"Seeing a Pine Marten was exactly what I was hoping for. To see it so close up was fabulous and very enjoyable"
Richard Heading
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"The highlight was being able to see the beautiful animals in this setting"
Alison Smith
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"Just being able to observe the Badgers in close proximity and see them work out how to find the food in all the different places. Great to see them together as well and see the different characters and behaviour!"
Tom Mills
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"Seeing a Badger for the first time! An evening we'll never forget!"
Alison Fulford
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"The Pine Marten!! With the wonderful views of Badgers a very close second"
Bethan Stanyon
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"Seeing a Pine Marten. It's been on my list for so long! This one was very well behaved and posed proudly :-)"
Heather Dawes
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"We were very lucky that the Badgers then Pine Marten came out within half an hour of our arrival, no waiting around although the hide was comfortable if we had needed to"
Kathryn Williams
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"I’ve not seen Badgers for over 20 years, so to see 5 at the same time was a real treat. Didn't see the Pine Marten, but that’s nature for you!"
Cameron Ward
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"The highlight has to be seeing 6 Badgers out of a 7 Badger clan and having the absolute privilege of seeing two Pine Marten at the same time!!! And they hung around for about 45mins. Observing wildlife doesn’t get much better that that! We were very lucky"
Kay Ayres
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"A 45 minutes showing and antics of two Pine Martens with 6 Badgers visiting before that. I have wanted to see Pine Martens so long that I was really thrilled with our time watching them"
Jayne Westmoreland
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"The visit from the Pine Marten - perfect viewing spot and duration that the marten stayed at the hide - fantastic experience"
Amanda
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"Seeing so many Badgers never seen anything like it. Well worth the visit"
Christopher Higton
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"Seeing so many Badgers for so long. And the safeguarding measures for Covid were great - reassuringly but without impacting on the experience"
Neil Pearson
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"4 Badgers together, can’t really ask for more"
Michael Ingram
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"Seeing the 4 Badgers who visited the hide so closely was great"
Chris Diddams
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"Badger clan put on a great show on a lovely still summer evening. One of the real benefits of this hide experience is the lack of midges - which can really take the fun out of Scottish summer activities! It was also great to see the Badgers in daylight - not something I expected"
Keith Turner
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"Finally seeing a live Badger! And Pine Martens"
Lauren
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"We have never seen a Pine Marten in the wild before, so it had to be seeing the lovely two martens that visited us. Emma was so excited and enjoyed every second of it"
Emma and Anna Stephenson
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"Long stay by the two Pine Martens, one adult, one kit, after not arriving till late on. The mouse was hilarious, watching the Pine Marten from the top of the wall/underside of the roof even more attentively than we did!"
Roger Ashmore
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"Seeing the animals we hoped for, Pine Martens and Badgers. It can never be guaranteed so it was very special. And a special thank you for arranging a stunning clear sky when we left the hide! Millions of stars and the Milky Way, just a fantastic end to the evening"
Sheila Murison
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"Seeing the Badgers and Pine Martens so close up. Not forgetting the wee doormouse! Fabulous experience and one my daughter, who is 10, thoroughly enjoyed and a highlight of our holiday"
Sarah Corrie
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"3 different Pine Martens in one evening. Magical"
Joanna Oliver
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"Seeing Badgers and a Pine Marten! I have never seen either (except dead by the side of a road) so one or the other would have been a treat. Both was unexpected and felt like a real bonus!"
Julie Vale
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"The excitement of the first sightings of a Pine Marten then of a Badger cub. Seeing five Badgers foraging whilst a Pine Marten ate from the table and a Field Mouse scurried round the base of the building"
James Wiseman
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"Pine Martens! Really close and for quite a while. They are such elusive animals it was a real treat to see them at all, let alone up close, let alone for 20 minutes!!! It was also lovely seeing the female too, although she didn’t stay for as long but we felt incredibly lucky to have seen both of them"
Yanika Hennig
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"We had only been in the hut approximately 10 minutes and a Pine Marten appeared and shortly afterwards 5 Badgers. We also saw mice and an owl and another Pine Marten. Everybody was thrilled. It was a really great experience"
Natalie Langley
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"Having the chance to view Pine Martens (within a couple of minutes after food went out!) close up and observe their behaviour. The Badger cubs and even the antics of the Wood Mice!"
