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| Included | Wildlife guide on an exclusive basis for you and up to 6 friends or family members. Transport for the day in a comfortable 8-seater minibus or car and we shall pick you up from your accomodation within Badenoch and Strathspey. If you are staying outwith the area, the distances from a meeting location by car, are as follows;
Inverness is approx 40 minutes
Perth is approx 2 hours
Aberdeen is approx 2 hours and 30 mins
Edinburgh is approx 3 hours
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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.
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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 in place. For extended days booked, this will include a suggestion of the best start time. You guide will provide tea and coffee but please ensure you have your own picnic lunch for the day. Please bring your own binoculars and telescope if you have one. 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 guide will be carrying hand sanitiser and disinfectant spray to be used if and when they see fit in any circumstance.
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| Cost | From £250 Standard day if booked online / £300 if booked manually via office. Max 8 hours
From £325 Extended day if booked online / £375 if booked manually via office. Max 10 hours
Please note Extended days are best booked between March to October due to daylight hours.
Actual start time to be agreed between you and your guide (either day out includes transport for you and up to 6 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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| Photography | All the photographs used on our website have been taken by guests and guides and demonstrate the images that can be possible during holidays and days out. As photographers know however, days out purely for photography require a completely different approach to being out birdwatching and we’ll always put birdwatching first. That’s what our guides are skilful at, they aren’t professional photography guides, but we can take you to places which we know are frequented by certain species. We don’t routinely use ‘hides’ during our Guided Days Out and therefore photographers may find that the wildlife is not as close as they’d like.
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| Access | As part of our suggested itineraries, we offer an '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. In addition, for a small extra charge, we can provide all-terrain wheelchairs for adults and children alike, so opening up even more of our National Park to those who need that extra bit of help to get around.
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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 - We’ll tailor the day so you can experience the best 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
Summer Wildflowers in the Cairngorms - the Cairngorms is host to a variety of special species. Only available mid-Jun to mid-Jul.
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 to any ability
River Spey Walk – can also be combined with other itinerarys.
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. If you are staying in the Grantown-Aviemore-Kingussie area then they will collect you form your accommodation, if not they will arrange a meeting point with you.
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, so 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. In addition, for a small extra charge, we can provide all-terrain wheelchairs for adults and children alike, so opening up even more of our National Park to those who need that extra bit of help to get around. 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, but steps for easy access are available.
Pine Forest - Visit the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest for Crested Tit, 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.
Summer Wildflowers in the Cairngorms - The Cairngorms National Park is host to a variety of special dragonflies, butterflies and flowers of the Highlands, all set within a range of habitats such as marshland; meadows; mountain and of course pine forest. Twinflower carpets the forest floor and is one of our more famous species, but there are many other interesting plants flowering at this time including Small White, Fragrant and Northern Marsh Orchid; Alpine flowers such as Starry Saxifrage, Dwarf Cornel and Globe Flower and the berry bushes; Bog Bilberry, Crowberry, Bearberry and Cloudberry. If the sun is shining, we might hope to see butterflies such as Northern Brown Argus, plus Heath and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary on the wing and the pine forest contains bird specialists such as crossbill and Crested Tit. This itinerary is only available between mid-June and mid-July.
Cairngorm Mountains - Walk into the Cairngorms for Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting, Dotterel and Ring Ouzel. During the summer months there is access to the top of the mountain by Funicular Railway and you can purchase your tickets on the day, however, 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, Black Grouse
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, 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. Kestrel 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 into known Capercaillie habitat during the lekking period (1 March - 31 May). Outside these dates, when going into potential Capercaillie habitat, we always stay on marked tracks and paths and never go 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.
Through the autumn and winter months, young birds will have fledged and dispersed into the forests, however, to conserve energy, Capercaillie are active for as little as four hours a day, so if we do encounter them we shall stay still, quiet and let them move off by themselves.
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Just some of what we hope to see..
| Red-throated Diver | Black Grouse | Red Squirrel |
| Black-throated Diver | Dotterel (mid May-June) | Mountain Hare |
| Slavonian Grebe | Guillemot | Brown Hare |
| Red Kite | Razorbill | Otter |
| Golden Eagle | Black Guillemot | Red Deer |
| White-tailed Sea Eagle | Gannet | Roe Deer |
| Osprey (April-mid Sept) | Dipper | Mountain Goat |
| Merlin | Ring Ouzel | Bottlenose Dolphin |
| Peregrine | Crested Tit | Common Seal |
| Red Grouse | Crossbills | Grey Seal |
| Ptarmigan | Snow Bunting | |
"After greeting David at the meeting point we were off, David gave us a run down of the day
he had arranged for us based on our emails a few days prior and what we would like to see.
