t want finance to be a barrier to people attending and so have made some tickets available for free – please take advantage of this if you need to.

Join us this year for our first retreat – Bag Making!

Our Bag Making Weekend will include:
– 2.5 days of sewing, with all patterns, materials, haberdashery and hardware included
– 2 night stay at The Railway Rooms – boutique group accommodation in Kingussie
– Breakfast, Lunch & one Dinner (leaving one evening to sample local restaurants, grab a takeaway or bring your own meal)

Sewing Projects will include:
– Project Pouch from Country Cow Designs – an opportunity to sew with vinyl & create a great storage bag for your sewing projects
– Caravan Tote from Noodlehead – an amazing tote bag with so many pocket and customisation options
– Kaede from Country Cow Designs OR Haralson from Noodlehead – both lovely crossbody/hip bags with adjustable straps
– Optional: A collaborative evening project, bring fabric scraps to share with the group & create a patchwork pouch as a special keepsake from the event

Check In: 5pm on Friday 31st October
Check Out: 5.30pm on Sunday 2nd November

All initial bookings must be completed on the Learn & Create website. To secure your place you must:
– Complete the online booking
– Agree to the terms and conditions
– Pay the deposit

Once we receive your booking we will ask you to complete a detailed booking form where you can highlight any dietary needs, room preferences, workshop options and any other retreat specific questions. Please complete this & return it promptly so we can confirm your preferences. 

All rooms at Railway Rooms are double occupancy so if you would like to bring a non-participating friend or partner you are welcome to for an additional cost of £150 – this covers room and meals but not participation in workshops.
Unless bringing a guest, participants will get their own room, with a choice of double or twin.

Please note – as this is our first retreat images shown are from Country Cow Designs & Noodlehead websites. Further images will be updated soon

Celebrate insect week by signing up to our “meet the experts” skill sharing session!

In this session, which has been specially developed for home educating and flexi-schooling families, you will spend 90 minutes getting to know some of your smallest neighbours. You’ll discover how we’re bringing some very special species back from the brink of extinction and learn what you can do to protect these amazing animals!

This session is targeted for primary age but all are welcome.

Each ticket admits two adults and three children to the session.

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.