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| Included | Wildlife guide on an exclusive basis for you and up to 4 friends or family members. Transport for the day in comfortable 8-seater minibus or car.
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| Leaders | We match your specific day guiding needs to the skills of our guides, to ensure you have the best day out possible. We therefore have a pool of guides that we use, each with specific knowledge and interests. You can book a standard day – 9am-5pm – or an extended day. Extended days can start early or finish late, depending on the species you would like to see. The full details on the itinerary tab tell you which days out work best as extended days. Your guide will suggest the best start time. It will be dependent on the time of year and the main species you would like to look for.
Please provide a mobile phone number on the booking form, so that your guide can get in contact with you two or three days before your due day out, to ensure all details in place. For extended days booked, this will include a suggestion of the best start time.
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| Logisitics | Please provide a mobile phone number on the booking form, so that your guide can get in contact with you two or three days before your due day out, to ensure all details are in place. I’m afraid we can’t offer any refreshments at present, so please ensure you have your own food and drink for the day. Please bring your own binoculars and telescope if you have one. We aren’t able to let guests and guides share telescopes or other optics at this time but hope to be able to show you live views of birds found with the telescope using an adaptor and mobile phone to get a closer view. Attached to your booking confirmation will be a ‘what to bring’ document, giving you handy hints of clothing etc., to make your day out more comfortable.
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| Hygiene | Our guides may be wearing face masks for part/all of the day. They won’t be mandatory outside for guests as only people in their own home/family/friends’ unit will be booked on the day out, but please feel free to wear them if you wish. Our guide will be carrying hand sanitiser and disinfectant spray to be used if and when they see fit in any circumstance. Also attached to your booking confirmation will be a short 'Covid-19 hygiene' form for completion. Please bring this with you on the day to give to your guide.
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| Cost | £195 Standard day if booked online / £250 if booked manually via office. Max 8 hours (2022 rates £225 if booked online / £275 if booked manually)
£250 Extended day if booked online / £295 if booked manually via office. Max 10 hours (2022 rates £295 if booked online / £350 if booked manually
Actual start time to be agreed between you and your guide (either day out includes transport for you and up to 4 companions).
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| Walking | Most walks will be on wide sandy tracks, except in the Cairngorms, where terrain is more steep and uneven, so walking boots are essential. Your guide will discuss walking options with you beforehand.
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| Weather | Weather varies from cold to warm and sunny (-5° to +25°C), with less rainfall than much of Scotland but snow possible in the mountains.
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| Insects | Biting midges occur in some places during the summer.
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| Options | All Abilities Cairngorms National Park - This tailored day will ensure where possible, that everyone in your group can experience the scenery and wildlife that our National Park has to offer
Our Cairngorms National Park – our most popular day out and allows great flexibility as to where you go
Pine Forest – best in spring and autumn – autumn is a good time to look for Capercaillie
Cairngorm Mountains – works well in the summer but requires a degree of fitness, as walking will be on mountain tracks
Moorland and Moray Firth – good for raptors and moorland grouse species in the summer and seaduck over the winter
Highland Glen – good in summer and autumn when raptors and their young are on the wing
Woodland Walks – can be tailored easily for half days
River Spey Walk – can also be tailored easily for half days
Loch Fleet - seals all year, Osprey and terns in spring and summer with waders, wildfowl and dune flowers in autumn and winter
Black Isle - one of best places in UK to see Bottlenose Dolphins but fabulous birding too especially in the autumn and winter |
| * Our expert guides have a wealth of knowledge about the wildlife of Scotland
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| * Book your own guide and comfortable minibus for you and up to six companions
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| * Target the species you want to see in the Cairngorms National Park and wider area
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| * Collection from your accommodation or location of your choice
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| * Combine this with an evening at our wildlife watching hide
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| * Ideal for families, small groups, couples or individuals
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| * Perfect gift for birthdays, anniversaries, retirement etc
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| The Cairngorms National Park is home to some of our most iconic but elusive species of wildlife. Finding them in this vast and spectacular landscape can be a real challenge, especially if you have limited time or are unfamiliar with the area. Our expert local guides know the area intimately, so can take you to the best locations to help you find the species you’d most like to see. They can help you identify those species, recognise different bird calls, show you how to use fieldcraft and read animal tracks and signs. They can tell you about the behaviour and general biology of the species that you find in the Highlands, but most of all they will ensure that you have an exciting, fulfilling and rewarding day out. On the day, we’ll judge the weather and decide where the wildlife can be found.
