Utterly remote
Wildlife millionaire Paul Lister bought the Alladale Highland Wilderness Reserve after a 10 year search. He was looking for somewhere isolated, private and with vast, uninterrupted views to fulfill his dream of reintroducing indigenous predators to the Scottish Highlands. He is now offering students an ecology holiday, but at a price.
Set within 11,000 hectares of truly dramatic and stunning Highland landscape, the reserve covers 5 glens, 10 hill lochs and 2 river systems. Alladale is the site of one of Europe’s most prominent ecological restoration programmes, conserving native wildlife whilst reintroducing once native Highland flora and fauna in a controlled environment.
They will stay in Deanich Lodge, 8 miles from the nearest electricity supply, with water fed from a mountain spring. Deanich is an old-style traditional sporting cottage, accessible only by 4×4. Deanich accommodates up to 10 guests, and consists of a sitting room with open fire, dining room, kitchen and utility room. Heat is from a wood burning stove. Light and cooking is by gas and logs are provided for the fires.
The Alladale programme is co-ordinated by a dedicated and enthusiastic reserve team with over 40 years combined experience and has also been contributed to by Roy Dennis, winner of RSPB Scotland’s Golden Eagle Award for his outstanding achievement in advancing nature conservation in Scotland in the past 100 years. The programme allows students to track and monitor, and in some cases live capture and tag, some of Alladale’s wildlife including red deer, pine marten, golden eagle and salmon. Students will also have the opportunity of monitoring existing woodland regeneration schemes as well as planting new native woodland species such as Scots Caledonian pine, rowan, willow, juniper and birch.
Students will be provided with food and drink for breakfast and lunch whilst dinner will be prepared by Alladale’s head chef.
During the weekends, there are organised optional activities on the reserve such as pony trekking, mountain biking, fly fishing, clay pigeon shooting and stalking. Locally students can enjoy dolphin and whale watching, castle and whisky distillery tours. There will also be organised trips to Inverness, Western Isles as well as to other places of interest. These activities and trips are offered at a low additional cost.
For further information on dates and prices, contact Chris Sandom – Programme Leader, email: c.sandom@alladale.com Tel: +447979 858 667