Thursday, 25 April 2019
Our bird blogs are back in action for 2019! Things are already getting interesting, with two eggs delivered by regular Tweed Valley resident osprey Mrs O. and her partner SS, while our beloved Aberfoyle osprey Clarach has also been seen mating with her partner - we’re sharing news from that nesting site on The Lodge’s Facebook page. The mating season is now in full swing, so we can expect mo...
Tuesday, 23 April 2019
Last week the John Muir Way, the long distance route running from Dunbar in East to Helensburgh in the West, celebrated its fifth birthday. The lengthy, winding route is named after John Muir, a pioneer of conservation who emigrated from Scotland to America in 1848, aged 10. Muir was part of a group of activists that fought to protect Yosemite Valley in California, and helped to create the world...
Monday, 08 April 2019
'The First Foresters' is a free-to-access learning resource combining an inspirational blend of archaeological discussion, creative indoor activities and practical outdoor learning. The beautifully illustrated booklet links today’s native woodlands, the ancient wildwood of the past and the Neolithic pioneers who ventured into it over 6000 years ago.
Tuesday, 12 March 2019
With spring and the Easter holidays just around the corner, now's the perfect time to start planning your trip to Scotland's best loved wild places. Recently, we've looked at kids activities on a budget, the perfect pit-stops for those long car journeys, and even picked our favourite chilled-out forest trails for a bit of 'forest bathing.' This time, we've selected our ten best destinations for ...
Thursday, 07 March 2019
Image: Alvan Nee / Unsplash Although last week's early flash of warm weather may have blown away in the March winds for now, Spring is most definitely in the air! Scotland’s beautifully rugged great outdoors is just waiting to be explored. Whether you're after a woodland walk with a furry friend, or a longer weekend stroll with the whole family, we've picked ten spots per...
Tuesday, 12 February 2019
Photo: Caroline Veronez / Unsplash Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner… We reckon the forest is one of the romantic places to woo a loved one this February 14th, so we’ve put together a guide on the best places to take a dreamy stroll, plan a woodland wedding or even pop that all-important question!
Monday, 11 February 2019
Photo: Sean Stratton / Unsplash An alarming new study, discussed in The Guardian today, has found that more than 40% of the world's insect populations are now in decline. Coverage of environmental issues tends to focus on more camera-friendly species, but insects are just as vital to our planet's support systems — perhaps even more so. With the total mass of ins...
Monday, 04 February 2019
Photo: Malte Schmidt / Unsplash On one of last week’s episodes of BBC Winterwatch, the team spent some time discussing mental health issues, and how spending time in the outdoors, and re-engaging with the world of plants, animals and trees can help people restore a bit of balance to their inner lives. The team spoke to author Joe Harkness about his book, Bird Therapy, and how he develop...
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Tucked away in the hills of Argyll, just a few miles from Lohgilphead, are the world-famous prehistoric ‘cup and ring’ marks of Achnabreac. These mysterious patterns were carved into rocks throughout Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales and around Europe, in Greece, Italy, and as far north as Scandinavia... Read on to find out more about our new short story competition for ages 10 and up...
Thursday, 24 January 2019
If you’ve been taking part in RSPB’s 2019 Big Garden Bird Watch (26-28 January), you might already have seen Part 1 of our quick reference guide to some of Scotland’s best-loved birds, commonly found in our gardens. We hope you enjoyed Bird Bingo Round 1 - it's a quick, fun, easy game for the whole family to enjoy! Here in Part 2, we’ll give you another six bird species to spo...
Thursday, 24 January 2019
Photo: Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash Just in time for RSPB’s 2019 Big Garden Bird Watch (26-28 January), we’ve pooled our ornithological knowledge and designed a quick reference guide to some of Scotland’s best-loved birds! It’s a fun game anyone can join in with - and in this blog post, we’ll give you a few extra facts about these bird species. Grab some binoculars, get the bird feeders...
Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Image by Marcus Spiske via Unsplash. As the year draws to a close, you might think outdoor activities are off the table, but don’t be too hasty! Leaf pressing is a brilliant activity for autumn and early winter. Get out and capture the quiet beauty of the trees and plants in nature.
Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Forest Enterprise Scotland has a broad and valued range of suppliers, many of which are small to medium enterprises and micro businesses. We are also very proud of our support for rural economies through our work in rural and often remote parts of Scotland. To extend our support for our suppliers we have engaged with a public sector programme called the Supplier Development Programme. The Suppli...
Wednesday, 14 November 2018
We continue to seek to build on bumper visitor numbers National Forest Estate (NFE) through new opportunities and investments. 10.7 million visits were made to the in 2017 – an increase of 18% since 2013 (9.1million). The NFE boasts over 1,200km of walking tracks, 130 cycle routes, wildlife viewing spots and 8 visitor centres making it an ideal place to come for a family day out or to take part...