Facilities at Aigas

The House of Aigas is a family home; a place of good country fare, muddy boots, dogs and crackling pine-log fires. The gardens and arboretum are extensive and picturesque, perfect for quiet walks, photography and watching abundant widllife: the rookery, siskins and crossbills in the trees, buzzards and red kites, roe deer in the bamboos and perhaps a pine marten on your veranda. We are situated in a scenic Scottish glen.



Your accomodation is cosy and friendly, warm and entirely self-contained. in the house there is a comprehensive library and fine collection of taxidermy of Highland wildlife. There is an office and a shop for postcards, small gifts and books.

Nature and archaeology trails lead outwards and upwards to the loch where you might see an osprey, a beaver or an otter. The tree-top hide looks out over the valley. There is a Bronze Age Village to explore and an Iron Age Fort.

We take day-trips out to see the spectacular scenery and wonders of the Highlands in our own comfotable and reliable transport.

In the evenings you can enjoy a malt whisky in front of the fire, dine in our baronial style hall, attend a lecture in the common room from one of our highly qualified staff, or visit the badger hide to meet 'Dolly', the colony's matriarch, and most likely a pine marten too.

Nothing is too much trouble at Aigas. We are here to share these wonderful surroundings with all our guests and to send you away longing to return.

Accomodation - Timber Lodges

Aigas accommodates up to 40 guests in comfortable, heated timber lodges all with twin bedrooms and private bathrooms appealingly set in the spacious gardens and wooded grounds of the House of Aigas.

In the 1970s John Lister-Kaye travelled throughout North America and Canada and East Africa exploring nature centres, safari lodges and camps to see what facilities existed.  He was deeply impressed by Camp Denali, at the foot of Mount McKinley in Alaska.  The late Sir Frank Fraser Darling had given him an introduction to Cecilia Johnson, one of the founders, who inspired him with that special wilderness experience.

The original Aigas lodges, built in 1976, were based on the spartan accommodation at Camp Denali. But things have moved on.  The days of log bunk rooms have long since gone and our timber lodges are now spacious, heated and carpeted, with lounges, kitchenettes and twin bedrooms, all with private bathrooms.  It is not at all unusual to see roe deer from your window or find a pine marten scampering along your balcony rail. 

Bedrooms
All bedrooms are carpeted and heated. They have twin divan beds with firm interior sprung mattresses, pillows, sheets and non-allergy duvets (slumberdown) as well as spare blankets for every bed. All bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms. They contain a chest of drawers, hanging cupboard, mirror, bedside table, reading lights and chairs. You have complete privacy in your bedroom.

Bathrooms
Our bathrooms are modern and well lit. They contain a bath with shower and shower screen, a hand basin with mirror and light, a shaver-socket, a heated towel-rail, and a W.C. All bathrooms are also equipped with two towels per person and a bath mat. Each bathroom has its own hot water tank.

Sitting Rooms
Each lodge has a communal lounge area with carpets, tables and chairs, a kitchen for making tea or coffee, an information board and coat-hanging area. There is a small selection of books and magazines and each lodge is equipped with umbrellas.                 

The Affric, Eskadale and Tower rooms were the principal bedrooms of the Victorian Sporting Lodge built by the Gordon-Oswald family in 1877.

The Affric Room was the Victorian master bedroom with its own dressing room, now a bathroom en suite. This family bedroom houses a fine example of a 19th Century half-tester bed with original canopy, a 17th Century Highland pine rocking cradle made for the Earl of Seafield, and a classical portrait of a mother suckling an infant, among other antique furnishings.

The Eskadale Room, another elegant family bedroom, is a twin-bedded room overlooking the croquet lawn and the pond and across the river to Eskadale. It contains four handsome floral watercolours by a renowned local artist and two large pastel of 19th century children. This room shares a bathroom and w.c.


The Tower Room is a cosy single bedroom in the tower with its own turret w.c. and shares a bathroom next door with the Eskadale room. It contains 19th Century watercolours of Constantinople collected by the late Lady Helen Lister-Kaye in her youth, and a wildlife watercolour of hen harriers by Donald Watson.

These family bedrooms are not part of the Field Centre, but are available for guests by special arrangement with the office. Guests and friends who have previously visited Aigas with groups and are returning on their own for a short stay often use them.

Delicious food is an Aigas speciality. We use high quality, locally grown and organic produce (where ever possible) and menus can be pre-determined to suit your requirements. Our policy is healthy eating.

We offer different levels of catering to suit the requirements of the groups in residence at the field centre, from Haute Cuisine with a special Scottish and Highland emphasis, to budget catering for schools and youth groups.

Breakfast, dinner and buffet lunches are served in the fine baronial rooms of the house and packed lunches are provided for day-long expeditions.

The Library

The Library is an essential room in any field centre. It houses a wide selection of reference books on the Highlands and farther afield, particularly on natural history, flora, fauna and social history. This room is used as a quiet reading room or a place for quiet study.

There is also a whole wall of maps dedicated to the Highlands and Islands where guests can trace their expeditions and adventures.

Common Room

The Common Room is the room given to each resident group for common use. It can be lounge, lecture room and a place for a ceilidh (party).

Guests are encouraged to treat it as their own room where they can relax, have tea in front of a crackling pine log fire or engage in their own studies. It contains a collection of Highland taxidermy: ptarmigan, otter, common seal, golden eagle, capercaillie, pine marten, red squirrel, kingfisher, ferox trout, salmon and many other items of interest.

Evening lectures, slide shows and local entertainment are regular features of our programmes, and these often take place in the common room.