Jane Aspin-lee
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"Seeing the Pine Marten :-) And just that we had a lovely evening! It was nice to be in a small group and our guide ensured that everybody got a view of the Badgers which came. We were really delighted that a Pine Marten visited - this is of course never guaranteed, so we were lucky. We would definitely book again and would recommend to friends"
Sue Alderman
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"Seeing the animals at close quarters. The Pine Marten climbing down the shed wall. The mice popping out of their holes. The Badger foraging for the last few nuts"
Susan Shipp
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"Seeing the Badgers! For us Badgers have such a prominence in children's story books - so it was great to actually see one in real life. The Pine Martens were also fabulous, it was a very special evening"
Nicole Schoorl
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"Highlight was seeing the Pine Marten taking the egg off the platform, so amazing and delicate. Will definitely book again"
Paula O'Hara
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"The highlight of our visit was undoubtedly seeing two wild Pine Martens at close proximity"
Alastair Watt
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"We saw a Pine Marten which was probably the highlight, and doubt we would ever see a wild Pine Marten outside this trip, so that was amazing. Having said that, we were also lucky to have three Badgers coming in whilst we were there. The Badgers were a joy and felt so close, so they are a very close second to the Pine Marten. We also saw bats, woodcock and ultra-cute woodmice snaffling the peanuts. But the Pine Marten wins!"
Neil Wilson and Amy Brown
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"We were very pleased that a Pine Marten came along not long after our arrival and then a second within half an hour. Really nice close up views. Also saw several Red Deer, woodmice and fleeting glimpses of Pipestrelle Bats. Very pleasant experience. Added bonus on the way back to the car, encounter with the local friendly farmed deer who enjoyed having their antlers scratched! Many thanks!"
Peter Daniels
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"We felt absolutely privileged to have been able to watch a male Pine Marten for about 20 minutes eating sultanas! Such a stunning animal. And then to see a second Pine Marten - a female - was just the icing on the cake. In-between times we were kept amused by the antics of the woodmice and voles and watched some Red Deer passing through as well. And we saw several Woodcocks fly over. Brilliant!! We would recommend this trip to all our friends and will hopefully one day come and view Pine Martens from the new hide!"
Anne Crotty
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"Has to be the Pine Marten - but closely followed by Red Deer and the whole night experience and Kate's commentary"
Peter Reid
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"Three different Pine Martens. Four different Badgers. Nine amiable companions"
David Parkin
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"Seeing both Pine Marten and Badger so close and being able to observe their behaviour. It was incredible to see both species so close, we absolutely loved it!"
Emma Juxton
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"Seeing 2 Pine Martens together on the feeding platform and watching one at the back of the hide for several minutes"
Jennifer Scaife
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"The Whole experience - plus seeing the Pine Marten of course!"
Carol Strevens
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"The amazing views of the Pine Marten and how close we were able to get without disturbing the wildlife"
Kim Redgrave
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"Has to be the 3 Pine Martens, been a lifelong dream to see one"
Helen Horrocks
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"Seeing a Pine Marten so close as well as all 7 Badgers - great memories for us thank you"
Jo and Ian
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"Seeing such excellent views of a Pine Marten...and the stars"
Janice Adams
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"Obviously seeing a Pine Marten in the wild and so close. Also our guide was first class"
Carol Whetren
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"Close encounters with a Pine Marten (only a few inches away). Photograhing the Pine Marten and Badgers was easy even by just using mobile a phone"
Yana Pocklington
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"We had an amazing experience seeing the Badgers and Pine Marten"
Dianne Sorrie
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"Seeing the Pine Martens couldn’t believe how close they were to the hide just wonderful"
Caroline Legg
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"The wildlife! I have seen Pine Martens several times before, but seeing one so close was superb"
Polly Freeman
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"A Pine Marten coming so close that if no glass there, you could have touched it"
Carol Bone
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"Obviously to be able to see a free Badger for real and during around ten minutes and also two Pine Martens which were playing and eating just in front of us like if they were dancing! I felt I lived a very rare moment, to be able to see wild animals in our industrial world is almost a mystical experience! I will recommend it to everyone to become aware of the importance to maintain and preserve the biodiversity of our natural sites!! Great, thank you to all the members of the organisation!"
