Advice/ideas for Cairngorms trip please

Hi All.  My husband and I have decided to visit the Cairngorms this year for a wildlife and whisky trip this year(me for the wildlife and him for the whisky!)

I've never been there before and have done so much googling that my mind is now boggling!  I know with wildlife there can be no guarantees but top of my wish list would be to see Crested Tit and Red Squirrel and anything else would be a bonus!  I can't make my mind up whether it would be better to go mid to late March when I hear Crested Tits are more likely to come to feeders (because a photo would be nice!) or whether it would be better to go in June when there would be longer days and (hopefully) better weather.

My other quandary was whether to stay somewhere like Inverness where we could easily get a guided tour/trip out to save more driving (we have an eight/nine hour drive to get there) or whether it would be better to stay somewhere quieter like Grantown on Spey and just take ourselves off to various places - any suggestions welcome!

We will only have three or four full days there so any advice or ideas on must see places to go would be really appreciated.  Thanks!

See my Flickr photos here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/115745582@N04/

 

  • Avon Skin so Soft will work but make sure you don't use the pink liquid, which is a moisturiser. A lovely smell but did no good to keep the little blighters away! I see you get different choices now, and one for Mosquitoes and other nasty beasties!!

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  • Lynn L said:
    Avon Skin so Soft

    I heard that's what a lot of soldiers use when they're being deployed to various midge infested lands, so must be good

  • ChristineB said:
    Hi Mike and thanks for all the info in your post. Dalwhinnie is one of my husband's favourite whiskies so I have a feeling we may end up doing the tour of that distillery! It sounds as though I may need to take my jungle strength insect repellant with me too. You've given us lots of ideas there - I'm really looking forward to the trip.

    You're welcome, and your husband has good taste in whisky  Thumbsup

    I forgot to add, with the Dalwhinnie tour, and taster, we had small Dalwhinnie whisky glasses also.

    With regards to midges, there are many different things to avert the little blighters. I've never used any, preferring to eat garlic.

    It was something an old farmer once suggested, and since that day, I've been very partial to garlic, but not to the point my body reeks of it. it seems to work, and I also avoid aftershave when out in the countryside. It sounds like I don't keep clean, but I do, honest!