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    Wildlife Adventures

    A Rewilding Journey in the Cairngorms

    4 reviews

    Next Trip: 25th - 30th May 2024 Duration: 6 Days / 5 Nights

    From: £1,365 View Prices & Dates

    Travel Planning & Advice

    Book With Confidence

    Trip created by Rachael Gavan
    View Rachael's Profile

    Region: Cairngorms and Central Highlands
    Trip Type: Wildlife
    Accommodation: Classic
    Max Group Size: 8
    Confirmed: When 6 Travellers Book
    Deposit From: £351

    Grading:

    Carbon Footprint: 106kg ? What does this mean?
    Click here to find out about our carbon labelling project and what we're doing to be more sustainable.

    All you need to know about your trip, this essential document is a must for all adventures.

    Download Itinerary

    Imagine a Scotland where nature is reawakened. Where the lost tapestry of Scots pine, rowan, birch, oak, aspen, alder and hazel that once draped itself across our hillsides is stitched back together. Where our land and seascapes teem once again with wildlife. Where nature-based enterprises support thriving communities. Where human connections to the natural world are strengthened in villages and cities. Where land and sea, people and wildlife, businesses and culture flourish together.

    This is rewilding. Rewilding in Scotland is part of a growing worldwide movement that seeks to bring about the large-scale restoration of ecosystems on land and at sea. Many exciting rewilding initiatives are underway in the Scottish Highlands that will see large areas of forest, peatland and wetland restored and revitalised. These are the places where sea eagles soar, pine martens forage and beavers shape forest and loch. These are the places where one day, lynx might stalk their prey again.

    Our journey will blend time spent in beautiful wild places, breathing in the air, listening to the silence. We will picnic alongside cascading rivers and seek out enriching encounters with wild animals. Along the way, we discover and learn about pioneering rewilding projects fighting back for nature and meet the inspiring people involved. At the end of each day, we return to our cosy lodgings where delicious, locally sourced food awaits, and our evenings conclude with several thought-provoking presentations and discussions across a broad spectrum of rewilding topics.

    We run this trip in conjunction with the charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, who are working to drive the recovery of nature across Scotland through rewilding, in response to the growing climate and biodiversity crises.

     

    Trip Highlights

    • Immerse yourself in the drama of the Scottish Highlands.
    • Learn about transformational rewilding initiatives that are fighting back for nature.
    • Relax in a secluded mountain lodge and enjoy delicious, locally sourced meals with like-minded fellow travellers.
    • Get up close with amazing wildlife such as beaver, osprey and pine marten with an expert local guide.
    • Meet inspirational people who are making rewilding happen.

    Day by Day Itinerary

    Day 1 – Arrival

    Your guide will meet you at Kingussie train station in the Cairngorms National Park, and a short transfer takes you to our mountain lodge accommodation in beautiful Glen Feshie. After arrival and introductions, we will enjoy ‘Scottish’ cocktails, followed by a presentation setting the scene for our adventure. We’ll then enjoy our first evening meal together at the lodge. (D)

    Day 2 – Wild Glens

    This morning, we set off on a short pre-breakfast walk around our base and discover its 120-acre rewilding reserve. After a hearty breakfast, we take a hike to a secluded forest waterfall before immersing ourselves in the regenerating landscape of Glenfeshie. After decades of ecological decline, the native pinewoods here are bursting back to life and racing up the previously bare hillsides – a fantastic example of what nature can do, given a chance. We enjoy a picnic lunch next to the cascading river before spending time watching our local ospreys on a spectacular island nest. (B, L, D)

    Day 3 – Wild Deeside and Beavers

    Today is one of contrasts as we head east to the celebrated Mar Lodge Estate on Deeside. On the way, we pass through a very different landscape primarily dedicated to driven grouse shooting. We spend some time gazing out over the vast moorland and talk about the challenges with land management in this part of Scotland. Mar Lodge is a very different world to much of Deeside and we meet one of their rangers who shows us how and why the landscape here is recovering.

