Ardnamurchan - Wild Scotland in Spring

Tour Code: GBR51

An 8-day holiday focusing on the birds and mammals of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in spring.

We hope to run this tour in the future, but have not yet finalised dates and prices. To be added to a waiting list and be informed when details are confirmed, please click on the register interest button, or phone 01962 733051.

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Highlights

Summary

As we do for our very popular autumn tours, we will spend 7 nights at the Glenborrodale Centre which is ideally situated on the peninsula’s southern coast. We will enjoy morning walks along Loch Sunart to look for Otters, and another enigmatic mustelid, the Pine Marten, can be enjoyed from the comfort of our living room. We will spend the week exploring the peninsula where Golden Eagles have a healthy population, as does the majestic White-tailed Eagle, while Hen Harrier, Merlin and Short-eared Owl may also be seen. During our stay we will take to the seas and a real highlight will be a full day visiting the fabulous Treshnish Islands. Puffins are the undisputed stars here and we will take a small tender to make a landing and get up close and personal to these wonderful birds. As well as all the exciting wildlife that a visit to Ardnamurchan provides, the feeling of being totally cut off from the hustle and bustle of the real world is a joy in itself.

Visit Treshnish landing on Lunga to walk with Puffins and other seabirds
Raptors including Golden and White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier
Otters in the nearby lochs
Pine Marten a regular visitor to our accommodation
Chequered Skipper butterfly
Stunning scenery in remote wilderness

Grading

Short easy walks only

The Ardnamurchan Peninsula is one of the most wonderfully remote areas on the British mainland. Bordered by the sea on three sides and accessed via one single-tracked road, it is a true wilderness and a fantastic place to explore, particularly for those with a love of wildlife. As we do for our very popular autumn tours we shall spend 7 nights at the Glenborrodale Centre which is ideally situated on the peninsula’s southern coast. We will enjoy morning walks along Loch Sunart to look for Otters, and another enigmatic mustelid, the Pine Marten, can be enjoyed from the comfort of our living room as this delightful species visits the centre regularly after dark, offering some superb photographic opportunities! There are some wonderful white sandy beaches, dramatic headlands and wild, windswept moors and we shall explore the area at a relaxed pace with a focus to enjoy the varied wildlife that breeds here. Golden Eagles have a healthy population as does the majestic White-tailed Eagle while Hen Harrier, Merlin and Short-eared Owl may also be seen. The Scottish Wildcat is the focus of a great deal of ongoing conservation effort on Ardnamurchan and, though they are rarely seen, we will search by spotlight at night in order to try to find this beautiful, but extremely elusive, feline. During our stay we will also take to the seas and a real highlight of the trip will be a full day visiting the Treshnish Islands which lie off the south west coast of Mull. Puffins are the undisputed stars of the show here and we will take a small tender to enable us to make a landing on Lunga, the largest of the islands, and get up close and personal to these wonderful birds. Be sure to have cameras at the ready! The islands here are also home to large numbers of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Shags and Fulmars and the sight and sound of a thriving seabird city such as this will live long in the memory! As well as all the exciting wildlife that a visit to Ardnamurchan provides the feeling of being totally cut off from the hustle and bustle of the real world is a joy in itself.

DETAILED INFORMATION

Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1

Meet in Glasgow and transfer to Ardnamurchan.

Day 2/7

Explore the Ardnamurchan Peninsula including a visit to the Treshnish Islands.

Day 8

Depart for Glasgow

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What's Included

What's Included?

