Rewilding in the Cairngorms – a very special place

SUMMARY

Date: Saturday April 24th to Thursday April 29th 2027 – 6 days and 5 nights

Guide: Stef Lauer 

Walking Grade: Goat 1 as this is a carefully crafted blend of discovery and inspiration to give you an immersive experience of rewilding in this area of Scotland . You will do gentle walks as you visit pioneering rewilding projects.

Each day you will walk roughly 5-10km of gentle walking. Mostly on good paths with  minor ascents.

Highlights:

Visit the UK’s largest National Park, the Cairngorms, and witness rewilding in action

Relax in comfortable accommodation nestled in one of Scotland’s most beautiful glens

Meet the inspiring women fighting back for nature

Slow down, unwind and be immersed in awe-inspiring landscapes of hope

Enjoy Highland hospitality and delicious locally sourced meals

Base: Ballintean Mountain Lodge, Kingussie – find out more here Ballintean – a locally owned, beautifully converted farm steading, perfectly located for exploring the wild landscapes of the Cairngorms National Park. Eight rooms with private bathroom facilities, a light and airy two-tier lounge to relax in and a charming dining room for communal dining. Free transfers are available from Aviemore, the closest large town.

Arrival: Meet at Aviemore train station at 16.15 for complimentary transfers to the lodge.

Departure: By 10am on the final day, after a hearty breakfast.

Price: £2,250 per person for solo occupancy room. 

Includes:

• 5-nights accommodation in a room with private facilities
• All meals (breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner)
• Pick up and drop off at Aviemore train station
• All guiding, excursions and presentations
• Personalised support throughout as you plan your journey

Excludes:

• Travel to/from the Cairngorms ( by train arrive in Aviemore)
• Travel insurance
• Alcoholic drinks
• Personal expenses

DETAILS

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture is a charity working to make rewilding happen across Scotland, as a solution to the growing climate and biodiversity crises.

We will be journeying through the UK’s largest National Park, the Cairngorms, to walk in regenerative woodland, look out for newly reintroduced beavers and learn more about the innovative rewilding projects which are trying to make a difference for healthier ecosystems.

Walks will be at a gentler pace, as we will learn how to look at the different landscapes around us and find out more about the flora and fauna along the way. We have peppered several visits throughout the week which will shine a light on the people on the ground making rewilding happen.

Watch SBP’s one-hour long documentary WHY NOT SCOTLAND? here.

ITINERARY

Our exact itinerary varies according to local factors, including the weather. We always say Trust our Guide as they are passionate to give you the best trip.

Here are a sample of the experiences we enjoy on our Cairngorms Rewilding Journey.

Day 1:

After arrival and introductions, we savour welcoming ‘Scottish’ cocktails and a pre-dinner presentation setting the scene for our adventure. We then get together around the farmhouse dining table to enjoy our first evening meal, prepared by our in-house catering team.

Day 2:

After a hearty breakfast, we begin our journey right outside the door with a walk and talk along the spectacular River Feshie at Ballintean Farm, part of the Northwoods Rewilding Network. Here the emphasis is on letting nature shape and govern the landscape, assisted by a free-roaming herd of Highland cattle that replicate the grazing patterns of lost wild herbivores.

Following a picnic lunch by the river, we venture towards the stunning Uath Lochans. Our route leads up to a spectacular viewpoint overlooking Strathspey. This landscape is part of the Cairngorms Connect Initiative – a 200-year vision to restore forests, peatlands and rivers across a vast area. The signs of recovery are everywhere, providing a glimpse into what much of Scotland could look like in the future.

Day 3:

Today, we head east to the opposite side of the Cairngorms National Park, a landscape of very different character. We spend time travelling through extensive areas of patchwork grouse moor, discussing how and why the landscape is managed in this way. In the heart of Royal Deeside, we meet one of the rangers at Mar Lodge Estate where after decades of traditional management, large areas of land are being allowed to regenerate naturally. We see how the pinewoods, home to red squirrels, golden eagles and pine martens, are once again spreading over open moorland, bringing abundance and diversity of life as they go.

Day 4:

This morning we head to the northern edge of the Cairngorms National Park, where we meet a couple committed to nature recovery and their local community. Lynn and Sandra of Lynbreck Croft, another Northwoods partner, have transformed their upland farm and are pioneering ways to combine high-quality food production with the principles of rewilding. Their story is one of inspiration – another example of women leading the way!

We travel a short distance to Anagach Woods to find a scenic spot for our picnic lunch.

Brought into community ownership in 2002 and managed by Anagach Woods Trust, this stunning Scots Pine woodland provides a special recreational amenity and wildlife experience for both locals and visitors. Here, we enjoy a circular walk through the regenerating woodland, interspersed with dry heath, bog-cotton covered peatbogs and lochans.  If we’re lucky, we may glimpse the fiery fur of a red squirrel flickering up a tree.

This evening, we’ll be joined by a member of the Saving Wildcats Project to hear more about the successful wildcat breeding and release programme followed by a private screening of the new documentary, Clinging by a Claw.

Day 5:

We start the day with a short drive to a nearby wetland – a wonderful mosaic of ponds, channels, reedbeds and scrubby woodland, where it’s easy to imagine cranes and even elk making a home. We enjoy a leisurely, circular walk around the wetland looking for signs of the recently reintroduced beavers. We take a well-earned lunch in a secluded spot looking out over the alluvial fan of the River Feshie as it runs into the Spey – a magical place.

After lunch, we travel a short distance to a viewpoint overlooking Insh Marshes, one of the most expansive wetlands in the UK. We spend time scanning for hen harriers and white-tailed eagles, as well as the herd of Konik ponies that graze the marshes.

After our final evening meal, we sit back, relax and enjoy a film that brings together many of the places and principles we have seen and learned about during our journey.

Day 6: Departure 

We say our farewells after a hearty breakfast