Baronial Style Dining Hall

The central hall of the House of Aigas is our dining hall. Long refectory tables comfortably seat up to 40 people with the adjoining library also used for smaller parties. The 60 foot hall is high Victorian architecture  with an imperial stair and gallery, and a curved ceiling 30 foot above the tables. Eight large Lister-Kaye family portraits line the walls with a seond tier of smaller portraits above. A large wood-burning stove creates a focal point and the hall is adorned with Victorian period memorabilia and antiques reflecting the sporting era of its 19th century origins.

Office and Shop

The House of Aigas is the hub of the Field Centre, where groups meet, have lectures and eat meals. It is also where you will find the office and shop. The office is there to ensure that the field centre activities run as smoothly as possible. It is the first point of contact for new groups and enquiries. There is also a computer terminal for guests who would like to log onto the internet.

The shop sells a selection of merchandise related to Aigas; books, postcards, badges, sweatshirts etc. Publications and books include those written by Sir John Lister-Kaye and Lady Lister-Kaye's Aigas Cookbook, which contains many traditional Highland recipes used in the menus at Aigas (see sales section).

Gardens and Arboretum

The House of Aigas is set amongst beautiful gardens, with rockeries, a large pond and an extensive arboretum. Most of the trees were planted by the Victorians over a hundred years ago, and have now reached considerable heights.

Sir John Lister-Kaye set about identifying and listing the trees, trimming their damaged limbs, removing wild tree competition and planting a variety of new species to extend the collection immediately after buying Aigas in 1976. Most of the important specimen trees are labelled and visitors are encouraged to walk round and explore and enjoy these for themselves. There are thirty-seven species of exotic tree, excluding cultivars and shrubs, and a further twenty-three native tree species.

The garden is Lady Lister-Kaye's creation, a blend of colour throughout the year, hosting a rich array of species from miniature maples to azaleas and rhododendrons and the blooms of heathers, lilies, honeysuckle and clematis. The daffodils are a fine display in spring. 

The Aigas Estate offers a fascinating mosaic of habitats, our remnant Caledonian pine forest, native birch woods, plantation forestry, open moorland and a loch extended during the Victorian era to supply a constant water supply for the estate. On the heather moor above the woodlands, exist the relics of both Bronze and Iron Age settlements from up to 5000 years ago.

The nature trail meanders through the estate introducing guests to the many habitats and species found around the grounds. Walking first through the gardens and arboretum, then over fields and through forestry, the trail circles the loch through birch and willow scrub and heather moorland before reaching the pinewoods where rare orchids are to be found. As you walk amid constant bird song, you may spot a red squirrel or pine marten in the woodlands, and on the loch we often have otters taking advantage of the stock of trout.

Aigas Archaeology

The archaeology trail takes you onto the hill above the loch. Here we find evidence of life in the Bronze Age, remains of field systems, hut circles and an unusual cup marked stone. The trail rises to a natural high point and lookout on which stand the stony remains of an Iron Age Fort. On a clear day, the view is breathtaking, stretching east over Strathglass to the Moray Firth and south-west to the mountains of Strathfarrar and Glen Affric.

The Loch

The Aigas Loch, Loch Cuil Na Caillich (loch of the nook of the old woman) is a freshwater loch set amongst shady woodland and open moorland scenery. At its deepest, it reaches a depth of 30 ft. The natural loch was extended by the Victorians in the late 1800s when they added a dam to ensure a constant supply of water both for domestic use and to power a saw mill which was located beside the farm buildings.

The loch is a rich habitat supporting a natural population of wild Brown Trout and is also stocked with Rainbow Trout. It is an ideal place for guests to relax and fly-fish on tranquil summer evenings. Ospreys are regular visitors and can be seen hovering above the loch and plunging in to snatch an unsuspecting fish. The loch has many moods, one moment it is dark and broody and the next calm and serene.

Viewing Hides

Tree-top Hide: A short walk from the cabins and lodges will bring you to our tree-top hide. On the edge of the moorland with Scots Pine and Larch close by, the hide provides an intimate glimpse into life in the treetops.

Red Squirrels moving through the trees close by and flocks of small birds flitting past. We often see ravens, buzzards and red kites circling in their search for food. In the early morning Roe Deer graze on the open moor the hide looks over, and foxes search for prey. At dusk woodcock are commonly seen riding over the treetops close to the hide.

The view stretches before you, over the moors to the fields of the valley below and down to the River Beauly, which meanders slowly along this section of Strathglass.

Badger Hide: One mile up the glen, up a bumpy track is our celebrated badger hide, built in 2003 at a large established colony of badger setts. Hundreds of people have enjoyed fine close-up views of badgers, pine martens, roe deer, foxes and tawny owls from this hide. It is ideal for photography and everyone staying at Aigas has a chance to visit the hide with ranger. (See our Wildife section for more information).

Beaver Hide: In 2006 we have introduced European Beaver, Castor fiber, to a wetland location at Aigas. This is an enclosed demonstration project where our rangers can show beavers in their natural habitat from a convenient hide. This project is part of the Scottish Beaver Network,  working in support of the eventual reintroduction of the beaver to Scotland's wilds. (See our Wildlife section for more information abuot the beavers and our captive Capercaillie breeding programe).

 Transport

For international groups Aigas will arrange all land transport needed for the entire programme, from point of entry and back again as required to meet the needs of the customer. Conventionally, coaches are chartered for long distance travel, but we also use railways and internal domestic flights as appropriate. Groups staying at Aigas use comfortable chartered 12 or 14 seat minibuses or full size coaches for longer expeditions such as Orkney and the Isle of Skye.

All transport arrangements are quoted for, arranged, and booked by the Programme Director and Assistant.