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Gaelic Experience- Dundreggan (4 days)
Affric Highlands
Scotland
Duration
4days
Difficulty
Who is this experience for? Adults wishing to learn more about Gaelic language and culture, and its connections to our landscapes, nature and rewilding. No previous knowledge of Gaelic is necessary.
Most of the activities are suitable for all audiences, including those with additional accessibility needs. However, some of the planned walks may include occasionally steep, pathless terrain. If you have questions about accessibility please get in touch.
We will also host a traditional Highland Cèilidh, with storytelling and music – feel free to bring your own instruments.
Group
Maximum 12 participants
Language
English
Gaelic Experience- Dundreggan (4 days)
What better way to discover rewilding than by living it directly?
Ever wondered how to pronounce the name of a Scottish mountain? Or wondered what that name might actually mean? Ever wanted to see what placenames have to tell us about the plants and the people, the birds and the animals who have gone before us in our landscapes? Or perhaps you’re intrigued by the connections between Gaelic and rewilding? If so, this weekend is made for you!
Join us for an immersive experience of walks and activities which will open your eyes to Dundreggan’s Gaelic landscape, with a traditional Highland Cèilidh thrown in as well: bidh craic math ann, agus bidh fàilte mhòr ron a h-uile duine!
This residential will be led in English, but you will come away from it knowing more Gaelic than you did at the start, and with a deeper appreciation of the significance Gaelic language and culture plays in Scotland’s landscapes, past, present and future!
Gaelic is the oldest surviving language in Scotland and for many centuries it has been spoken throughout these glens. For Gaels, their sense of being part of their homeland is summed up perfectly in the word dùthchas which encapsulates belonging, tradition, and an attachment to landscape and all living things.
Itinerary
You will receive a finalised itinerary and kit list via email in the fortnight ahead of the residential. All meals are included and will be served in our An Nead café or as a packed lunch to take with you. Please note: activities, locations, and timings may be subject to change.
Day One – Gaelic Experience
– Arrivals and welcome: fàilte! (2pm)
– Introductory guided walk: Gaelic and Dundreggan
– Check in to rooms, and free time to settle and unpack
– Dinner
– Fire lighting and lichen dying
Day Two – Gaelic Experience
– Breakfast (8 – 9am)
– Gaelic and the community session with our own Trees for Life Oifigear Gàidhlig (Gaelic Officer)
– Lunch
– Guided walk: plants and placenames
– Free time
– Dinner
– A night walk exploring Dundreggan by dark (bat detectors supplied)
Day Three – Gaelic Experience
– Breakfast (8 – 9am)
– Guided hill walk: exploring sites of old shielings and new areas of planting and regeneration
– Lunch
– Gaelic awareness session
– Gaelic singing with Brian Ó hEadhra, celebrated Gaelic singer-songwriter and musician based in the Scottish Highlands
– Free time
– Dinner
– Highland Cèilidh! Dancing and songs in Scottish Gaelic and English, led by Brian Ó hEadhra
Day Four – Gaelic Experience
– Breakfast (8 – 9am)
– Check out of rooms and return keys
– Dundreggan placenames session
– Guided walk: Gaelic and the future
– Lunch
– Departures (2pm)
What's Included?
Three nights' accommodation in An Spiris, three breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners from An Nead Cafe and activities led by the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre visitor experience team.
What to Bring
We will meet you at Dundreggan Rewilding Centre at 2pm the day your programme starts. Please ensure you have had lunch before meeting. We will show you to your accommodation, give you time to settle in, then meet up as a group to begin the programme.
We have included a kit list below. Please make sure you bring all the essential items on it, as they are necessary for your comfort during some activities. If you think you are unable to bring any of them, or are unsure, please get in touch with us on info@visitdundreggan.co.uk or call the Rewilding Centre on 01320 340 380.
Essential Kit
Waterproof jacket and trousers
Comfortable wellingtons or walking boots
Two sets of warm clothes (long-sleeved tops recommended to protect from ticks)
Warm hat and gloves
Small rucksack
Toiletries
Warm clothes for evenings
Thermos flask and drink bottle
Lunch box
All bedding and towels are provided.
If joining our Introduction to Rewilding programme, you may wish to bring something to make notes, such as a notebook and pen, laptop, or tablet.
Optional Kit
Gaiters - ticks are common at Dundreggan so gaiters or long socks are advisable.
Camera
Binoculars
Midge and tick repellent (all our guides carry this for your use, but you may wish to bring your own)
Sun hat/sun block
House shoes/slippers
Head-torch
Yoga mats and blocks will be available for your use, but you may wish to bring your own. You may also find a journal helpful.
We provide food for meals, including packed lunches where lunch is scheduled to be away from the Centre. Snacks such as crisps, cakes, fruit and snack bars are available to purchase in our cafe. However, you may wish to bring some extras for your lunch like nuts, crisps, chocolate bars etc. or special ingredients for meals. The nearest shop is 7 miles to the east in Invermoriston, or a 15 minute drive away in Fort Augustus.
Food & Stay
You will stay in our accommodation, An Spiris. Stay in the double or twin en-suite rooms and relax in the comfortable and cosy communal space. Towels and bed linen are provided, and a boot room is available for drying outdoor gear.
Please get in touch if you would like to extend your stay (arriving sooner or staying extra nights) in An Spiris. The residentials have been scheduled to align with public bus timetables.
All food is provided in house, made by the team in An Nead Cafe, part of the Rewilding Centre. The seasonal menu features locally sourced ingredients to create a hearty and sustainable food offering for all guests.
How your experience helps rewilding efforts
Dundreggan is the 10,000-acre flagship estate of Trees for Life, a charity that has been rewilding the Scottish Highlands for over 30 years. The Rewilding Centre and its programme of paid events/activities, along with cafe, retail and accommodation, operate as the commercial arm of the charity, with excess profits there going to support charitable work. Visitors also have the opportunity to get involved through volunteering and financial support.
Rewilding landscape
Rewilding vision
Affric Highlands | Scotland
From the vast waters of Loch Ness to the rugged sea lochs of Scotland's west coast, the Affric Highlands span an ancient, mountainous landscape shaped by thousands of years of connection between people and nature. Home to fragments of Caledonian pinewood, temperate rainforest, and rich peatlands, this is a place of rare, iconic wildlife, deep-rooted culture, and huge rewilding potential.
Wildlife in this landscapePlease note that the presence of wildlife doesn’t guarantee sightings — these animals live freely and may remain out of view.
Herbivores in this landscape
Red deer
Roe deer
Scavengers and other large birds in this landscape
