Programmes By Date - Aigas Field Centre

Sir John and Lady Lister-Kaye must be congratulated on creating this unique brand of comfort and wildlife in such a glorious setting. From the moment we arrived and opened the impressive front door to find a sitting room with a blazing fire, no immediate reception staff but guests quietly chatting in the sitting room we realised just how special this is. Almost everyone we met had stayed before, which tells its own tale. Tea arrived quickly, with a warm formal welcome giving us an overwhelming feeling of comfort and anticipation. Our lodge was warm too, all facilities present, surrounded by gardens, huge trees, and at night in October the sound of close-by roaring red deer stags. There were three week-long courses running at once, and for breakfast and supper all of them intermingled. This also works brilliantly as everyone swaps experiences. The food is fantastic, high quality, local, varied. The rangers are outstanding and the planning of the tours impeccable and well-varied according to weather conditions. Not all the set-pieces worked, we failed to see otters and some groups missed out on dolphins. That's wildlife, and this isn't in any sense a zoo. Sightings have to be worked for, and every effort is made to find the desired species. The pine martens performed magnificently. Sheer attention to detail in all aspects makes for a brilliant overall experience and we shall be back when we can. In terms of value-for-money it is just amazing. It is not usually available to the general public on a day basis but book on one of the courses for an unforgettable experience.
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Daphne W

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Daphne W

Sir John and Lady Lister-Kaye must be congratulated on creating this unique brand of comfort and wildlife in such a glorious setting. From the moment we arrived and opened the impressive front door to find a sitting room with a blazing fire, no immediate reception staff but guests quietly chatting in the sitting room we realised just how special this is. Almost everyone we met had stayed before, which tells its own tale. Tea arrived quickly, with a warm formal welcome giving us an overwhelming feeling of comfort and anticipation. Our lodge was warm too, all facilities present, surrounded by gardens, huge trees, and at night in October the sound of close-by roaring red deer stags. There were three week-long courses running at once, and for breakfast and supper all of them intermingled. This also works brilliantly as everyone swaps experiences. The food is fantastic, high quality, local, varied. The rangers are outstanding and the planning of the tours impeccable and well-varied according to weather conditions. Not all the set-pieces worked, we failed to see otters and some groups missed out on dolphins. That's wildlife, and this isn't in any sense a zoo. Sightings have to be worked for, and every effort is made to find the desired species. The pine martens performed magnificently. Sheer attention to detail in all aspects makes for a brilliant overall experience and we shall be back when we can. In terms of value-for-money it is just amazing. It is not usually available to the general public on a day basis but book on one of the courses for an unforgettable experience.
I booked the walking with wildlife week in early June. I stayed in rustic,comfortable en suite log cabin in the grounds of the estate, you really felt close to nature. All the meals were served in the main family home a short walk from the cabins. The food is outstanding, breakfast is porridge, fruits cereal and toast. A packed lunch is supplied for the field trips and hot beverages are taken in the mini buses. The evening meal is a set meal and changed daily, there are alternatives and flexabilityfor those who have dietary needs. The house also has a common room for daily meetings coffee and tea, where most information can be obtained. There is also a natural history library and gift shop. The programme was flexible and allowed the group to stretch our legs on the hills and in the valleys around the locality. All walks were escorted by one or two rangers who had a keen eye for spotting wildlife and were very knowledgeable on local history, geology and the various branches of ecology they had studied. The wildlife we spotted was outstanding, well worth the visit. The local wild flowers were in bloom and several rare species were pointed out. A small lake is situated in the grounds along with hides in several locations, about 10 minutes walk from the cabins. We sat here and watch a Beaver for 30 minutes, something I never thought I would see in the UK. Also Pine martins and Red Squirrels. A great holiday with a lot packed in. It is well worth looking at the extensive programme on the web site to see which weeks activity best suits. The hosts and staff are wonderful, they cannot do enough to make your stay such a memorable experience.
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Gavin P

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Gavin P

I booked the walking with wildlife week in early June. I stayed in rustic,comfortable en suite log cabin in the grounds of the estate, you really felt close to nature. All the meals were served in the main family home a short walk from the cabins. The food is outstanding, breakfast is porridge, fruits cereal and toast. A packed lunch is supplied for the field trips and hot beverages are taken in the mini buses. The evening meal is a set meal and changed daily, there are alternatives and flexabilityfor those who have dietary needs. The house also has a common room for daily meetings coffee and tea, where most information can be obtained. There is also a natural history library and gift shop. The programme was flexible and allowed the group to stretch our legs on the hills and in the valleys around the locality. All walks were escorted by one or two rangers who had a keen eye for spotting wildlife and were very knowledgeable on local history, geology and the various branches of ecology they had studied. The wildlife we spotted was outstanding, well worth the visit. The local wild flowers were in bloom and several rare species were pointed out. A small lake is situated in the grounds along with hides in several locations, about 10 minutes walk from the cabins. We sat here and watch a Beaver for 30 minutes, something I never thought I would see in the UK. Also Pine martins and Red Squirrels. A great holiday with a lot packed in. It is well worth looking at the extensive programme on the web site to see which weeks activity best suits. The hosts and staff are wonderful, they cannot do enough to make your stay such a memorable experience.
Spent 6 nigyts at Aigas last week. The guides were great covering a wide variety of topics around wildlife and the history of the areas though which we passed. We visitited lots of places where they tried to find the wildlife we wanted to see. They varied the itineranry to suit us. The moth trap was really interesting. The evening hide which was lit for photography was stunning and we saw badger and pine marten on each of the three nights we used the hide. We only saw one crested tit and no crossbills which was a shame. The accomodation was great and we could have self catered if we wanted to - but the area for eating inside the house was socially distanced so we didn't need to. From a Covid perspective we felt very safe and everyone was following guidelines etc.
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chard

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chard

Spent 6 nigyts at Aigas last week. The guides were great covering a wide variety of topics around wildlife and the history of the areas though which we passed. We visitited lots of places where they tried to find the wildlife we wanted to see. They varied the itineranry to suit us. The moth trap was really interesting. The evening hide which was lit for photography was stunning and we saw badger and pine marten on each of the three nights we used the hide. We only saw one crested tit and no crossbills which was a shame. The accomodation was great and we could have self catered if we wanted to - but the area for eating inside the house was socially distanced so we didn't need to. From a Covid perspective we felt very safe and everyone was following guidelines etc.