Two days before your day out, your guide will contact you to discuss what you’d like to see and any specific requests that you may have. As you can’t be collected from your accommodation in the Grantown-Aviemore-Kingussie area at present, they will agree the meeting point with you, or come to your location, so that you can travel behind the guide to the start point in your own vehicle.
To help you choose the best day, we’ve given you our suggested itineraries, showing the habitat you’ll visit and some of the species that can be found there. These are our favourites, but if you’d like to do something different, then please email us and we would be very happy to advise if it is possible given the current restrictions and health and welfare regimes.
Our Cairngorms National Park - If you’ve never been before and you want to see what makes this place special, from the landscape to the wildlife, then just leave it to us. We know all the nooks and crannies in the Cairngorms and the best time of year to visit them. We’ll make sure we target the Scottish specialities and leave more than enough room to drink in the scenery and marvel at the landscape. Golden Eagles in the glens, Red Deer on the hills, Ptarmigan on the mountains and Crested Tits in the forests; we can decide what’s best for you. Our guides will discuss any preferences you have when they contact you before your day out. The day will be spent walking at a gentle pace and can incorporate different close habitats reached in your own vehicle.
All Abilities Cairngorms National Park - This tailored day will ensure where possible, that everyone in your group can experience the scenery and wildlife that our National Park has to offer. We shall visit places that require little walking or are suitable for wheelchair access to help you experience wildlife in comfort. It may mean some of the day involves more travelling by vehicle than other itineraries, but some short walks or lookout hides will be utilised and the guide will structure the day to best suit your needs. The wildlife you experience may include Dippers, Red Squirrel, raptor species such as Red Kite and eagles, grouse and Roe and Red Deer. The scenery of the Cairngorms will be a big focus as we drive through different environments and experience their beauty. Please note we use 8-seater minibuses; these have not been adapted for all abilities, steps for easy access are available.
Pine Forest - Visit the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest for Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill and other woodland birds. Mammals may include Red Squirrel and Roe Deer. This itinerary involves a degree of walking on good tracks and trails through the forest. Wildlife can be found year round, but the best seasons can be autumn, winter and early spring. Autumn and winter can be some of the best times to look for Capercaillie.
Cairngorm Mountains - Walk into the Cairngorms for Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting, Dotterel and Ring Ouzel. At present there is no access to the top of the mountain by Funicular Railway, so a good fitness level is needed for the walk into the mountains and walking boots and suitable clothing are required. Wildlife can be seen on the higher tops year-round. Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting and Mountain Hare are present all year; Ring Ouzels arrive from mid-March onwards and Dotterel are present from May until the end of August. A longer walk into the Cairngorms on lower tracks can also be taken dependent upon levels of fitness.
Moorland and Moray Firth - Explore vast open
moorlands and windswept lochs for divers, Merlin,
Peregrine, Red Kite and Red Grouse, before
heading to the Moray coast for Osprey (during the summer), seaduck (winter), waders and
terns. Dependent on tide times, there’s a chance
of Bottlenose Dolphin. Divers can be found on
freshwater lochs during the breeding season from
April through to the end of September, when
they relocate to the coast and winter on the sea.
The winter months on the Moray Coast can be
excellent for seaduck.
Highland Glen - Visit a spectacular local glen for Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Peregrine, Merlin, Ring Ouzel, Red Deer, Mountain Hare and Wild Goats. Travel through spectacular scenery into the heart of the mountains and then take a low level walk further into the glen on good gravel tracks. A broad range of wildlife, including the eagles, can be found all year. The Red Deer rut takes place from late September through October.
