Programmes By Date - Aigas Field Centre

This is an amazing retreat in the Scottish Highlands. Guests stay in cottages on the property of a beautiful Scottish Manor house. Hosts Sir John and Lady Lucy treat you as family. Meals are amazing. Talented and knowledgeable young guides take you by van to the wilds of the Highlands to explore castles, wildlife areas and other hidden treasures of the countryside. The guides are beyond compare--so upbeat and thoughtful about environmental issues. I felt like I had a whole education on my vacation. The Aigus Field Center is an experience, not a hotel, and you will leave refreshed, rejuvenated and changed. It would be great for a group of nature or history lovers or even family reunions. We attended with a historical society group of 23. A fabulous stay. I'd give it a ten if you had ten little circles to fill in above.
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RMBirkner

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RMBirkner

This is an amazing retreat in the Scottish Highlands. Guests stay in cottages on the property of a beautiful Scottish Manor house. Hosts Sir John and Lady Lucy treat you as family. Meals are amazing. Talented and knowledgeable young guides take you by van to the wilds of the Highlands to explore castles, wildlife areas and other hidden treasures of the countryside. The guides are beyond compare--so upbeat and thoughtful about environmental issues. I felt like I had a whole education on my vacation. The Aigus Field Center is an experience, not a hotel, and you will leave refreshed, rejuvenated and changed. It would be great for a group of nature or history lovers or even family reunions. We attended with a historical society group of 23. A fabulous stay. I'd give it a ten if you had ten little circles to fill in above.
We spent two lovely weeks in August at Aigas House and Field Center on a Road Scholar Tour, exploring the Scottish Highlands, a wonderfully rich experience that exceeded all our expectations. We hiked in gorgeous glens and moorlands, watched dolphins leaping alongside us in the Moray Firth, and spent quiet time in Aigas's nature "hides" at nightfall, watching for badgers, pine martens and beaver to appear. We visited castles and learned about their dramatic histories, and enjoyed hearing the Aigas Rangers recount local lore and anecdotes while teaching us about Highlands flora, fauna and geology, which they so obviously love. We were treated to a house tour and tea at historic Arniston House hosted by the lady of the house and her daughter. We visited with a local crofter who brought us into her home and told us about her family's 75 years on the land, highlighted by a visit to her beautiful flower and vegetable garden overlooking cattle grazing on rolling pastures. We learned about Aigas's inspiring efforts, led by Sir John Lister-Kaye and the Aigas Rangers, helping to restore native wildlife species and habitats in collaboration with the Scottish National Trust and non-profits such as Trees For Life, an organization that painstakingly nurtures native seedling trees for Highlands reforestation projects. Lady Lucy and her Aigas staff provided for our every need with warm personal attention, gracious hospitality and wonderful cuisine. Lady Lucy's guided tour of the Aigas house and gardens were a highlight of our stay. We were inspired, awed and enchanted, and fell in love with this place and the people we met. We hope to visit again soon.
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Lois E

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Lois E

We spent two lovely weeks in August at Aigas House and Field Center on a Road Scholar Tour, exploring the Scottish Highlands, a wonderfully rich experience that exceeded all our expectations. We hiked in gorgeous glens and moorlands, watched dolphins leaping alongside us in the Moray Firth, and spent quiet time in Aigas's nature "hides" at nightfall, watching for badgers, pine martens and beaver to appear. We visited castles and learned about their dramatic histories, and enjoyed hearing the Aigas Rangers recount local lore and anecdotes while teaching us about Highlands flora, fauna and geology, which they so obviously love. We were treated to a house tour and tea at historic Arniston House hosted by the lady of the house and her daughter. We visited with a local crofter who brought us into her home and told us about her family's 75 years on the land, highlighted by a visit to her beautiful flower and vegetable garden overlooking cattle grazing on rolling pastures. We learned about Aigas's inspiring efforts, led by Sir John Lister-Kaye and the Aigas Rangers, helping to restore native wildlife species and habitats in collaboration with the Scottish National Trust and non-profits such as Trees For Life, an organization that painstakingly nurtures native seedling trees for Highlands reforestation projects. Lady Lucy and her Aigas staff provided for our every need with warm personal attention, gracious hospitality and wonderful cuisine. Lady Lucy's guided tour of the Aigas house and gardens were a highlight of our stay. We were inspired, awed and enchanted, and fell in love with this place and the people we met. We hope to visit again soon.
I returned to Aigas for the fourth time for the Monarchs of the Glen programme and it was a wonderful experience in the true sense of the word. I have previously been on the Wildlife Weeks in three different seasons and thoroughly enjoyed them, so thought a programme with a more specific focus would be interesting. Our tour leader, Dr David Dixon, was a pleasure to be with: full of fascinating information about a huge variety of wildlife, well beyond the deer we had gone to see. We had excellent talks from David, Sir John and Jeff Dymond, an experienced deer stalker, that enhanced the sightings we had of red and roe deer enormously. Supporting this was the brilliant Aigas experience: the welcome, the food and the baronial hall in which it's eaten, the comfortable and warm (even when it dropped to minus 4) lodges, the spectacular highland scenery and wildlife on the estate and, of course, the people. They are what really make Aigas the place I go back to again and again. Guests temporarily become part of an extended family and every effort is made to deal with special requests. The rangers are incredibly knowledgable and a pleasure to spend time with; their enthusiasm for what they are showing you is infectious. Anyone who watched Autumnwatch will be aware of the variety of wildlife on the estate - beavers, pine martens, badgers, red squirrels and probably thousands of birds - and the days out cover a variety of different habitats and their inhabitants. A couple of people I've recommended Aigas too have said it looks expensive. It's not a bargain break but once you've paid there's no need (and few opportunities) to spend any more money: all food and drinks with dinner is included. Add to this the expertise of the rangers all day and on several evenings and I think it's worth every penny. On the long train journey back to London, we were trying to think of one thing that would make an Aigas holiday better. The only idea we came up with was more hours in the day so that you could see more - and find some time to sleep!
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LondonRuby

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LondonRuby

I returned to Aigas for the fourth time for the Monarchs of the Glen programme and it was a wonderful experience in the true sense of the word. I have previously been on the Wildlife Weeks in three different seasons and thoroughly enjoyed them, so thought a programme with a more specific focus would be interesting. Our tour leader, Dr David Dixon, was a pleasure to be with: full of fascinating information about a huge variety of wildlife, well beyond the deer we had gone to see. We had excellent talks from David, Sir John and Jeff Dymond, an experienced deer stalker, that enhanced the sightings we had of red and roe deer enormously. Supporting this was the brilliant Aigas experience: the welcome, the food and the baronial hall in which it's eaten, the comfortable and warm (even when it dropped to minus 4) lodges, the spectacular highland scenery and wildlife on the estate and, of course, the people. They are what really make Aigas the place I go back to again and again. Guests temporarily become part of an extended family and every effort is made to deal with special requests. The rangers are incredibly knowledgable and a pleasure to spend time with; their enthusiasm for what they are showing you is infectious. Anyone who watched Autumnwatch will be aware of the variety of wildlife on the estate - beavers, pine martens, badgers, red squirrels and probably thousands of birds - and the days out cover a variety of different habitats and their inhabitants. A couple of people I've recommended Aigas too have said it looks expensive. It's not a bargain break but once you've paid there's no need (and few opportunities) to spend any more money: all food and drinks with dinner is included. Add to this the expertise of the rangers all day and on several evenings and I think it's worth every penny. On the long train journey back to London, we were trying to think of one thing that would make an Aigas holiday better. The only idea we came up with was more hours in the day so that you could see more - and find some time to sleep!