Aigas and the Local Area

This low‑mileage week is designed to run at a slightly slower pace than many of our more action‑packed programmes, while still taking in some of the very best wildlife the Highlands has to offer.

At Aigas, we are fortunate to be situated in the heart of one of the most wildlife‑rich areas in the UK, meaning you don’t have to travel far to encounter species such as golden eagles, red deer, ospreys and black‑throated divers. This programme is also designed to give you more free time on the Aigas Estate, with opportunities to make full use of our walking trails and wildlife hides.

What to Expect

Your first day will be spent on the Aigas Estate. A walk around the loch with one of our rangers offers the opportunity not only to learn about the many ongoing conservation projects we are involved in, but also to discover places you may wish to explore independently during the week. Perhaps a bench in an orchid‑carpeted woodland, surrounded by the sounds of siskins and crossbills, will tempt you back with a book or a sketchpad. A hide where red squirrels leap from branch to branch to feed on hazelnuts might be somewhere you choose to spend time with a camera or binoculars. This programme is designed to allow you to enjoy the estate’s natural wonders in whatever way suits you best, and the Aigas team is always happy to offer advice on the best locations for particular species, or simply the perfect spot to relax.

During the week, you will still experience a wide variety of habitats despite staying relatively close to Aigas. One such excursion is a visit to a nearby glen, where you will quickly feel transported to a wilder side of the Highland landscape. Here, golden eagles are commonly seen soaring over ridgelines, while black‑throated divers, dippers and breeding whooper swans frequent the streams and lochs. After a morning of wildlife watching and a picnic lunch, you will return to the estate, where the rest of the day is yours to enjoy at your own pace.

A morning spent on the Black Isle provides further wildlife‑watching opportunities. Fishing ospreys, hundreds of wading birds, and bottlenose dolphins are the main target species; however, this area also boasts fascinating history and a rich diversity of other wildlife. The arable farmland provides a contrast to other locations visited during the week, offering chances to see species such as grey partridges and yellowhammers, alongside a wide variety of butterflies and bumblebees.

Other daily activities will vary with the seasons, allowing us to seek out some of the most impressive wildlife spectacles right on our doorstep. In autumn, this may include a visit to a waterfall to watch salmon leaping as they battle upstream during their epic migration, as well as woodland walks to explore the wealth of emerging fungi. In spring, these woodland walks instead reveal beautiful wildflowers and the abundance of invertebrate life that accompanies their bloom. During summer, our focus may shift to watching Slavonian grebes, one of Britain’s rarest breeding birds, and perhaps even witnessing their stunning courtship displays.

The programme also makes full use of the grounds of the Aigas Estate, where you may join the ranger team for activities ranging from examining a moth trap set the night before to listening to an informal talk on a topic one of the rangers is particularly passionate about. You will also have the opportunity to visit our wildcat conservation breeding programme, learning about their reintroduction to Scotland and, with luck, seeing these elusive animals first‑hand from our dedicated hide.

Throughout the week you will be based on the Aigas Estate, with wildlife quite literally on your doorstep. You will stay in cosy lodges set within the house’s arboretum and have access to our extensive natural history library. Meals are taken in the magnificent baronial hall, where you can look forward to delicious three‑course, home‑cooked dinners each evening.