Scottish Mainland

A Festival of spring

Osprey At the end of April thousands of Pink-footed Geese arrive to join those which have wintered at Loch Leven, less than an hour's drive from Scotland's capital city. Any day now they'll be heading north to Iceland and beyond. Our new Scottish holiday is timed to enjoy the spectacle before they leave, and nearby Kinesswood will be our first base.

Our second two-night stay will be at Grantown-on-Spey, the ideal centre to enjoy the wealth of wildlife available in Speyside and Abernethy. We'll be looking out for the endemic Scottish Crossbill as well as Crested Tit and we may also be lucky enough to find the endangered Capercaillie. And of course we'll not miss out on the famous Loch Garten Ospreys. One evening we'll visit a hide from which we hope to watch the elusive Pine Marten.

Pine MartenOur route then takes us over to the west coast. Depending on tides, we may divert to Fortrose on the Black Isle to watch for the resident Bottle-nosed Dolphins. If the tides are wrong we'll try again on our return journey. Our destination is delightful village of Gairloch and here we'll settle down for a four-night stay. Not only is the scenery in this area spectacular, but it's also got much to offer in terms of natural history. We would hope to see White-tailed Eagle and Golden Eagle and all four British Divers as well as Slavonian Grebe, Iceland and Glaucous Gull and much more. During our stay we'll visit the famous gardens at Inverewe where the early rhododendrons and azaleas will be in bloom and take a boat trip out to the island of Rona where the resident botanist will be waiting to introduce us to this beautiful remote island. En route we may well be lucky enough to see Minke Whale and porpoises.

Our last port of call is near Crail on what is known as the "East Neuk" of Fife. Staying at a super country estate, we'll visit one of Scotland's hidden treasures - Largo Bay. Here many seaducks, divers and grebes gather just before the breeding season and we should see several species. We'll also take some time out to visit the home of golf - St Andrews - with its wonderful beaches, historical buildings and interesting shops.

All in all, this holiday offers the very best of Scotland at the perfect time of year - before the midges have woken up and while the spring colours are fresh and vibrant.