We have just returned from a fabulous week at Aigas, a unique base from which to see the wildlife of the Highlands. The Field Centre is the stately home of Sir John and Lady Lucy Lister-Kaye, who are so welcoming and are the perfect hosts. They made us feel more like family guests than customers, which was immediately proved by the number of guests on our programme that have stayed there many times before. In fact, we seemed to be virtually the only first-timers, although it definitely won't be our last! The accommodation and meals are excellent, all under the personal supervision of Lady Lucy; and the wildlife programmes were extremely well organised. The programs themselves are led by both permanent and seasonal rangers, who all have a superb knowledge of the wildlife, history and geology of Scotland. Even the newer staff had all been trained extremely well, to have managed to learn so much knowledge to impart to us. It was also obvious that they all have genuine enthusiasm and take real personal pride in the work that they do for the centre. Aigas is set in a beautiful country setting, which contains its own loch and wildlife hides, containing a wide variety of Highland wildlife. It must be one of the few places where you could be lucky enough to see amongst other things, pine martens, otters and beavers. As well as learning so much, it was an extremely relaxing way to leave the rat-race for a week and do something much more full-filling instead. This is a very special place and a testament to the Lister-Kaye's for creating such a wonderful environment and also to all of the staff who do such a first-class job. We will definitely return again in the future to experience some of their other wildlife programmes.

This was the first time we had really done any kind of wildlife watching since we were children, and we were very apprehensive about standing out and coming across as idiots. On the contrary, the rangers were so engaging and so patient in helping us to use binoculars, how to identify different birds and really help to build our confidence and enthusiasm. We were given really helpful tips fo the best time and places to spot the beavers and had some very successful hide visits, also seeing the pine martins and wild cats, as well as a host of red squirrels and a young greater spotted woodpecker who was beautiful The food was exception and whilst we were initially hesitant about communal meals, these quickly became the highlight of our time there and Lady Lucy and Sir John were the perfect hosts.

Aigas Field Centre is the creation of Sir John and Lady Lucy Lister-Kaye, and what a creation it is. It is a combination of love of the land and love of place, natural habitat restoration, and education. It is done with a passion that is contagious, and it is done well. The week is spent on the grounds of the Field Centre in cabins that are quite comfortable. Many cabins have two bedrooms separated by a common room and kitchen that encourages visiting. Each bedroom has two comfortable beds and a bathroom with tub and shower. Meals are taken at the main Estate House in the large common room. Lucy Lister-Kaye is the consummate hostess who makes everyone feel at home. She is also a superb cook who overseas the kitchen. She also helps to serve and makes certain that everyone's needs are met. That applies to those of us who have special dietary needs. Each day is spent in some sort of activity that took us around the grounds or the countryside, to acquaint us with the flora and fauna, the issues of reforestation and conservation, and return of wildlife species, or the history of human life on the land and in the country. My wife and I had the most amazing and wonderful week. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting the others in our group, each one accomplished in some way and each one interesting. Hikes were with experienced ranger guides and at a pace that we all could handle, and were interspersed with stops to observe and talk about what we saw. My wife and I plan to return for another Aigas program.