Woodland Walks - Local woods provide a tranquil location to look and listen for Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and other woodland birds. Peregrine breed on the crags and Ospreys are regularly seen throughout the spring/summer. We can walk to the viewpoint if you wish, to get stunning views across to the mountains and surrounding glens. This itinerary does require a reasonable degree of fitness. The best time to visit for migrant birds, is from late April through to August. We’ll combine this location with another lowland wood further along the Strath.
River Spey Walk - During spring or early summer the famous ‘River Spey’ will be teeming with birdlife; Dipper, Goosander, Grey Wagtail, Goldeneye, Common Sandpiper and feeding Swifts, Swallows and martins with a chance of Otter. In summer the riverbanks can be good for butterflies, including Dark Green Fritillary. In winter, the river provides a calm and tranquil place for Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye and other resident birds.
Loch Fleet - Slightly further afield, but close for those staying around Inverness, lies the vast expanse of Loch Fleet. In summer we’ll watch fishing Ospreys and terns while the dunes hold a myriad of beautiful flowers. Nearby woodlands have rare flowers and breeding crossbills and as summer progresses into autumn more waders arrive along with large flocks of wildlfowl. At any time of year you can enjoy close views of basking Grey and Harbour seals on the sandbanks. The walks along the dunes are not strenuous and at any time of year there is plenty of wildlife variety to enjoy.
The Black Isle - Just north of Inverness lies the Black Isle, almost surrounded by water and visited by large numbers of waders, ducks and geese as autumn approaches and through the winter. Peregrine Falcons may dash through sending birds skyward - all viewable from a large comfortable hide. Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, divers and grebes spend the winter here and in autumn passing skuas and auks add to the excitement as we visit one of the best vantage points for Bottlenose Dolphins in the UK. We can also include a visit to nearby woodlands for crossbills and Crested Tits, plus dragonflies and butterflies in the summer.
Capercaillie Policy
Capercaillie can be found in the forests of the Cairngorms National Park, but they are, for whatever reason, a declining species that are easily disturbed. We minimise any disturbance at crucial times to help protect the birds, by adhering to the following policies:
We won’t take guests to look specifically for Capercaillie before 9.00am during the lekking period (1 March - 31 May). When going into Capercaillie habitat, we always stay on marked tracks and paths and never go looking off these. When there is an alpha male (also known as a ‘rogue’ bird) in the area we won’t go to see this bird. They are part of the lek, so we would be ‘knowingly’ disturbing them.
We suggest looking for Capercaillie through the autumn and winter months, when the birds can be easier to find. We won’t be disturbing them then and young birds will have fledged and dispersed into the forests.
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Just some of what we hope to see..
| Red-throated Diver | Capercaillie | (Snow Bunting) |
| Black-throated Diver | Dotterel (mid May-June) | Red Squirrel |
| Slavonian Grebe | Guillemot | Mountain Hare |
| Red Kite | Razorbill | Otter |
| Golden Eagle | Black Guillemot | Red Deer |
| White-tailed Sea Eagle | Puffin | Sika Deer |
| Osprey (April-mid Sept) | Dipper | Roe Deer |
| Merlin | Ring Ouzel | Mountain Goat |
| Peregrine | Crested Tit | Bottlenose Dolphin |
| Red Grouse | Scottish Crossbill | Common Seal |
| Ptarmigan | (Parrot Crossbill) | Grey Seal |
| Black Grouse | | |
"I do rate your guide Holly very highly, I particularly enjoyed discussing our mutual passion for “habitats”.
Yves Gisseleire
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"Our day’s guiding was brilliant and although we didn’t actually see a Capercaillie we couldn’t have seen more evidence – dust bowls, feathers and poo. Our evening visit to the Evening Mammal Hide was brilliant too – all so impressive and our guide was a mine of information."
Mary and David Penton
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"Hollie was great. Really enthusiastic and full of energy. She was brilliant."
