Leaders

Sally Nowell and Kate Mennie

Day 1	Arrive in Glenfeshie in time for dinner and a presentation by Pete Cairns
Days 2-7	Visit to Forest Lodge, to meet a member of the RSPB Abernethy team. Head west to visit a project looking at the preservation of Scottish Wildcat. Visit a Highland Glen looking for resident species. Travel to the southern Highlands to see evidence of Beaver activity in their wild environment. Visit Dundreggan to hear about their work to preserve this immense and stunning landscape and their work with Wild Boar.
Day 8	Depart after breakfast.

Weather	The weather can vary enormously. During a typical week in this season we would expect mixed sun and showers with temperatures in the range of 10-25ºC
Walking	Time will be spent patiently watching and waiting, with only occasional gentle walks of up to 1-2 miles. Walking boots are recommended, but walking shoes are fine
Meals	All included from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 8
Insects	Biting midges can occasionally be a nuisance by lochs and shores, so bring repellent
Group	12
Accom	Double, twin and single ensuite rooms at the Steading in Glenfeshie

Rewilding is all about exciting and innovative ideas for developing our wild places for wildlife. Find out more about what’s happening in the Scottish Highlands on this exciting new holiday.

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48uep6bbphidval|REWILDING

	*   Spend a week in the stunning Cairngorms National Park
	*   Meet with those who are leading the way in Rewilding initiatives across Scotland
	*   Hear about the challenges, rewards and successes of re-introduction of species
	*   Spend time on the stunning West Coast looking for White-tailed Eagle
	*   Look for gems such as Golden Eagle, Crested Tit, Capercaillie and Pine Marten
	*   Visit Aigas Field Centre to hear about their Beaver and Wildcat projects
	*   Meet with RSPB Abernethy to learn about the 200 year forest expansion project

Day 1	After arriving at our comfortable accommodation we shall have dinner and then, as an introduction to the concept of rewilding, we shall hear from Pete Cairns, a professional photographer and leading figure in the project ‘Scotland’s Big Picture,’ who will share his knowledge about the exciting subject of rewilding and illustrate his talk with some stunning images. This should whet our appetites and get our brains buzzing for the rest of the week.
Days 2-7	We shall spend the week immersing ourselves in the very best of Highland wildlife and habitat, to give you a fascinating insight into the new ideas and developments to conserve and expand Scotland’s wild areas. Our days will be necessarily flexible depending on the weather, but we intend to start with a visit to the RSPB’s Reserve at Abernethy Forest. Here at Forest Lodge, Scotland’s largest wooden building, we’ll meet a member of the Abernethy team, who will talk us through the plans to expand the remaining remnants of the Caledonian Pine forest. We know you will be itching to get out, so we shall walk from Forest Lodge into this beautiful area, to see the work being undertaken, but also to look for the Pine Forest specilaities such as Crested Tit and Scottish Crossbill. This is an excellent site for Red Squirrel and Pine Marten, but our best chance of the latter will be on a visit to our mammal hide one evening, where we hope to see these superb animals at close quarters and our resident Badgers as well! We shall spend time in a beautiful Scottish Glen, where there are chances of Golden Eagle and other mountain residents. White-tailed Eagles are becoming more frequent here, as their territory expands from their re-introduction site on the West Coast. We’ll scan for Mountain Hare on the granite-strewn hillsides and spot large herds of Red Deer and we’ll discuss the complex issues surrounding this animal, that can cause habitat problems when in large numbers, but are a major income source for Highland Estates. As we drive you across the Highlands enroute to our various destinations, we’ll be constantly on the lookout for exciting birds such as Red-throated and Black-throated Divers in spectacular breeding plumage, Short-eared Owl, Merlin, Stonechat and charmingly engaging Red Grouse and we’ll be hoping for Black Grouse too. One of our destinations is Aigas Field Centre. Aigas has a 40 year history of sharing its knowledge of the Highlands with visitors to their stunning property. Their project to protect what is probably Britain’s rarest mammal, the Scottish Wildcat, is the main focus of our visit here. Rewilding is often associated with the re-introduction of now extinct species in the UK and we shall also hear about their European Beaver project and hope to catch a glimpse of their captive population of beavers, featured on the BBC Spring and Winterwatch. We shall head into Perthshire, to see areas where the presence of European Beaver is having an impact on the landscape, creating the kind of habitat that we expect to see in areas of Northern Europe and which was once common in the UK. Wildlife enthusiasts and farmers have somewhat different views on these changes! There is much discussion related to re-introduction of other species such as Wolf, Lynx and Moose, but two species that are already a huge success are White-tailed Eagle and Red Kite; species we hope to see on our visit to the West Coast. The issues surrounding the re-introduction of any species will undoubtedly be part of our discussions throughout the week. This week is an excellent opportunity to see Scotland’s wildlife and wild places through a different ‘lens’ - that of rewilding. Whatever your interest, knowledge or views on this subject, we hope you will find this an optimistic and exciting opportunity to look into the future of our natural habitat.
Day 8	We say our farewells after breakfast on Saturday.

Just some of what we hope to see..

White-tailed Sea Eagle	Common Scoter	Whinchat
Golden Eagle	Goldeneye	Stonechat
Red Kite	Goosander	Red Grouse
Osprey	Red-breasted Merganser	Black Grouse
Peregrine Falcon	Black-Throated Diver	European Beaver
Hen Harrier	Red-Throated Diver	Red Deer
Merlin	Scottish Crossbill	Red Squirrel
Short-Eared Owl	Crested Tit	Pine Marten
Ring Ouzel	Redstart	Mountain Hare
Ptarmigan	Wood Warbler	Brown Hare
Snow Bunting	Tree Pipit	Badger
Dotterel