David had tailored the day around this and set out our plan, knocking off many of the wildlife
we wanted to see throughout the day. Every spot we stopped at was incredible, the beauty
and nature in Scotland is absolutely fantastic and my wife and I had the best time. David was
so knowledgable, not only telling us about the wildlife we spotted, but the areas we were in,
the plants and trees, the insects and general conservation news. He was a delight! Raptor
Valley for me was the best from our multiple stops, being an amateur birder seeing so many
species in this one area was magnificent. We will be booking again for next year!"
Tom & Gemma Wood
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"David was a wonderful guide. Knowledgeable and happy to share his knowledge with us. We
experienced possibly all available habitats: glen, forest, loch and moor. We saw Golden
Eagle, Red Grouse, buzzards, Red Kites and Red Squirrels, more types of mushrooms than you
could count and a surprising amount of caterpillars. Wonderful day.
Dianne Draper
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"Slavonic Grebe, Crested Tit, Red Grouse…. We saw over 70 species of birds, many of which were lifers/year ticks. We also saw many mammals and some amphibians, and enjoyed learning more about the flora and fauna of the Cairngorms. Harris was an attentive and excellent guide and has refuelled our love of Scotland."
Trudy Young
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"I loved going to places I would not have found or known about on my own. Seeing Slavonian
Grebes in a small loch not far off a main road was wonderful as were the Peregrine Falcons
in Findhorn Valley."
Gill Hart
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"The whole trip exceeded our expectations, especially since wildlife is so unpredictable. We
think the highlights were seeing the mammals and birds we had never seen before and also
the raptors. This included: Crested Tits, Red Squirrels, Red Deer, Meadow Pipits, Osprey,
White-tailed Eagles and our three favourites which were the Mountain Hare, Slavonian
Grebe and of course a Golden Eagle. Thank you for organising such a memorable day!"
John, Penny, Chloe D'Souza-Eva
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"We were pretty amazed by Harris's encyclopedic knowledge of the local ecosystem -- not just flowers, but insects, butterflies, birds, and mammals. I don't think there was a single species of flora or fauna that I pointed out all day that didn't evoke an incredibly sophisticated response. His knowledge of different corners of the park where we could find a rare grouse or orchid was just incredible. He called several days ahead to understand my interest and really over-delivered in not just finding wildflowers (the tour we'd booked) but also wonderful birds, given my interest in birding, including picking us up earlier than required so we could see birds in the best hours of the morning. He really went above and beyond and clearly cared deeply about delivering a great experience. By the afternoon, we actually had to repeatedly tell him that he'd done enough!"
Charlotte Levitt
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"David was very informative, taking me to spots where I encountered amazing sights, specifically Black Grouse and Black-throated Divers, both an incredible sight. David had great knowledge of the area regarding various plant and animal species and really enhanced my day.Overall upwards of roughly 15-20 bird species, many rare were spotted on my day out which was incredible."
John Brown
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"The guide was extremely knowledgeable on all the wildlife, he’d give Chris Packham a run for his money.
Everything we saw Harris could identify it either by sight or sound."
Tom McKenna
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"I can’t say enough good things about Harris. He was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and handled my mom’s very new mobility issue really well. He was great to talk to or listen to talk about the area, nature, history etc. and he kept us well-informed as to the plan. Highlights were watching Wood Warbler forage, display, and combat while Pied Flycatcher
called in the background, seeing surprise Black Grouse after stopping for them on a whim,and a lucky Red Kite flyover while we searched for Black-throated Diver at one of the most scenic locations we visited the entire time we were in Scotland."
Sam Fellows
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"Wonderful day for our whole family ! We had come from France to visit Highlands and we
wanted to see wild red deer and saw many of them (+ sika and fallow deer). We saw many
other animals : brown hares, a stoat and many birds (about 20 different species, included
some more rare ones). Our guide was very nice and helpful. He lent us binoculars and we
used his telescope to better see animals."
Nicolas Bavouzet
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"We had a most enjoyable guided tour with Harris. Our day started early with an amazing Black Grouse display on a hilltop as well as great views of a Red Kite nearby. Thanks to Harris for suggesting a really early start (7 a.m) so that we would have maximum opportunity to see the Grouse. We saw many birds during our well planned tour from Crested Tit, Red Grouse, Goldeneye, Crossbills, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Merganser and so many others - the list was endless. Harris willingly shared his vast knowledge of birds, plants and history of the area so we came away now being able to identify some plant species that we had been seeing on all our walks in the Inverness area. Harris also was very attentive to our safety and wellbeing which was much appreciated. It was such a pleasure to have a thoughtful and informative guide. So thanks again Harris for such a enjoyable and memorable tour."
Yana Pocklington and Patricia Owlett
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"Ailie was honestly fantastic, we were given so much freedom with what we wanted to do
but it was great to have her expertise when we told her what we wanted to see and she
knew the best places to go to see it. Our highlight absolutely has to be seeing the Golden Eagle in the valley!!"
Bryony Fitzpatrick
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