    Our evening meal is taken at a local restaurant before spending the evening witnessing the incredible work of one of Scotland’s most celebrated rewilding characters: the beaver. We take a few hours quietly watching this industrious wetland engineer and learn about the changes they bring about. (B, L, D)

    Day 4 – Working with Nature

    Today, we enjoy a leisurely breakfast before visiting a local farm undergoing a transformation from sheep pasture to a rich mosaic of woodland, wetland and flower meadow. Nearby is another pioneering example where the owners are working alongside nature to produce healthy food that is supplied to the local community. Tonight your guide will deliver a fascinating presentation on the Eurasian lynx, and its potential reintroduction into Scotland. (B, L, D)

    Day 5 – Caledonian Pinewood

    The pinewoods of the Cairngorms are magical and mystical. Although the howl of wolves has fallen silent (for now), the forest is still home to red squirrels, golden eagles and pine martens. In Abernethy Forest, one of the largest tracts of surviving woodland, we join a ranger and learn about how, for the first time in centuries, the forest is now expanding, attracting new species, such as breeding white-tailed eagles. We conclude our inspiring journey with a leisurely walk to a beautiful viewpoint looking out over the vast landscapes of the Cairngorms and reflecting on how the view may change as the influence of rewilding grows. (B, L, D)

    Day 6 - Depart for Home

    After a relaxed breakfast, we’ll leave the lodge and return you to Kingussie Station for the end of the trip. (B)

    X
    Wildlife Adventures
    A Rewilding Journey in the Cairngorms

    To download a PDF copy of our Trip Itinerary, containing full details about this holiday, please complete the form below:

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    Trip Dates & Prices

    All payments taken in local currency GBP

    Trip Dates for 2024AvailabilityStatusPriceBook
    25th May - 30th May 2024Trip FullFULLY BOOKED £1,365
    6th Jul - 11th Jul 20244 places leftAvailable £1,365Book Now
    27th Jul - 1st Aug 20246 places leftAvailable £1,365Book Now

    Trip Details

    Accommodation Read More

    This itinerary is based in a single location for the week, at a private mountain lodge in a secluded glen in the Cairngorms. The accommodation offers double and twin rooms with en-suite facilities.

    Single Rooms

    There is no supplement charged to solo travellers however, you may be required to share a room with another person of the same sex. If you require a single room please request this at the time of booking and we can check to see if one is available for you. There is no supplement for single rooms as we have exclusive use of the lodge, but availability is limited and on a first come, first served basis.

    Meals Read More

    All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 6 are included in this itinerary.

    Breakfast and evening meals will be fully catered at the lodge and packed lunches will be provided each day. Included dinners are two courses as standard.

    The lodge has an honesty fridge (cash only) which stocks local beers, gin, water, kombucha, diet coke, cheese, crackers, venison salami and chorizo, oat bars and crisps.

    Wine will be served with dinner, but there will also be an opportunity to stop at a local shop on the first day to purchase any other alcoholic drinks and snacks you would like during your stay.

    Inclusions Read More
    • 5 nights accommodation in a welcoming lodge accommodation
    • All meals during the trip (Meals included indicated as B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
    • The services of an experienced and knowledgeable guide/driver throughout
    • All transport throughout the trip starting and finishing in Kingussie
    Travel – Arrival and Departure Read More

    Your Guide will meet you at Kingussie railway station at 4:00pm on Day 1 of your trip. You will be returned to Kingussie station for 10:30am on the final day of your trip.

    If you would like to use your own vehicle on the trip please get in touch with our team to discuss.

    SCOTLAND: The Big Picture Read More

    SCOTLAND: The Big Picture

    SCOTLAND: The Big Picture is a registered charity that works to drive the recovery of nature across Scotland through rewilding. Their vision is of a vast network of rewilded land and water across Scotland, where wildlife flourishes and people thrive. For them, rewilding is an evolving process of nature recovery that leads to restored ecosystem health, function and completeness, and they believe it is a solution to the inter-related crises of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss.

