Programmes By Date - Aigas Field Centre

The hosts at Aigas were Sir John and Lady Lucy Lister Kaye, he a naturalist and writer and she a gardener and superb cook. Both were gracious, welcoming and most informative. The rangers who drove the vehicles to take us to Scottish places of interest were very capable and kind. Scotland,in the Highlands is bewitching. Was not surprised to find the weather too cool and wet. Out of ten days three were sunny and the sky blue. Those three days were a surprise. A traveler comes prepared. The cabins we stayed in were fine. Each room had its private bathroom. All meals, teas and talks took place in the manor house. Three fine dogs were a bonus.
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Carole S

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Carole S

The hosts at Aigas were Sir John and Lady Lucy Lister Kaye, he a naturalist and writer and she a gardener and superb cook. Both were gracious, welcoming and most informative. The rangers who drove the vehicles to take us to Scottish places of interest were very capable and kind. Scotland,in the Highlands is bewitching. Was not surprised to find the weather too cool and wet. Out of ten days three were sunny and the sky blue. Those three days were a surprise. A traveler comes prepared. The cabins we stayed in were fine. Each room had its private bathroom. All meals, teas and talks took place in the manor house. Three fine dogs were a bonus.
I concur with the praise from others for the standard week at Aigas. This is a special place. Every interaction with the staff at all levels was wonderful: * office staff -- Sheila and Marjorie * the rangers -- knowledgeable, cheerful, resourceful * the owners -- Sir John and Lady Lucy * even the kitchen staff (sorry I did not learn their names) We chose to extend our stay and do an extra day after the Highland House Party. They assigned ranger Jenny as our guide. She met with us a few times early in the week to understand what we were looking for. She came back with a proposal to go to the Cairngorms Mountain area. This was not on our itinerary for Highland House party, so we were pleased to see another part of Scotland. The 2 main attractions that she chose for us were: * Highland Folk Museum -- contains a 1700s village that was used for several scenes in Outlander -- really fascinating. This place also contains history and culture from other historic eras, but we did not take the time to see it all -- more for the next trip. * Cairngorms Mountain ski area -- this time of year covered with pink and purple heather in bloom. It is also a good spot for the Ring Ouzel -- a bird that we did not manage to see earlier in the trip. We found out that Jenny had spent the previous day scouting out the route -- checking timings, and toilet stops. That is emblematic for the level attention to detail to get when booking a trip at Aigas. Come and experience the joy.
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Shakespeare_Fan

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Shakespeare_Fan

I concur with the praise from others for the standard week at Aigas. This is a special place. Every interaction with the staff at all levels was wonderful: * office staff -- Sheila and Marjorie * the rangers -- knowledgeable, cheerful, resourceful * the owners -- Sir John and Lady Lucy * even the kitchen staff (sorry I did not learn their names) We chose to extend our stay and do an extra day after the Highland House Party. They assigned ranger Jenny as our guide. She met with us a few times early in the week to understand what we were looking for. She came back with a proposal to go to the Cairngorms Mountain area. This was not on our itinerary for Highland House party, so we were pleased to see another part of Scotland. The 2 main attractions that she chose for us were: * Highland Folk Museum -- contains a 1700s village that was used for several scenes in Outlander -- really fascinating. This place also contains history and culture from other historic eras, but we did not take the time to see it all -- more for the next trip. * Cairngorms Mountain ski area -- this time of year covered with pink and purple heather in bloom. It is also a good spot for the Ring Ouzel -- a bird that we did not manage to see earlier in the trip. We found out that Jenny had spent the previous day scouting out the route -- checking timings, and toilet stops. That is emblematic for the level attention to detail to get when booking a trip at Aigas. Come and experience the joy.
We were impressed by the tranquil beauty of the Aigas property, a carefully restored Victorian estate and gardens. On our arrival, we received a warm greeting by the owners, Sir John and Lady Lucinda Lister-Kaye and their professional team of highly trained, good-humoured rangers. The delicious, plentiful meals and afternoon tea in the Great Hall of their mansion were wonderful; however, what we most appreciated was their commitment to enhance our knowledge of conservation, environmental issues, and the native wildlife and flora. The day trips afforded us a marvellous opportunity to learn about the geology and history of the Highlands. These were enhanced by evening lectures by Sir John and his team; visits to the blinds to see the badgers, re-introduced European beavers, and rare Scottish wildcats. We also enjoyed Sir John's historical house tour, the traditional music, and a magical evening of story telling. Perhaps our best day was spent with Sir John's son, Warwick, who normally devotes his time to managing Aigas. His knowledge of the local wildflowers, birds, and mammals in the nearby lochs and hills was astonishing: we watched golden eagles circling above the mountain summits; we saw the silhouettes of, native red deer stags on the hilltops, and watched peregrine falcon juveniles try their wings by targeting a fleeing kestral. We particularly appreciated the Aigas team's passion and commitment to environmental education, as well as their sensitivity and concern for people and this vulnerable planet. I admire their ethics, generosity and kindness toward their guests. We intend to return to this top calibre facility, which exceeded all of our expectations.
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Laura288

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Laura288

We were impressed by the tranquil beauty of the Aigas property, a carefully restored Victorian estate and gardens. On our arrival, we received a warm greeting by the owners, Sir John and Lady Lucinda Lister-Kaye and their professional team of highly trained, good-humoured rangers. The delicious, plentiful meals and afternoon tea in the Great Hall of their mansion were wonderful; however, what we most appreciated was their commitment to enhance our knowledge of conservation, environmental issues, and the native wildlife and flora. The day trips afforded us a marvellous opportunity to learn about the geology and history of the Highlands. These were enhanced by evening lectures by Sir John and his team; visits to the blinds to see the badgers, re-introduced European beavers, and rare Scottish wildcats. We also enjoyed Sir John's historical house tour, the traditional music, and a magical evening of story telling. Perhaps our best day was spent with Sir John's son, Warwick, who normally devotes his time to managing Aigas. His knowledge of the local wildflowers, birds, and mammals in the nearby lochs and hills was astonishing: we watched golden eagles circling above the mountain summits; we saw the silhouettes of, native red deer stags on the hilltops, and watched peregrine falcon juveniles try their wings by targeting a fleeing kestral. We particularly appreciated the Aigas team's passion and commitment to environmental education, as well as their sensitivity and concern for people and this vulnerable planet. I admire their ethics, generosity and kindness toward their guests. We intend to return to this top calibre facility, which exceeded all of our expectations.