Scotland - Alladale in Spring

Alladale Lodge combines luxury with homeliness - it was bliss. A beautiful reserve, wonderful wildlife and some rewarding talks. A splendid mixture of sights and experiences. The excursion to Handa was a great bonus. We had excellent leadership and guiding from both Ryan Munro and Innes MacNeill. It was a fabulous holiday - we saw beautiful things and learned much.

I thought this was one of the most interesting holidays I have ever taken. Of course, we had the wonderful experience that I have come to expect from any Naturetrek holiday: every day was full of beautiful scenery, plants, and animals. But, I didn't really know anything about the specifics of "rewilding." On our first day Reserve Manager, Innes MacNeill, and Ranger, Ryan Munro, took us though Glen Alladale and Glen Mor and we saw just how massive a project Alladale really is. In addition to learning about replanting the forest and managing the deer population, we saw the gardens (raised beds, greenhouses, and aquaponics) and endangered Scottish wildcats that have been part of the captive breeding program. Learning about the mission of Alladale and seeing the work they are doing was both fascinating and inspiring. The Alladale Lodge is beautiful and comfortable. My room was huge had great views of the mountains. The staff at the Lodge - Stuart, Mandy, Lorraine, and all the others - were so friendly, helpful and kind. Everyone went out of their way to make us feel welcome and make sure we had what we needed. Mandy even found us a hotel for the night when we left Alladale to go to the Cairngorms - we had mixed up our dates and would have had no place to stay. The meals were delicious - it was Michelin star-quality food!