Day 5 – Tree Climbing and Ospreys

Treezone Adventure

We had lucked out with the weather for our first few days in Aviemore and had travelled lots so as it was due to rain we decided to stay a bit more local for the day. We still wanted an activity to do so booked tickets for the tree zone adventure which is an assault course up in the trees.

Unfortunately none of us were particularly good with heights so Tom and I only made it round the course once whilst Izzy and Stu did it twice.

It was really good fun and we then headed home for lunch (the first day all week we had not had to make a packed lunch)

Loch Garten RSPB Nature Reserve

The weather was still a bit miserable in the afternoon so we headed off to the RSPB Nature Reserve as they had ospreys and it was only 20 minutes away. This was a really cool place as there were lots of activities for Tom and Izzy to get involved in and we were able to learn about the ospreys. There was an osprey on the reserve and he was flying back and forth to his nest.

The reserve was situated on Loch Garten so we were able to go for a short walk to see the loch which was beautiful.

Day 6 – The Highlands and Harry Potter

Glen Nevis

The weather had cleared so we wanted to travel to the highlands and see Ben Nevis and visit some of the Harry Potter sites. We set off early as it was a 90 minute drive away and as we approached the area we were really lucky as the snow capped peak of Ben Nevis was visible so we pulled in to take some photos.

We then carried on to the the Glen Nevis car park to go for a short walk around the base of the mountain. It was beautiful – there was a small stream and we were able to follow the path (although only for a short distance) that you take if you are climbing the mountain. We had already climbed Scaefell Pike (the highest mountain in England) and Ben Nevis was on our list but today was not the day!

Glenfinnan and Loch Shiel

Our next stop was the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Loch Shiel. The viaduct was shown in lots of the HP films so we stopped off at a viewing point to take some pictures.

We were then able to wander down to the shores of Loch Shiel which was used as the Black Lake in HP. Unfortunately the Glenfinnan Monument was boarded up as it was being renovated but the views were beautiful. Tom and Izzy found some large sticks so were re-enacting Star Wars.

Neptunes Staircase

We returned to Fort William to have a look at Neptunes Staircase which is a series of lochs along the Caledonian Canal. We also had some more views of the peak of Ben Nevis and we were able to find a geo-cache.

We also drove passed a distillery which had a field next to it with highland cows. As we hadn’t seen a highland cow I made Stuart pull into the car park so that we could take a photo of one.

Steall Waterfall

Our final stop of the day was Steall Waterfall – the waterfall which is shown in Harry Potter and the 2nd highest waterfall in Scotland. To get to the waterfall we had to walk a gorge trail – and there was a signing warning us to stay on the path otherwise there was danger of death! It was a great walk with views of the river below us, mountains in the distance and lots of boulders dotted about.

We eventually arrived at a clearing where you could see the waterfall coming over the mountains.

We reached the river where there were lots of pebbles so it resembled a beach and we spent ages skimming stones. There was also a rope bridge set up which we played on for a bit.

Day 7 – Distilleries and zoos

Tomatin Distillery

We couldn’t visit the highlands without doing a distillery tour and we definitely had picked the best day for it. We woke up to it being freezing cold and trying to snow. The tour was really good and very kiddy friendly. At the end of the tour we were able to try 3 different whiskeys – although we were warned that if you tried them all you would not be able to drive. I don’t like whisky so I said I’d drive and Stu was able to drink his 3 tasters – however, not wanting to waste any he had mine too and it was 11am!!! We also purchased a bottle as we left.

Highland Wildlife Park

As Tom and Izzy visited the distillery with us, we wanted to take them to the zoo for the afternoon. At the start of the zoo there was a drive through safari which we did in the snow. We then parked and visited some of the animal enclosures. We were able to time the visits with their feeding times which Tom especially enjoyed as the keepers often gave a talk. We saw a polar bear and a snow leopard but it was bitterly cold!

Day 8 – Travel home via Castles

Stirling Castle

We had a long drive ahead of us so we planned a couple of stop off points to break up the journey. Our first was Stirling Castle which was just under 3 hours away – and it was covered by our Historic Scotland pass.

Stirling Castle was amazing – it is set up on a hill so you can’t miss it as you approach and this also gives amazing views of the surrounding area. There were loads of rooms to tour, castle walls to walk along and cannons!

Caerlaverock Castle

Our final castle was Caerlaverock which was close to the English Border. This was a ruined castle but there were still areas you could climb to the second floor. There was also a moat! We did a bit of exploring before setting off on our final 4.5 hour drive to reach Gloucester.