Accommodation: Comfortable and all en-suite at the Glenborrodale Centre throughout
Food: All included in the price

Reviews

Where to begin? Soaring sea eagles, endearing puffins at our feet, dolphins blowing bubble rings and leaping, otters feeding and swimming, pine martens on the windowsill... fantastic! We had a really interesting talk from a local keeper, too, who gave us insight into life in Ardnamurchan.
R.C. Manchester, May 23
Long awaited holiday after Covid and this did not disappoint. Excellent leaders who had the knowledge of the area and of all the flora and fauna there. Arranged itinerary and visiting areas in accordance with weather conditions for best sightings. Certainly went the extra mile to achieve requests and make this a tour to remember. Able to relax in the knowledge that we were in safe hands. Very friendly, professional service with an excellent choice of destinations. Previous tours have been very well led and where required a local guide has been on hand throughout. No problem when tours cancelled through Covid and offered the choice of a full refund or transfer of the booking to a later date or alternative, when available. Well organised and reliable service which together with any flight cancellations, etc., being re-organised by Naturetrek, leaves one to enjoy having all amendments taken care of, as and when necessary.
A.D. Nottinghamshire, June 22
A wonderful week exploring the Ardnamurchan peninsula with expert guides. Fabulous wildlife, great organisation, good accommodation and food. All brilliantly organised and every detail thought about to ensure each individual guest got great viewing and experiences. Naturetrek is a really well organised, friendly company to deal with. An extensive choice of trips worldwide makes them the go to company for our wildlife adventures.
M.B. Devon, June 22

Exceedingly well organised tour with a well thought out itinerary, comfortable accommodation and excellent food included. I've travelled with Naturetrek on numerous occasions and they have exceeded my expectations on every occasion. Everyone at Naturetrek is friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable.
E.F. Surrey, Jun 21

We saw otters, puffins, pine marten, an arctic skua, walked on empty beaches, had amazing meals, visited historic sites and made new friends. It was unbeatable value as we had the services of two enthusiastic expert guides throughout. Naturetrek are the best tour operator I've used. I've been with them to Scotland three times and there will be more.
J.T. Hertfordshire, Jun 21

This holiday had a good balance of mammals, birds, insects and plants. The tour leaders were fantastic - really enthusiastic, knowledgeable and worked very hard to ensure we had a great holiday. I loved the trips out to Lunga and Staffa islands to see the puffins and other seabirds. I also loved seeing otters and pine martens in the wild. I really enjoyed travelling with a group of people who had different interests and knowledge. Having never done a group holiday before I wasn't sure what to expect but it was great. I will definitely travel with Naturetrek again.
C.P, Hampshire, June 2021

We spent a week on the Ardnurmurchan peninsula in Scotland looking for wildlife which we saw everywhere. The rest of the party were very compatible and the guide amazingly good at his job. We saw all and more than we expected and will be more than happy to go on a further Naturetrek holiday and to recommend them to our friends. The weather was reasonable for Scotland, as good as we expected and the midges not too bad! We stayed in a very comfortable Bunkhouse and were looked after by a very helpful chef who had the care of everything in the Bunkhouse with assistance from his wife. Both the guide and Naturetrek were very helpful when I thought I had lost my i-pad but luckily it was found and all was well.
M.H. Oxfordshire

The Ardnamurchan peninsula has stunning scenery which the rain did nothing to diminish. And when the sun came out it was even better! Eagles, deer, dolphins and, of course, the pine martens kept cameras clicking and binoculars ever at the ready. A lovely place to stay and the friendliest group of fellow travellers. A very knowledgeable leader who was also very great company and had a good sense of humour (which, I find, is often necessary with Naturetrek groups!).
M.E. South Lanarkshire

Food was excellent, guide extremely knowledgeable and a very good driver.
C.H. Cambridgeshire

It was well organised and the tour leader ran it at an easy pace. The catering at Glenborrodale is excellent. Good sightings of the expected birds.
M.F. London

Good accommodation and food. In particular I enjoyed the trip to the Treshnish Islands immensely.
P.C. West Midlands

All worked very well. Great to see Otters, especially great to see Pine Marten. Boat trip and Puffins wonderful!
B.J. West Midlands

The accommodation was much better than "bunkhouse" standard and Alan provided excellent meals and was generally very helpful. Dave Pierce made every effort to make sure we got the maximum experience that the wildlife presented. I would certainly rate this at the top of Naturetrek's UK trips.
D.C. Edinburgh

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Tour Reports

Tour report - May 2022

Tour report - June 2021

Tour report - May 2021

Tour report - May 2019

Tour report - May 2018

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