Rebecca On The Wing

Tag: cairngorms

  • Celebrating Scotland

    Celebrating Scotland

    Yesterday I attended a conference in Kingussie, down in the Cairngorms National Park, about Scottish community tourism. It was hosted by SCOTO, a collaborative group of community tourism enterprises from all over Scotland. One of my favourite speakers was Calum Maclean – a presenter, writer and Gaelic language activist who’s probably best known for his…

  • Lochans and Carved Faces

    Lochans and Carved Faces

    Monday was the perfect combination of winter chill and dazzling sunshine, so I decided to take my mum and the dog to two of my favourite wild spots down in the Cairngorms. Looking like a blue pawprint when seen on a map, the Uath (pronounced ‘wah’) Lochans are four small pools bordered by pines. Their…

  • Summer Blends to Autumn

    Summer Blends to Autumn

    Today was the first day I’ve missed my woolly hat while out walking. I should have anticipated this from the sound of the moaning wind down the chimney, but I saw diluted sunshine and overestimated its efforts. We’ve hit that indecisive time between summer and autumn, when dressing for a walk becomes a series of…

  • Spring draws to a close

    Spring draws to a close

    I’m currently writing a Slow Travel Guide to North East Scotland, which will be out next spring. The thing about writing this book is I’m spending every working moment on it but won’t have anything to show for my efforts until it’s published. Until then it looks like I’ve fallen off the face of the…

  • January Highlights

    January Highlights

    We’re one month into the year already! As usual I’ve been beavering away and forgetting to update my blog, so here’s a summary of what I’ve been up to in January. My 2022 started with my best mate Luke coming to visit for the first time since I’ve moved to Scotland. This year we celebrate…

  • Winter Wonderland

    Winter Wonderland

    Typical. I lived in southeast England for 18 years and never had snow in November, but it seems like it was all over Britain this weekend! As I live on the coast snow is rare here, but after a 40-minute drive south to Grantown-on-Spey there was snow beneath my boots again. A festive food market…

  • The Whisper of a Stream

    The Whisper of a Stream

    Once restrictions were eased in Scotland and I was given a precious piece of freedom to venture outside of my county of Moray, I planned a day trip to the Cairngorms. One of my favourite sounds is the whisper of a stream in a forest – it’s the epitome of fairytale magic for me. So…

  • A Review of ‘Sky Dance’ by John D. Burns

    A Review of ‘Sky Dance’ by John D. Burns

    I discovered ‘Sky Dance’ while looking for non-fiction titles in the Scottish Interest section of my local Waterstones. In the past I have struggled to engage with a lot of rewilding books and often been intimidated by the political conflict. But after reading the blurb I realised that ‘Sky Dance’ was actually a novel. The…

  • Over the Loch

    Over the Loch

    The gloom that had settled over the Cairngorms earlier in the week was long gone. As we pulled into the car park I leant forward and saw sunlight pouring through the coniferous canopy in diagonal slants, turning green needles shimmering gold. Another forest to explore! I couldn’t wait. Once all members of the convoy had…

  • The Scourge of the Glen

    The Scourge of the Glen

    Our meeting point was a narrow track just outside Aviemore. The light was beginning to fade and the moon shone in a clear sky, fringed by a sprinkling of stars. We threaded our way up the track, keeping an eye out for roe deer in the surrounding fields, and eventually reached the hide: an impressive…