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.
We had a wonderful time at Aigas. I think I know a reasonable amount about wildlife in Scotland, but we saw things on this holiday that I have never seen before and am sure I would never have discovered myself (sea eagles, golden eagles, close up views of otters etc.). The dolphin watching trip was also by far the best one I have ever been on - and I have been on quite a few in various parts of the world. The rangers really know their stuff and are nice with it. The accommodation is good but not particularly luxurious. I was a bit nervous that we would be sharing our cabin with a stranger - but as there were three of us we had a two bed cabin to ourselves. Really we did not spend that much time there except for sleeping, as we were out and about all day and the meals were all served in the baronial hall of the main house. This was also fun - I wasn't sure how much I would like the social aspect of dining with other people - but in fact it was fun - we exchanged experiences with people from all walks of life and made some friends. The food was also very good. In short we had a great week. Nothing was too much for the staff (down to making a special vegan cake for afternoon tea for our vegan). I plan to go back next year and take my mum. One point to note about the wildlife week is that it doesn't require a huge amount of walking - so it would be fine for older people who love wildlife but aren't up for 5 mile hikes up mountains.
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Marion McCune

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Marion McCune

We had a wonderful time at Aigas. I think I know a reasonable amount about wildlife in Scotland, but we saw things on this holiday that I have never seen before and am sure I would never have discovered myself (sea eagles, golden eagles, close up views of otters etc.). The dolphin watching trip was also by far the best one I have ever been on - and I have been on quite a few in various parts of the world. The rangers really know their stuff and are nice with it. The accommodation is good but not particularly luxurious. I was a bit nervous that we would be sharing our cabin with a stranger - but as there were three of us we had a two bed cabin to ourselves. Really we did not spend that much time there except for sleeping, as we were out and about all day and the meals were all served in the baronial hall of the main house. This was also fun - I wasn't sure how much I would like the social aspect of dining with other people - but in fact it was fun - we exchanged experiences with people from all walks of life and made some friends. The food was also very good. In short we had a great week. Nothing was too much for the staff (down to making a special vegan cake for afternoon tea for our vegan). I plan to go back next year and take my mum. One point to note about the wildlife week is that it doesn't require a huge amount of walking - so it would be fine for older people who love wildlife but aren't up for 5 mile hikes up mountains.
This was our first Road Scholar trip and we have already put a deposit down on our next trip. I particularly liked the small group model, even though this "small group" consisted of 32 people - a nice mix of former professions and interests. The Aigas Field Center and Rangers were welcoming. Everyone was personable and well informed. The food was spectacular. There was a good balance of activities. The Road Scholar model was indeed "value added" beyond what I could have planned myself.
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SuzanneLaX

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SuzanneLaX

This was our first Road Scholar trip and we have already put a deposit down on our next trip. I particularly liked the small group model, even though this "small group" consisted of 32 people - a nice mix of former professions and interests. The Aigas Field Center and Rangers were welcoming. Everyone was personable and well informed. The food was spectacular. There was a good balance of activities. The Road Scholar model was indeed "value added" beyond what I could have planned myself.