We spent a week here with a program hosted by the Lister-Kaye family and their team. The food is fresh, organic, delicious, and nicely presented. Each comfy cottage has a private bathroom. Our hosts were competent and welcoming. We enjoyed daily excursions to surrounding areas to learn about Scotland's history, heritage, clans, and natural environment. They told us Scottish lore (witch trees!?), explained the history of battles, castles, subsistence farming, and remnant Caledonian forest. We had time to wander among ruins of churches, castles, and graveyards, and to imagine what life was like so many years ago. We wandered through gardens and forests, along rivers, and past waterfalls. Bring your bug spray (for midges), curiosity about history, and wonder about the natural world. You will not be disappointed.

Aigas Field Centre is the creation of Sir John and Lady Lucy Lister-Kaye, and what a creation it is. It is a combination of love of the land and love of place, natural habitat restoration, and education. It is done with a passion that is contagious, and it is done well. The week is spent on the grounds of the Field Centre in cabins that are quite comfortable. Many cabins have two bedrooms separated by a common room and kitchen that encourages visiting. Each bedroom has two comfortable beds and a bathroom with tub and shower. Meals are taken at the main Estate House in the large common room. Lucy Lister-Kaye is the consummate hostess who makes everyone feel at home. She is also a superb cook who overseas the kitchen. She also helps to serve and makes certain that everyone's needs are met. That applies to those of us who have special dietary needs. Each day is spent in some sort of activity that took us around the grounds or the countryside, to acquaint us with the flora and fauna, the issues of reforestation and conservation, and return of wildlife species, or the history of human life on the land and in the country. My wife and I had the most amazing and wonderful week. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting the others in our group, each one accomplished in some way and each one interesting. Hikes were with experienced ranger guides and at a pace that we all could handle, and were interspersed with stops to observe and talk about what we saw. My wife and I plan to return for another Aigas program.

When you buy into a product such as a learning course or programme you imagine it is going to be what you want, but not necessarily everything you want. My week at Aigas so dramatically exceeded my expectations that I am still dazzled by it. I have, quite simply never experienced anything like it. First of all it is a family home and you are welcomed like long lost cousins. Secondly everyone who works there seems to love it - remarkable enough - but they are also real experts. Thirdly the place is very beautiful in a lovely Highland glen. Fourthly it has a dazzling array of wildlife on site - beavers, otters, pine martens, ospreys, red kites, red squirrels, golden eagles......on and on the list goes. And finally, as if to cap it all, we learned so much and we had such fun. What more can I say?