After arrival and introduction, enjoy Scottish cocktails, a pre-dinner adventure presentation and a first dinner together around the farmhouse dining table.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Ballintean Mountain Lodge
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Welcome to the Cairngorms! Rewilding Journeys are small-group trips blending learning and inspiration, in the company of expert guides and like-minded fellow travelers. You’ll get to enjoy beautiful wild places, breathe in the fresh air, and listen to the sound of silence. Walk, hike, and picnic alongside rivers and seek out encounters with wild animals. Learn about pioneering rewilding projects that are fighting back for nature, and meet the people behind it all.
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We begin our journey right outside the door with a walk and talk along the spectacular River Feshie in our rewilding reserve, 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. We’ll explore a secret forest waterfall before descending into the regenerating landscape of Glenfeshie, 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.
After a picnic lunch by the cascading river, 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. Supporting local communities is a significant part of our Rewilding Journeys and so, we may round the day off with coffee and cake at a local café!
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Ballintean Mountain Lodge
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Today, we head west to spend time along the shores of Loch Ness, exploring the alluvial woodlands of Urquhart Bay. Here, the rivers Enrick and Coiltie flow out into Loch Ness, forming one of the best examples of surviving wet woodland in the UK. We then travel the short distance to the Dundreggan Estate, home of our friends Trees for Life, and the world’s first dedicated Rewilding Centre. After lunch in the centre’s lovely cafe, we take a guided tour of the tree nursery and learn about the pioneering work taking place producing rare and difficult-to-grow species, such as aspen.
After dinner, we may make an optional visit to a local osprey nest offering great views of these majestic raptors, so symbolic of nature recovery in Scotland over recent decades. An option later in the year is to witness the incredible Atlantic salmon leaping a waterfall, as they make their way back to their spawning grounds.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Ballintean Mountain Lodge
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After a long day yesterday, we take a slightly later breakfast before our next meeting with a rewilding practitioner. Three years ago, Ballinlaggan Farm, another Northwoods partner, comprised sterile sheep pasture, but thanks to the vision and hard work of its owners, it is slowly being transformed into a vibrant mosaic of natural habitats.
Following a picnic lunch at Northwoods partner Anagach Woods, we meet another couple committed to nature recovery. Lynn and Sandra of Lynbreck Croft, have transformed their upland farm and are pioneering ways to combine high-quality food production with the principles of rewilding. This evening, we will enjoy a fascinating presentation about Eurasian lynx, a species that we are trying to reintroduce, and will find out what it would be like to once again, live alongside this enigmatic predator.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Ballintean Mountain Lodge
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This morning, we take 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, especially in autumn.
Abernethy is one of the largest surviving tracts of the magical pine forest that once stretched across vast areas of the Cairngorms. Our final rewilding expert shows us that despite the howl of wolves falling silent (for now), the forest itself is expanding for the first time in centuries, attracting new species, such as breeding white-tailed eagles. After our final evening meal, we sit back and relax with a ‘wee dram’ and enjoy a film that brings together many of the places and principles we have seen and learned about during our journey.
Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Ballintean Mountain Lodge
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After a hearty breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to Cairngorms—at least for the time being.
Meals: Breakfast
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This itinerary is subject to change based on the weather and season of your tour.
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Please note that regardless of the itinerary you choose, inclusions stay the same.
Included:
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- Experienced, local hiking guides with extensive knowledge of the area
- Accommodation for 5 nights in a room with private facilities
- All meals (breakfast, picnic lunch and 3-course dinner), as in the itinerary
- Guided walks as in the itinerary
- All activities as in the itinerary
- Yoga session (if you choose the Connect to Nature itinerary)
- Minibus transportation during the tour
- Transfers from Kingussie to Ballintean Mountain Lodge
Add-ons:
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- Inverness Airport transfers — let us know if interested upon checkout
Not included:
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- Transportation to/from the Cairngorms
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance — mandatory
- Medical insurance
- Guide gratuities — optional
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Regardless of the itinerary you choose, just a basic level of fitness is required. Each day, you will walk at a leisurely pace on established tracks and trails. In some places the ground underfoot can be wet, uneven and sometimes slippery. Occasionally, you may need to cross minor burns and/ or shallow rivers, which will require sure-footedness and reasonable agility.
While all of these rewilding hiking adventures in the Cairngorms, Scotland, are quite similar in terms of walking, keep in mind that Walking the Wild itinerary is slightly more demanding than the other two, and you can read about expected day-by-day distances above.
For more hiking adventures in Scotland, click here!
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Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
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- Day pack large enough to carry everything you might need throughout the day (around a 25-40L bag)
- Hiking poles — optional
- Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
- Lightweight hiking boots or shoes
- Comfortable hiking clothes
- Spare clothes for layering
- Waterproof rain jacket
- Sunhat
- Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
- Headlamp or flashlight
- Sunglasses
- Camera — optional (but recommended)
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
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Rewilding is a process of nature recovery that leads to restored ecosystem health, function and completeness. The goal is to maintain and expand areas of wildlife in a manner that has a positive impact on the climate and encourages biodiversity. Rewilding Britain is an organization founded in 2015 that promotes the rewilding of Great Britain. It is a registered charity in England, Wales, and Scotland.
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Group sizes and pricing
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- For these rewilding hiking adventures in Cairngorms, Scotland, the usual client-to-guide ratio is 8:1.
- It takes a minimum of 5 people for this tour to operate. The maximum group size is set at 8 participants.
- For private outings, the maximum group size is set at 12 participants.
Rewilding hiking adventures in the Cairngorms can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
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- If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
- Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join these rewilding hiking adventures in the Caringorms on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
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To get to Ballintean Mountain Lodge in Kingussie, the starting point of the tour, most people fly into Inverness Airport (INV) (1 hour away by car and 2 hours away by train) or Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ) (2.5 hours away by car or 4 hours away by train). Once you reach Kingussie, your guides will transfer you to your accommodation.
Private transfers from Inverness Airport to the accommodation are possible to arrange. Let us know upon booking if you’re interested.
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Weather in the Scottish Highlands is very changeable and at any time of year, you should expect anything from warm, calm conditions to wintry squalls. Temperatures are likely to range from 0 to 10°C (32 to 50°F) in autumn and 10 to 22°C (50 to 72°F) in the spring/summer.
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Yes. After covering the necessary costs associated with the trip itself, such as accommodation, food and transport, the hosts are left with a small surplus which gets reinvested into rewilding work. The visit allows the hosts to train and employ local staff and to purchase supplies and services from local businesses. In doing so, they demonstrate that rewilding is an economically viable land use in Scotland.
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We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with both medical and travel protection. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
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