Imagine the comical mating ritual of the capercaillie bird, the flash of a red squirrel sprinting by and the grunt of a reindeer — all set against the backdrop of an ancient Caledonian forest, remnants of a landscape that once covered the British Isles.
Cairngorms National Park is nearly 4,500 sqkm of mountain wilderness in northeastern Scotland and is the country’s largest protected area. From the park’s main town, the ski centre of Aviemore, valleys of lofty pine trees and pristine lochs cut dramatically into corrie-riven mountains and the United Kingdom’s most extensive plateau. This remoteness has allowed rare animal, bird and plant species to thrive, and its mountains are among the world’s last sanctuaries for many Arctic birds and plants outside of the Arctic Circle.
The Cairngorms is famed for two creatures: the osprey, which nests on a reserve after declining to near-extinction in Britain during the 20th Century, and the United Kingdom’s only herd of reindeer, which ranges free in the Reindeer Park above Aviemore. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds runs guided walks around the Loch Garten reserve north of Aviemore between April and August to see ospreys and other seasonal incumbents such as siskins, crossbills, sandpipers and otters.
The Rothiemurchus Estate, one and a half miles from Aviemore Railway Station, provides a host of family-friendly safaris themed around the distinctive, shaggy ginger Highland “coos” (cows), red squirrels and red deer. The hikers and climbers that make it to the most remote Cairngorm forest and plateau can expect to see even rarer species.
Recently, the reintroduction of once-native species to Scotland (such as elk, boar and wolves) caused fierce controversy at the Highland estate of Alladale, an idea that could seem laughable to the locals around Cairngorms National Park. With so much prestigious, flourishing wildlife of its own, it is ironic that the national park does not get more international attention.
Do you like going on safaris? Tell us about your most recent nature trip!
Source: BBC Travel
Image: CLC Holidays
