Programmes By Date - Aigas Field Centre

This was my 4th stay at Aigas. The garden still looked stunning,Lady Lucy must spend loads of time here. My favourite place is the little bench overlooking the pond. This time I had booked a week with Nick Baker. It proved to be an excellent choice, Nick is very enthusiastic, offers a different look on wildlife and is very, very knowledgable. We did some tracking which was very exciting, visited a badger sett and even did some rock pooling. Amazing what you can find and what he can tell you about all the different species! His knowledge about bugs really added to the programme. My favourite bit is always the hide visits, this time I managed to get pine martens on 6 out of 7 nights which was amazing. I watched the sunrise from the loch every morning, heard the owls and buzzards calling, saw the bats go into their roosting place, there is so much this place offers. My lodge was very comfortable, the weather very unlike Scotland, we had 4 dry, warm days! Add the excellent food, the staff, the rangers and the guests and I can really say I had the perfect holiday. And the best part of it? I left knowing I had already booked another week for 2014.
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Cora B

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Cora B

This was my 4th stay at Aigas. The garden still looked stunning,Lady Lucy must spend loads of time here. My favourite place is the little bench overlooking the pond. This time I had booked a week with Nick Baker. It proved to be an excellent choice, Nick is very enthusiastic, offers a different look on wildlife and is very, very knowledgable. We did some tracking which was very exciting, visited a badger sett and even did some rock pooling. Amazing what you can find and what he can tell you about all the different species! His knowledge about bugs really added to the programme. My favourite bit is always the hide visits, this time I managed to get pine martens on 6 out of 7 nights which was amazing. I watched the sunrise from the loch every morning, heard the owls and buzzards calling, saw the bats go into their roosting place, there is so much this place offers. My lodge was very comfortable, the weather very unlike Scotland, we had 4 dry, warm days! Add the excellent food, the staff, the rangers and the guests and I can really say I had the perfect holiday. And the best part of it? I left knowing I had already booked another week for 2014.
I participated in Aigas Wildlife Week which was a week full of nature at Aigas Field House and surrounding areas. I was on an extended visit to Scotland with a lot of history and urban visiting, so this mental break and green surrounding was appreciated. The Rangers work hard to cover all interests and the other guests can bring welcome knowledge and experience as well. Though the day trips were occasionally long, the pace was comfortable and time was allowed to enjoy the scenery. I am a birder, so this was a better fit than some bird-centric trips that are just 'tick the sighting and drive off'. I appreciated the fact there is no single supplement for a private cabin room and that dietary needs are well cared for. We had both gluten-free and vegetarian guests and it was often difficult to tell the special meal from the normal menu. It was all very tasty and plentiful. Breakfast is a cold buffet (with hot oatmeal)! Lunch typically a pack a bag buffet, and dinner a full served meal. Cabins are several bedrooms arranged around a common living room and kitchen. They are slightly spread out, but all easily walkable to the main house. They are well heated with individual radiators. The grounds are extensive with trails, gardens and viewing hides and easily manageable to visit in your down time. There are numerous planned weeks or long weekend programs as well as a bed and breakfast, or short let accommodations. My week at Aigas was a real treat for me and will be one of my Scotland highlights.
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Quiltingmamma

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Quiltingmamma

I participated in Aigas Wildlife Week which was a week full of nature at Aigas Field House and surrounding areas. I was on an extended visit to Scotland with a lot of history and urban visiting, so this mental break and green surrounding was appreciated. The Rangers work hard to cover all interests and the other guests can bring welcome knowledge and experience as well. Though the day trips were occasionally long, the pace was comfortable and time was allowed to enjoy the scenery. I am a birder, so this was a better fit than some bird-centric trips that are just 'tick the sighting and drive off'. I appreciated the fact there is no single supplement for a private cabin room and that dietary needs are well cared for. We had both gluten-free and vegetarian guests and it was often difficult to tell the special meal from the normal menu. It was all very tasty and plentiful. Breakfast is a cold buffet (with hot oatmeal)! Lunch typically a pack a bag buffet, and dinner a full served meal. Cabins are several bedrooms arranged around a common living room and kitchen. They are slightly spread out, but all easily walkable to the main house. They are well heated with individual radiators. The grounds are extensive with trails, gardens and viewing hides and easily manageable to visit in your down time. There are numerous planned weeks or long weekend programs as well as a bed and breakfast, or short let accommodations. My week at Aigas was a real treat for me and will be one of my Scotland highlights.
I went to Aigas at the end of June for the Wildlife week, it was brilliant. There were about 20 of us split into two groups and we went out on trips in mini buses every day. The rangers were amazing, knowledgeable not only on their own subjects but local history, geology of the area, stories of the clans and if you had a question they usually knew the answer - if not they found it when we got back to the house either from one of the other staff or the huge range of books in the library. The rangers could spot wildlife that to the rest of us didn't appear to be there, then set up the 'scope so we could see it too. All of us were 'wildlife spotting' out of the buses and alerting the rest with 'eagle at 11 o'clock' that then turned out to be a buzzard! I hadn't been to Scotland but driving around the highlands was amazing. The weather was pretty good and one day was very bright and sunny which made some of the bays with the white sand and turquoise water look like some I have seen in the Med. My log cabin was cosy and comfortable and the bed was the best I have slept in away from home. There were late nights watching badgers and pine martins, early evenings to spot beavers feeding on lilies in the loch and early mornings to watch otters. The food was amazing, all home cooked by the lady of the house, local produce whenever possible. Everyone on the staff were lovely and couldn't do enough for you, it really was like being part of a large family. I went by myself, single lady, not always good in social situations, but there were other single people and it was so friendly and relaxed that it was easy not to feel excluded. It was great to get together in the common room before dinner to exchange details of what creatures had been seen during the day and at breakfast who had been daft enough to stay up until 3am waiting for badgers to arrive. Whatever age you are, if you love wildlife, go to Aigas. You won't be disappointed. I am going back next Sept, hopefully to watch the deer rut. Can't wait.
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LINDA J

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LINDA J

I went to Aigas at the end of June for the Wildlife week, it was brilliant. There were about 20 of us split into two groups and we went out on trips in mini buses every day. The rangers were amazing, knowledgeable not only on their own subjects but local history, geology of the area, stories of the clans and if you had a question they usually knew the answer - if not they found it when we got back to the house either from one of the other staff or the huge range of books in the library. The rangers could spot wildlife that to the rest of us didn't appear to be there, then set up the 'scope so we could see it too. All of us were 'wildlife spotting' out of the buses and alerting the rest with 'eagle at 11 o'clock' that then turned out to be a buzzard! I hadn't been to Scotland but driving around the highlands was amazing. The weather was pretty good and one day was very bright and sunny which made some of the bays with the white sand and turquoise water look like some I have seen in the Med. My log cabin was cosy and comfortable and the bed was the best I have slept in away from home. There were late nights watching badgers and pine martins, early evenings to spot beavers feeding on lilies in the loch and early mornings to watch otters. The food was amazing, all home cooked by the lady of the house, local produce whenever possible. Everyone on the staff were lovely and couldn't do enough for you, it really was like being part of a large family. I went by myself, single lady, not always good in social situations, but there were other single people and it was so friendly and relaxed that it was easy not to feel excluded. It was great to get together in the common room before dinner to exchange details of what creatures had been seen during the day and at breakfast who had been daft enough to stay up until 3am waiting for badgers to arrive. Whatever age you are, if you love wildlife, go to Aigas. You won't be disappointed. I am going back next Sept, hopefully to watch the deer rut. Can't wait.