Programmes By Date - Aigas Field Centre

Aigas is such a special place: I first heard of it through reading Song of the Rolling Earth - a gift from a friend - and was determined to go there one day and I spent a week there in early June. I loved the whole ambience, the food, the warmth, the accommodation etc, and was impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of the rangers. It was a pleasure to meet Sir John and Lady Lucy Lister Kaye who have made Aigas into a home from home for their guests. I am no expert in the field of wildlife/conservation but I am very interested and I learned a lot from the rangers and from my companions (i.e. the other guests!). I was not quite as dedicated as some of the other guests in getting up early/staying up half the night but I saw otters, pine marten, golden eagles, hares, cuckoos and a red squirrel, to mention but a few, plus I'm beginning to identify many more birds, some of which I'd never even heard of before! I loved it and hope to return before too long.
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rgt320

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rgt320

Aigas is such a special place: I first heard of it through reading Song of the Rolling Earth - a gift from a friend - and was determined to go there one day and I spent a week there in early June. I loved the whole ambience, the food, the warmth, the accommodation etc, and was impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of the rangers. It was a pleasure to meet Sir John and Lady Lucy Lister Kaye who have made Aigas into a home from home for their guests. I am no expert in the field of wildlife/conservation but I am very interested and I learned a lot from the rangers and from my companions (i.e. the other guests!). I was not quite as dedicated as some of the other guests in getting up early/staying up half the night but I saw otters, pine marten, golden eagles, hares, cuckoos and a red squirrel, to mention but a few, plus I'm beginning to identify many more birds, some of which I'd never even heard of before! I loved it and hope to return before too long.
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 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!