With Scotland having dropped all Covid restrictions, its tourist industry is breathing fresh air into the bagpipes and giving the porridge a good stir as it sets out to make up for lost time before the winter chill sets in.
And, playing to their strengths, they’ve distilled some nature-based options, from an electric bicycle “safari” to a “wild wellness” retreat, into their offerings.
Scotland is beautiful at both the best and worst of times. But these stay and play opportunities go beyond what Billy Connolly described as “windswept and interesting” (although he was talking about himself).
E-bike Safari
If you’re interested in adding some small-dose adrenaline to the wildlife watching experience? Wildlife Discovery offer the UK’s first wildlife safari on mountain e-bikes with guests being guided through the impressive Cairngorms National Park in search of the best of Scottish wildlife while limiting their carbon footprint. E-Bike Safari in the Cairngorms National Park
Britain’s biggest forest park
The Galloway Forest Park is Britain’s largest forest park, often referred to as the Highlands of the Lowlands’. The park is home to dramatic ancient woodland, magnificent scenery, and a huge range of local wildlife. Whether walking, cycling, or fishing, the Galloway Forest Park has something for everyone. Galloway Forest Park
Turning Japanese
You may not know this but renowned Scottish architect and Art-Deco innovator Charles Rennie Mackintosh was hugely influenced by Japanese interiors. The Japanese Garden at Cowden provides another unique and utterly authentic bridge between Scottish and Japanese culture is the first and only garden of its size and scale to be designed by a woman.
The garden comprises several acres of Japanese influenced landscape with a perimeter path around a small loch and an additional twenty acres of woodland, ideal for peaceful Autumnal walks. It’s very reminiscent of the Japanese gardens at Cowra. Cowra? Cowden? Both well worth a visit. Japanese Garden at Cowden
Born to be wild
Believe it or not, there is an active movement to bring wolves back to Scotland. Farmers who think lambs should only be eaten in kebabs and posh folk who think deer should only be prey to people in green wellies with shotguns both object loudly.
Be that as it may, Alladale Wilderness Reserve’s 100 square kilometres of rugged mountains, forests, rivers and lochs are located in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Alladale run regular rewilding retreats so it’s a fantastic place to learn about the benefits of rewilding, observe wildlife, and connect with nature. Alladale Wilderness Reserve
Wild Wellness
Here at Mild Rover we do have the capacity to go wild on occasion. So book us into Glen Dye, a private estate with holiday cabins and cottages surrounded by wild forestry on the banks of River Dye.
Guests at the stunning accommodation – a brand new 12-person Coach House coming soon – can visit their School of Wild Wellness and Bushcraft which offers foraging, wild swimming, whittling, and adventure workshops in the great outdoors. Sounds more mild than wild, but that’s right in our wheelhouse.
One other thing – the reason we used the somewhat counter-intuitive but doubtless ironic picture above was because it was the only one on their website that was landscape (as in wide) rather than portrait. Just as well they aren’t offering a photography course. Glen Dye School of Wild Wellness and Bushcraft
