Spring in the Scottish Highlands
25th April - 1st May 2026
Come and Join me (plus another local guide - it could be John, Richard or Simon) as we spend 5 full days together, seeking out some seasonal Highland species.
Spring is a great time to visit as the seasons slowly creep and merge into each other - it's amost the best of both as we meet some of the wintering species before they head off while at the same time optimisticly search for the glimmers of the awakening year.
There are good chances of seeing all of the classic highland species red & roe deer, red Squirrels (we just call 'em squirrels up here), black grouse, snow bunting, two eagle species, and local endemics like scottish crossbill (is it though?) and crested tit. I also have access to some fun 'toys' thanks to my ambassadorial role with top wildlife watching optics company Zeiss - and we should have some opportunities to play with the lastest microscopes, trail cameras, binoculars and telescopes. I also have a lovely Pulsar Merger in my armoury which means missing out on Mountain hares is not an option!
Plus you'll get some insight into many of my favourite smaller species too. I never ignore the insect (I will bore you with anecdotes about my day job as an 'ant farmer' for the Cairngorms National Park) and amphibian life and if luck is on our side we should be able to witness the mass spawning of common frog and toad. Both species are very common up here in the highlands, even the local 'ice skating pond' is thrumming with them of an evening. Timing of this must see spectacualr is influenced by the temperature and local weather conditions - no promises, but the chances are good.
Places are going fast. But if you can't get on this one, there will be others. See below...
Wildlife & Whisky
Explore the tastes and wild sites of the highlands
Join me and my good friend, polymath and whisky expert Simon Saunders for a week of Wildlife and Whisky. During this 5-night 4-day holiday, we will be visiting three distilleries. Balvenie which has a world class distillery tour and is one of the only distilleries that the whole process from grain to bottle can be experienced. Tomatin where we will look at the history of the distillery through time and finish with a tutored tasting of some of their single malts. Macallan where we will experience the impact exceptional oak casks have on the maturation of The Macallan spirit. We will also visit the Whisky Castle for a private tasting session. (Distillery tours are subject to change).
As if that wasn’t enough, in between the distillery visits, we will take you so some of our best wildlife spots at this time of year - it's amazing what you'll see after a 'tasting session'!
We'll be looking out for seasonal highlights such as overwintering Sea Ducks, Divers, and Waders as well as Eagles and other Raptors, Crested Tits and Red Squirrel and much more. Included will be an evening at the Speyside Wildlife Hide to watch the Badgers and if we are lucky a Pine Marten.
Wildlife & Whisky