Ivor and Kaytlin Phillips
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"Kate was very confident we'd get Ring Ousel at the base of the funicular. Minutes after we arrived she said she could hear one (the wind was howling at that point!) and my "doubting-Tom's" hat was getting readied. But very soon after one duly appeared on a fence, very close by, and started singing its heart out for us. Wonderful!"
Bob Longhorn
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"Seeing a Capercaillie, if only for a few seconds - they are such a rare sight and David took us to the perfect habitat for us to see one. We loved the Uath Lochans location as well, the beautiful calm lochs were stunning. Learning lots from David about all the wildlife and plants that can be found in the cairngorms was a real plus, he was keen to answer all our question in detail which was great!"
Camilla Zerr
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"We loved exploring the glen chosen by Kate as we would never have found it ourselves and it felt very special."
Jen Ireland
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"The animals spotted by Sally were great! Finding them and showing us was excellent as we didn't see them on our own!"
Mark Kellaway
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"Seeing the beautiful area. Peter's friendly company throughout the day and the way he was great with our children as well as us."
Robert Gill
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"Saw 48 species of life birds in 1 day. Son got to photograph Red Grouse up close with chicks. Getting to see a Black-throated Diver, Golden Plover."
Pam Borderieux
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" It was amazing to see and hear birds we have only heard about - Lapwings, Slavonian Grebes in breeding plumage, Curlews, Red-tailed Kite, even Rooks. The song and flight of a Skylark and the call of a Cuckoo were unforgettable. Our Speyside Wildlife outing provided an immersive, yet easily paced introduction to birds and other wildlife in the Highlands. Although I am a fairly active birder in the States, this is something I could never have accomplished in Scotland on my own."
Martha Johnston
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"43 species of birds, Ospreys, Stags, Happy days"
Debs White
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"Snow Bunting, Ring Ouzel, Slavonian Grebe. We had a fabulous day nature watching with Speyside Wildlife, it was a great prize and we would not hesitate to recommend Speyside Wildlife to all nature lovers. Thank you very much from the Lemon Family - Carolyn, Ally + Hannah."
Lemon Family
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"Highlight was the wildlife and finally seeing target species of Golden Eagle. Mountain Hares also a great spot. Kids loved seeing both Red and Black Grouse especially up really close."
Craig Grant
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"Our whole day was a highlight. We learned so much from Duncan from identifying bird sounds, poo, mushrooms, plants and our conversations with him. We appreciated all the knowledge about the natural world that he shared with us."
Yana Pocklington
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"An awesome day out with such a well informed and engaging guide. Would not have seen many of the species on the day without the guide. An excellent experience and one I would certainly consider repeating at some point in the future."
"Sally is an excellent guide with fantastic local knowledge and a really nice manner. Having the minibus for the day with all that space was great for keeping the group engaged and allowed us to travel around the area searching for the wildlife that we stated we wanted to capture. It could not have been a more bespoke trip as we determined "live" really where we wanted to go next. A great trip which was well organised and as flexible as you wanted on the day."
"Sally was a very knowledgeable, approachable and accommodating guide. The day was well planned covering everything we’d asked to see with options to manage the varying weather and road conditions. It was such an enjoyable day I’d do it again and recommend it to others."
Billy McCourt Group
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"Duncan was incredible. Even prior to the holiday he chatted at length with myself and my wife to ensure he knew exactly what we wanted to see and do. On the day he couldn't have been more accommodating and put up with us chewing his ear off and asking silly questions. His enthusiasm was infectious and knowledge knew no bounds. Genuinely what a top bloke and a great representative of your business. Best bit was he was personable and made us feel important. Being taken to spots you would never find without local knowledge. Finding Caper poo! Learning so much. Even with no sightings, seeing all the signs and being with an expert who translated their skills and knowledge to amateurs meant it was an awesome day, one to be repeated!"
Toby Sansome
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"The day was a pearl string of highlights. The Roe Deer, the Squirrels, Partridges and Pheasants. Of course the Dippers, and the Mountain Hares basking in the sun. The Red Grouse browsing the heather, and a beautiful Red Deer buck on the rivers edge. Big day to remember!"
Anne-Mary & Axel
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