Aurelien Martinou
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"Pine Martens and the hide itself. The comfortable seating inside and ability to walk around made it an even better experience"
Hilde
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"Being able to watch the Pine Marten so close was definitely the highlight"
Katie Carnell
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"Seeing Pine Marten & Badgers at close quarters. Ticked all the boxes we were hoping for, many thanks"
A.Cornell
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"We all enjoyed the whole experience. Have been coming to the area for 30 years and never done this before but definitely will again. Seeing the badgers was a highlight. Will be back to look for the elusive Pine Marten??"
Claire Wilson
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"Seeing a Pine Marten (which was what we came for). Seeing Badgers close up on the rocks was great and something we haven't had in other hides. Hide was heated - excellent. Bonus was a clear sky afterwards and being able to see the Milky Way"
Clare Russell
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"We were so lucky to see 2 young male Badgers and an older mother Badger. They were there for quite some time and very close to the hide providing a fantastic opportunity to watch them! Later in the evening, this year's Pine Marten kit showed up for a good 5 minutes or so. To say I was delighted would be an understatement as I've wanted to see a Pine Marten for many years! Seeing the Badgers was equally thrilling! The whole experience was something I'll never forget and surpassed my expectations. Many thanks to Kate for answering my many questions! I will recommend Speyside Wildlife to friends and family"
Michele
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"Seeing a young Pine Marten, not once, but twice! Apparently it is rare for them to come back so we felt very lucky. Generally just seeing the animals in the wild, without disturbing them, was an amazing experience"
Emma Greer
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"We were so fortunate as we had a visit of 5 Badgers, a Pine Marten and of course a few Wood Mice. As to the highlight, it was all brilliant so can't pick one over the other"
Trev Johnson
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"Finally seeing some of Scotland’s iconic wildlife up close. Most wildlife are seen through binoculars or long lenses,so to be eye to eye was a real treat"
Nick Gibson
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"Seeing how much it meant to my Mum, who I brought here to celebrate her 60th birthday. It was an experience she will never forget"
Craig Mcdonald
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"Two Pine Martens, mother and kit together,stunning"
Richard Henser
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"Seeing Pine Martens at close quarters and 5 Badgers all together feeding happily. It was brilliant"
Celia Davis
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"Seeing a Pine Marten right next to the window!! . The Woodcock flying overhead whilst waiting at car park was also an amazing lifer, but would not have known without the help of the guide"
Ellie
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"Seeing the Badgers and Pine Marten at such close range - my 81yr old mother is still talking about what a fantastic experience it was"
Steven Gardner
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"Excellent views of Pine Marten and Badger, this is my forth visit this year and I find it amazing to see the animals so close, I shall come again, many thanks to you all"
Richard Henser
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"I was looking forward to hopefully seeing a Badger so to see not just one, but six individuals, and up close too was amazing! We also managed to see a Pine Marten which was a delight. Although she did not come to the table to eat we saw her popping up in the long grass. The stars on our exit and return to the car were magical too"
Dawn Bain
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"Seeing a Pine Marten from the hide was the highlight of our visit, we spent a week in the Aviemore area being able to see Tawny Owls, Badgers and two Pine Martens at such close range in such a comfortable setting was amazing and not what I was expecting. Could clearly see the dedication that John and the rest of the Speyside Wildlife group have gone to great lengths at gaining the trust of such elusive mammals well worth it"
Christian Pearce
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"Seeing two Pine Martens, as well as the three or four Badgers. The clear night with the stars above us made the walk back to the car a great end to a great night out"
John Griffiths
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"Watching the faces and listening to the excited and amazed comments from my friends who had never been before or witnessed wildlife at such close range. It has the same effect on me even though I have been several times before and will do so again. This time several Badgers and 3 Pine Martens put on a fab show!!!!!!!!! Please tell my cynic of a son you don't let them out of cages up the track though !!"
Joan Glass
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"3 different Badgers and 3 different Pine Martens, close enough that you could almost touch, Tawny Owl and also mice. Badgers and Pine Martens didn't just come and go but stayed a good while allowing us to see them close up and in detail, truly a wonder to see such wild animals at close range while not interfering with their way of life. Will certainly be going back again, it was our last stop before driving 600 miles home and I'd happily do the 1200 mile round trip just to sit in this hide another evening, can't recommend it enough"
Gary Funnell
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