    Their core focus areas are:

    • Driving support for rewilding
    • Committing more land and water to rewilding
    • Returning missing species
    • Developing rewilding business

    Their Rewilding Journyes are a carefully crafted blend of learning, inspiration and fun, in the company of expert guides and like-minded fellow travellers. They show you pioneering rewilding projects and introduce you to the inspiring people driving these projects forward, all while helping make the economic case for landscapes rich in nature.

    Recommended Reading Read More

    If you would like to do some reading before, during or after your time with us, we would recommend the following books:

    • Scotland: A Rewilding Journey (you will receive a complimentary copy)
    • The Lynx And Us
    • MeWilding: Rewild your Life
    • Our Wild Farming Life by Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer, owners of Lynbreck Croft, one of our Northwoods land partners
    • Regeneration: The Rescue of a Wild Land by Andrew Painting
    • Wilding by Isabella Tree
    • Feral by Georg Monbiot
    • Bringing Back the Beaver by Derek Gow
    • Restoring the Wild by Roy Dennis
    • Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd
    • Wild Souls by Emma Marris

    Rewilding is a captivating concept and the books above provide different perspectives, including personal rewilding experiences from the authors. We hope they enrich your mind, provide inspiration and give you hope for the future.

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    Meet Your Guide

    Difficulty Grades Explained

    Green Graded Wildlife Holidays 1-3
    All of our wildlife trips are graded Green and involve straightforward hiking with no major ascents, as well as other activities which are pitched at novice level. You can expect to be active for around 5 hours each day so you will need a reasonable level of fitness. Please note that there may be some early starts and late nights as we seek to maximise our chances of finding wildlife, although you can always opt out of activities if you prefer an early night or long lie in the morning!

    So to help you decide if you are fit enough for this kind of trip, ask yourself:

    1. Are you generally active and, for example, happy to hike for 6 miles (10km), including some ascent, with rough ground in places?
    2. Are you up for a challenge and trying new activities such as sea kayaking or boat trips?
    3. Are you looking for a wildlife trip which involves more than simply sitting in a hide?

    Compare wildlife trip grades

    Trip Reviews

    Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 4 reviews of Wildlife Adventures – A Rewilding Journey in the Cairngorms

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    Every client receives a feedback survey when they return from their guided, self guided or tailor made holiday with us. Once completed the review is published on our website just as soon as our database updates. The little touches and details are important to us and where issues are raised we make positive changes to our trips to improve your experience.

    That’s why we read each of our client’s reviews and although we don’t respond to all of them, if it’s glowing feedback then we get the satisfaction of helping to make your holidays truly memorable.

    PD

    Pauline Dodds

    Reviewed on 20/07/2023

    Age: 70 - 80
    Country: United Kingdom
    Trip Date: 01/07/2023
    Trips Taken: 3

    The Bottom Line

    The Bottom Line

    A most unusual and memorable holiday. I loved the gentle walking and the learning as we walked with so many different people, crofters, rangers, a stalker involved in rewilding. I have returned with changed attitudes to, for example, reducing the deer population so as to regenerate the landscape. I smiled at the term "re-wiggling" of rivers but it now makes sense. This is a beautiful holiday for a really close look at the Cairngorms National Park. Who would get that from a car or without the knowledge of all those we met?

    KB

    Kate Butler

    Reviewed on 19/07/2023

    Age: 50 - 60
    Trip Date: 01/07/2023
    Trips Taken: 0

    The Bottom Line

    The Bottom Line

    We would highly recommend this trip. The charity Scotland the Big Picture should be commended for the brilliant and vital work they are doing to help rewild Scotland. Their input was we enjoyed the educational aspect of the trip.

    RR

    Ria Robinson

    Reviewed on 19/10/2021

    Age: 30 - 40
    Country: United Kingdom
    Trip Date: 02/10/2021
    Trips Taken: 1

    The Bottom Line

    The Bottom Line

    Great trip all round, thank you

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