Scottish Highlands wildlife holiday
| country: | Scotland |
| location: | Scottish Highlands |
| trip type: | Introductory/moderate walking holidays |
| departures: | 2010: 15 May |
| price: | From £650 (8 days) excluding flights. |
| more info: | Price includes accommodation, transfers from and back to Inverness, all meals and all activities. Maximum group size, 10 persons |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
check out similar holiday ideas...
introduction to Scottish Highlands wildlife holiday
Find your wild side! Discover beautiful landscapes and the flora and fauna which call them home.
This week focuses on the flora and fauna of the beautiful Highland regions of Wester-Ross and Sutherland. The North West coast is particularly well known for several rare species of birds and May is the best time to see them, while they are nesting. The week will be lead by local wildlife and walking experts.
Walking is one of the best ways to explore and find those special Highland places. This region is a naturalist's paradise and spring has so much to offer; the early Highland flowers are out and it is the beginning of the forager’s year. Our Naturally Wild Week is perfect for all those looking to improve their knowledge, complete beginners and enthusiasts alike.
The week will include a trip to the famous Handa Island reserve where you will have the chance to see many nesting birds, including Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, Fulmars, Arctic and Great Skuas. Birds of prey such as Golden Eagles, Sea Eagles and Peregrine Falcons also frequent the area.
We will be walking to local birding hot spots taking in some breath taking scenery on the way, identifying wild plants and keeping our eyes pealed for wild life and foragable items!
Food: We use naturally produced, local meat and vegetables some from the farm you will be staying on. Our fish and seafood comes straight from the ocean. We make all our breads, cakes, jams and pickles and we harvest wild foods according to the season. Come home to a venison casserole with wild garlic or a nettle and goats cheese tart, followed by home-made puddings such as a raspberry or apple tart or gorse flower and honey ice cream with rose hip syrup.
Accommodation: We will be staying at the Rhidorroch estate lodge near Ullapool, which lies 8 miles down a track in blissful tranquillity. This characterful lodge sleeps ten and has plenty of space for reading, relaxing and feasting! The lodge has a long history; it was once used as a hunting and fishing lodge but now accommodates parties of walkers and tourists. There is a games and sitting room for snug evenings or a large porch where you can sit watching the young lambs just over the fence. The lodge has its own hydroelectricity supply and is heated by a large wood burner and an old fashioned kitchen range, both fed by wood from the estate.
Featured activities:Walking Bird watching Wild flower identification & wild food foraging. All run by local experts.
This week focuses on the flora and fauna of the beautiful Highland regions of Wester-Ross and Sutherland. The North West coast is particularly well known for several rare species of birds and May is the best time to see them, while they are nesting. The week will be lead by local wildlife and walking experts.
Walking is one of the best ways to explore and find those special Highland places. This region is a naturalist's paradise and spring has so much to offer; the early Highland flowers are out and it is the beginning of the forager’s year. Our Naturally Wild Week is perfect for all those looking to improve their knowledge, complete beginners and enthusiasts alike.
The week will include a trip to the famous Handa Island reserve where you will have the chance to see many nesting birds, including Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, Fulmars, Arctic and Great Skuas. Birds of prey such as Golden Eagles, Sea Eagles and Peregrine Falcons also frequent the area.
We will be walking to local birding hot spots taking in some breath taking scenery on the way, identifying wild plants and keeping our eyes pealed for wild life and foragable items!
Food: We use naturally produced, local meat and vegetables some from the farm you will be staying on. Our fish and seafood comes straight from the ocean. We make all our breads, cakes, jams and pickles and we harvest wild foods according to the season. Come home to a venison casserole with wild garlic or a nettle and goats cheese tart, followed by home-made puddings such as a raspberry or apple tart or gorse flower and honey ice cream with rose hip syrup.
Accommodation: We will be staying at the Rhidorroch estate lodge near Ullapool, which lies 8 miles down a track in blissful tranquillity. This characterful lodge sleeps ten and has plenty of space for reading, relaxing and feasting! The lodge has a long history; it was once used as a hunting and fishing lodge but now accommodates parties of walkers and tourists. There is a games and sitting room for snug evenings or a large porch where you can sit watching the young lambs just over the fence. The lodge has its own hydroelectricity supply and is heated by a large wood burner and an old fashioned kitchen range, both fed by wood from the estate.
