Scotland 2019 25: Glen Feshie

Having had our fill of red squirrels (is there such a thing?), we asked the wardens at Loch Garten about potential walking locations in the vicinity.  It was a very hot and still afternoon; and, since we had lots of time to kill before heading towards Fort William, the recommendation was to head for Glen Feshie.

As well as being a great place for a walk, the area is also an impressive example of what can be achieved with "rewilding".  For many years Glen Feshie was managed as a deer forest: indeed, it was here that Edwin Landseer painted his most famous work, Monarch of the Glen.  Management in favour of the deer meant that the traditional pine woods were dwindling; but, starting in 2004, there was a concerted effort to cull the deer population and return the area to its natural state.  The absence of deer meant that Scots pine, birch and juniper saplings now had a chance to grow without being eaten, and the woodland is gradually re-populating the hillside as a result.

As with Mar Lodge, there was evidence that 2019 was going to be a bumper year for fungi.

The temperature in Glen Feshie reached the low 30s on the afternoon we visited: plenty hot enough to melt the tar in the road, as I discovered.

Scotland 2019 24: Loch Garten red squirrels

While eating lunch at the Loch Garten visitors' centre, we received notification that there were red squirrels on one of the feeders at the back of the building.  Time to drop sandwiches and pick up a camera!  None of these pictures are going to win any prizes given the cluttered background, peanut feeder and obviously man-made perch (antlers don't grow on trees, and cable ties aren't normally found in the wild).  This doesn't stop the little beasties from being utterly adorable, though, and I cherish the half hour or so I spent photographing them.

Scotland 2019 23: Loch Garten birds

Our next accommodation after Pitlochry was in Ballachulish (near Glencoe); but, because of the expanse of Rannoch Moor, there wasn't an obvious direct route between the two.  The choices were to go south, via Crianlarich, or north via Spean Bridge and Fort William.  Since we had the whole day for the journey, we decided to take a slight detour and head up through Aviemore to the Loch Garten Osprey Centre.  The eponymous birds have nested in Loch Garten every year since 1954, and the RSPB have installed a "nest cam" so that the chicks can be observed at close quarters without being disturbed.  Sadly the birds didn't return in 2019, but our visit was far from wasted.  Loch Garten is in the Cairngorms National Park, and its ancient Caledonian Pinewoods are ideal places to spot two of Scotland's iconic species: crested tit and red squirrel.  After the damp squib of Mar Lodge Estate, we had high hopes that the glorious sunshine would gives us better luck this time.

I spotted a red squirrel running across the track, but didn't manage to photograph it.  Perhaps our optimism would be justified after all?

The Visitors' Centre at Loch Garten is absolutely brilliant, with plenty of opportunity to watch the comings and goings on the various feeders.  Photographic conditions weren't ideal, unfortunately, with extremely harsh back-lighting and perches which were obviously man-made.  Even so, our patience was rewarded - briefly - when the feeding station was visited by one of the local cresties. 

Other visitors were siskin, chaffinch, great tit and a juvenile spotted woodpecker.

Scotland 2019 20: Mar Lodge Estate

Mar Lodge Estate, now operated by National Trust for Scotland, is the UK's largest nature reserve and is situated in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.  It was originally a 19th century hunting lodge, and now comprises one of the few remaining areas of Caledonian pinewoods.  The river Dee runs through the estate, which is now a centre for hiking and other outdoor pursuits.  It is reputedly a good place to see red squirrels in their natural habitat, although they remained elusive on the day we visited.  Perhaps they didn't like the rain?

We might not have spotted a red squirrel, but other people claimed to have more success.  Mind you, one of the entries on the board implied that a haggis had been spotted recently...

We followed the Glen Lui trail, past the old salmon ladder and waterfall.  Despite the car park being totally full, we hardly met a soul during the two hour walk around the forest.  A very beautiful and peaceful location, even if the local wildlife was playing hard to get.