Wildlife Holidays 2008

 2008 holidays are listed with full itineraries. below.

Cairngorms National Park,  based at Birnam Guest House and Wild Cottage, Tomintoul at  the heart of the Cairngorms

Mountains and big tree country - Ben Lawers, The Hermitage and Killiecrankie based at Birnam Guest House

Mull exploration week based at the Argyll House, Salen, Mull,

Scottish Tours- The Far North,  Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor based at Birnam Guest House and other guest houses in Scotland

Further information regarding the places to stay are in our accommodation section

Wildlife holidays including bird, mammal and wildflower safaris with ecologist Adrian Davis and his team includes:

• Traditional accommodation, healthy food and transport to all field locations from pick up points and holiday location.
• Cost includes all accommodation, food (half board), and travel during the week of the holiday.
• Group or club discounts available.
• Fully supported guided walking tours through the most scenic and spectacular of Scottish Highland scenery.
• The cost of the travel to the holiday destination (eg. Flights or car/rail travel) is not included in our holiday price.

Our guides combine to give you a wonderful experience through the eyes of ecologists and naturalists with a personal approach that you actively take part in. Survey the wonderful extremes of landscape and habitats, throughout Scotland with our botanists and wildlife experts. Take part in an adventure to open your eyes and see the wildlife under our feet and over our heads. Smell the beautiful herbs and plants of the hay meadows and peat bogs. Witness a wild wood management programme and active coppicing to promote woodland regeneration and biodiversity.

These tours are operated mainly from the venue and involve some walking. Occasionally we use small minibuses and cars.

Wildoutdoors offer high quality guiding in small groups with local ecologists and wildlife experts, interpreting the features of interest, wildlife and local natural history as we go. The walks are leisurely and cover from 4 to 7 miles per day as we take time to explore the wildlife, flowers, birds, mammals, insects and geology along the routes. We use the best of traditional accommodation and home cooking to provide a relaxed and warm environment.

We visit a range of sites throughout Perthshire, Highland Region, Wester Ross and the Grampians home to one of our two National Parks. The Perthshire hills and countryside offer colourful oak and birch woodlands with beautiful spring flowers and autumn colours unrivalled anywhere. In addition there are some Caledonian pinewoods, where Scot’s pine woods support a rich wildlife including the rare black grouse and capercaillie. The flowers of these areas are also beautiful with crowberry, and heathers adding to the summer and autumn colours. The heathlands and open moorland are alive to the cry of the peewit, oystercatcher and curlew in summer and we may see golden eagles, peregrine falcon and hen harrier. Botanically rich grasslands are abundant in and around Perthshire in places such as Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve. The River Tay is a passage route for numerous wildfowl and waders and is the breeding ground for salmon and sea trout. We also explore the mountain habitats and summits for the rarer wildlflowers such as purple saxifrage, and breeding birds such as golden plover. Ben Lawers NNR is a highlight and the high tops are spectacular in summer but we try and keep all the walks within everyone’s ability. There are wonderful old railway lines to explore in the valleys and straths with wild strawberry and raspberry to keep hunger from the door.

We also explore some of the wildest, most rugged mountains in Britain including Ben Eighe famous for its arctic apline flowers. The high tops are spectacular in summer but we try and keep all the walks within everyone’s ability.

If you have any questions or require further information please contact us here.