Featured activities:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Transfer from Inverness 6pm. First night dinner at the lodge. We will spend the week walking in search of wildlife and plants. Walks will vary from short local walks to longer walks taking 4-6 hours, ranging from easy to moderate, with an option for a longer hill day.(The following itinerary will vary according to the weather). |
| Day 2: | Gruinard beach. We will head south in search of wild flowers and wildlife. Walking and bird watching in the Dundonnell area, where a pair of Sea Eagles are regularly spotted. After a picnic lunch, visit the long sandy stretch of Gruinard beach, foraging for edible sea weed and helping to clear the beach of rubbish. Journeying back to the lodge we will visit the famous Corrieshalloch Gorge. We will return to the lodge for supper and an informal talk on the wildlife of the area. |
| Day 3: | Foraging. Spend the day learning about edible wild greens. We will walk, keeping our eyes peeled for spring greens for supper. Our route takes us along the shoreline and up through woodland and over the hills back to the lodge. In the evening discover wild food recipes as we turn our harvest into a feast. The day will be lead by Rosie, a keen forager. |
| Day 4: | Handa island. We will follow the stunning North coast, entering Sutherland’s Geopark which contains some of the oldest rock formations in the world. We continue to Handa island, a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve well known for its large colonies of nesting birds. We take a short boat ride over to the island where will spend the day walking and watching birds such as Razorbills, Guillemots and Puffins. The day will be lead by Julie who has worked for the RSPB in the Highlands for years. |
| Day 5: | Smokey waterfalls. We will walk from the lodge to the stunning Smokey waterfalls and then continue, along Loch an Daimh to Knockdamph bothy (walkers’ lodge) where we will have lunch, from there we can return for a relaxing afternoon at the lodge or continue for a longer walk, depending on your energy levels. |
| Day 6: | Stac Pollaidh. Taking the beautiful single track road towards Achiltibuie, we will pass through an impressive mountain landscape. In the morning we will walk up Stac Pollaidh a three hour walk taking us to over 600 metres for stunning views across the landscape. In the afternoon there will be time to visit some of the attractions of the pretty fishing village of Ullapool, before foraging on the sea shore collecting mussels for supper. |
| Day 7: | Seanna Bhraigh. Walking from the lodge through Glen Douchary, passing through a dramatic landscape full of waterfalls, looking out for wild flowers and Golden Eagles along the way. After a picnic lunch those who wish can continue for a longer hill day with Angela up to Seanna Bhraigh, an impressive mountain over looking our lodge. In the evening will have a last night barbeque, with many of those who have been involved in the week. |
| Day 8: | Depart. Depart after breakfast for Inverness. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
|
Everything we do is aimed at making a positive impact on the people who stay with us and on the people, places and communities that we introduce them to.
Environment We believe passionately in protecting our local environment as do all the people who are connected with us. We encourage you to carbon offset your journeys to us, as we do with our travel when you are with us; using a charity which plants native trees in Britain. We cut down on our emissions by starting many of our walks locally, from the lodge. During your week with us we will give you advice on minimising your impact on the environment around you. The remote location of the lodge means it is essential to cut down on waste and we reuse all that we can as it is a 16 mile round trip to put the bins out! We compost all our paper, cardboard and food waste. We try to avoid buying packaged foods whenever possible and, when not, we recycle all the aluminium, tin cans, plastic bottles and etc. that we can. On visiting local beaches we always make sure we do a stint of beach cleaning; picking up rope, fishing line, plastics and any other waste. Rosie even weaves old ropes into baskets. We are very aware of the unspoilt natural beauty of the area and endeavour to help keep it that way by direct action and raising awareness. We encourage clients to adopt the responsible tourist’s mantra of; “leave only foot prints, take only photographs”. Community We are committed to using local services wherever possible. Rhidorroch lodge is owned by Maddy and Neil Scobie a local farming family, who farm sheep and cattle and whose meat we use at the lodge. In fact virtually all the food we serve is locally sourced, from fish to vegetables. All the experts involved with us on the naturally wild week live locally, some of them were born in area others have moved up, but all of them have a passion for protecting and promoting the place they live in. We generate employment and revenue for local people and businesses including organic farmers, market stall holders, fishermen, mountain guides, environmentalists, craftsmen, taxi drivers, cafes, restaurants and shops. The idea of our naturally wild week is for you to learn about and enjoy this area, so we arrange local experts to give talks on the wildlife, geology and history of our region, highlighting their work and specific problems they face. We support local charities including the RSBP and the Highland Animal Hospital. Ross-shire is a sparsely populated area dominated by massive tract of mountainous wilderness. Our business helps to support and expand a regional network of like-minded individuals. We help to encourage cohesion and skill-sharing amongst craft practitioners and our other specialists. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
check out similar holiday ideas...