Name: Aigas Field Centre
Address: Aigas Field Centre, Beauly, Inverness, Scotland, IV4 7AD
Telephone: +441463782443
Rating: 5

I spent two weeks under the aegis of the Aigas Field Centre, the first week at the Centre itself and the second on the tour of the Outer Hebrides. The accomodation in the individual wooden chalets at the Centre is very comfortable and provides tea/coffee making facilities and ample hot water for a shower/bath. The home cooking is a delight; we looked forward in anticipation to the freshly baked cakes provided in the Common Room where we gathered for tea on our return from "the field". The Rangers are relatively young university graduates, very knowledgable, enthusiastic and considerate. At 83, I am not that nimble on my feet, but I need not have worried - the Rangers that accompanied my two weeks (Ed at the Centre and Donald in the Outer Hebrides) took very good care of us all. For the most part, I would guess that the people on my two weeks were of age 50+, but the Centre does run courses for Families and Children, too. As others have written on this page, the wildlife views on the Aigas Weeks are comprehensive and frequently close up and the Outer Hebrides tour is a wonderful mix of local and natural history, with some geomorphology thrown in for good measure. In the glens and hills local to the Centre, one is pretty well assured of excellent sightings of relative rarities that one is unlikely to find by oneself and Donald's extensive local knowledge proved invaluable in the Outer Hebrides. Excellent binoculars are available for hire at the Centre. Highy recommended!
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TonyW20

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TonyW20

I spent two weeks under the aegis of the Aigas Field Centre, the first week at the Centre itself and the second on the tour of the Outer Hebrides. The accomodation in the individual wooden chalets at the Centre is very comfortable and provides tea/coffee making facilities and ample hot water for a shower/bath. The home cooking is a delight; we looked forward in anticipation to the freshly baked cakes provided in the Common Room where we gathered for tea on our return from "the field". The Rangers are relatively young university graduates, very knowledgable, enthusiastic and considerate. At 83, I am not that nimble on my feet, but I need not have worried - the Rangers that accompanied my two weeks (Ed at the Centre and Donald in the Outer Hebrides) took very good care of us all. For the most part, I would guess that the people on my two weeks were of age 50+, but the Centre does run courses for Families and Children, too. As others have written on this page, the wildlife views on the Aigas Weeks are comprehensive and frequently close up and the Outer Hebrides tour is a wonderful mix of local and natural history, with some geomorphology thrown in for good measure. In the glens and hills local to the Centre, one is pretty well assured of excellent sightings of relative rarities that one is unlikely to find by oneself and Donald's extensive local knowledge proved invaluable in the Outer Hebrides. Excellent binoculars are available for hire at the Centre. Highy recommended!
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.
Merkinch Activity Group spent a very happy day at Aigas last week and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Several people commented that it was their favourite trip so far. The staff were exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly making us all feel very welcome and informed at all times. We all enjoyed seeing the wildcats and hearing from Silver about the project with the chimpanzees in Uganda. The walk around the loch was just beautiful and again, it was fabulous to hear from staff about the beaver, native plants and history of the estate.
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glasvegan

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glasvegan

Merkinch Activity Group spent a very happy day at Aigas last week and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Several people commented that it was their favourite trip so far. The staff were exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly making us all feel very welcome and informed at all times. We all enjoyed seeing the wildcats and hearing from Silver about the project with the chimpanzees in Uganda. The walk around the loch was just beautiful and again, it was fabulous to hear from staff about the beaver, native plants and history of the estate.