Wander through woods and along trails, discovering the incredible culture, history and ecology of this special part of the Cairngorms National Park, tasting wild teas, and sharing local stories of kings, witches, fairy folk, highwaymen... and perhaps a Gaelic song or two.
If you're looking for fun and unusual things to do in the Cairngorms off the beaten track, these slow-paced, small-group and informal adventures are for you! If you fancy exploring, but don't want to trek into the mountains, or fancy knowing more about this stunning part of Strathspey, or learning stories to share with family and friends, or a bit about foraging in a safe environment, this is also for you...
If you're looking for fun and unusual things to do in the Cairngorms off the beaten track, these slow-paced, small-group and informal adventures are for you! If you fancy exploring, but don't want to trek into the mountains, or fancy knowing more about this stunning part of Strathspey, or learning stories to share with family and friends, or a bit about foraging in a safe environment, this is also for you...
Aviemore Storywalk
A gentle guided adventure close to the centre of Aviemore, exploring woods and trails to find ruins from centuries past, plants and trees and their folklore, creatures great and small, with plenty of hidden gems and untold stories along the way. Includes wild tea tasting.
2.5-3 hours A reasonable level of fitness is required, though we do go slowly. People aged 3-80+ have joined the walk happily! |
Dalnavert Storywalk
Brimming with tales of gruesome ghosts and fairy hills to the historic links with empire and colonialism, this walk explores the picturesque spot where the River Feshie meets the River Spey.
The guided adventure will include wild tea tasting. 2.5-3 hours A reasonable level of fitness is required. This walk is most suited to older children and adults, though I will always try and tailor each walk to everyone's ages and interests. |
The walks are suitable for visitors and locals alike as there's so much to explore right on our doorstep. They're suitable for families, couples, friends, and wedding or stag and hen do activities. To get a taster of local stories, have a look at the blog.
Walks are run all year round. Walking routes can be adapted for prams, wheelchairs or those with limited mobility; please let me know in advance. Dogs are allowed on some walking routes but only if others booked onto the same walk are okay with this. If you'd like to bring a dog, please let me know ahead of booking.
Walks are run all year round. Walking routes can be adapted for prams, wheelchairs or those with limited mobility; please let me know in advance. Dogs are allowed on some walking routes but only if others booked onto the same walk are okay with this. If you'd like to bring a dog, please let me know ahead of booking.
2022/23 Special Events
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Stargazing Storywalks every week through winter
Aviemore or Glenmore: Explore the Gaelic and Pictish stories in the stars and skies right above us, from one-eyed giants to warrior goddesses to bad-tempered cows. The short evening stroll includes wild foraged tea! Book here.
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Tipi on Tour with Alzheimer Scotland: storytelling in Aviemore
16 March Aviemore: Tales in a tipi with Alzheimer Scotland! We'll go on a short storywalk followed by stories, history and all manner of folktales in the tipi. Anyone living with dementia is welcome to attend. Free; booking necessary (click image above for details).
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Other activities
Highland Folk Museum walking trail |
Cairngorms Nature audio stories tour |
A self-guided walking trail at the excellent (and free!) open-air Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore. The trail takes you on a tour of some of the plants, herbs and trees found on site and their many uses, based on the museum's archive material.
The trail guide is available at the museum entrance for a small charge. Produced for the Highland Folk Museum, 2018. |
An audio tour of folklore from Kingussie to Grantown via Glenmore and Loch Morlich, to listen if you are out and about exploring, or at home.
From outwitting cunning waterhorses, to saving our forests from an evil princess, to what might happen if you step inside a fairy hill, these are local tales intertwined with nature. Produced for the Cairngorms Nature BIG Weekend 2022, organised by the Cairngorms National Park. |
Covid-19 update May 2022
Storywalks are open for booking, and group sizes will remain small, at 8 maximum (more are possible for private walks). We will continue to be sensible with hand hygiene and social distancing if needed.
If there are any changes to the local or national guidelines in Scotland, I will adapt accordingly and post any updates here. For more information, see Mountain Training Scotland and the Scottish Government websites.
Storywalks are open for booking, and group sizes will remain small, at 8 maximum (more are possible for private walks). We will continue to be sensible with hand hygiene and social distancing if needed.
If there are any changes to the local or national guidelines in Scotland, I will adapt accordingly and post any updates here. For more information, see Mountain Training Scotland and the Scottish Government websites.
Feedback
DO IT!!! Such an amazing way to connect to the land and history of such a beautiful place. The walk wasn’t strenuous and absolutely beautiful. Sarah was such a gentle, genuine person who took an interest in everyone in the group. She was extremely knowledgeable and happily answered all weird and wonderful questions. I would HIGHLY recommend this for ALL AGES!! What a way to spend a morning!
Sarah was very kind and thoughtful. Her passion about the area is inspiring and motivating. She helped us learn new things about the forest and its history. She made sure to listen to our interests and personalised her time with us as best as she could and also answered all of our questions. Lovely stories that encapsulated the beautiful surroundings. Thank you for making our time in Aviemore special, my cousin visiting from Greece had the best time of his whole trip with you, he said . Totally recommend Sarah's walk.
We had a wonderful morning's walk with Sarah. We learnt a lot about the local trees, wild flowers and history with some very surprising landmarks that we knew nothing about despite living locally. We had two little ones with us and Sarah kept us entertained with wonderful stories along the way, what an adventure, thank you!
About me
I am a mountain lover and quiet explorer, hailing from Derbyshire, via Norway, Egypt and London. The landscapes, the people (and the reindeer) brought me to the Scottish Highlands, and to Aviemore, which has become my home.
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Work & hireI am an enthusiastic and dedicated freelancer who enjoys working collaboratively. Here's a recent short film on volunteer work for Plantlife Scotland about Strathspey Gaelic dialect words for plants and trees, as part of the Cairngorms Wild Plants Project.
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