Royal Deeside Day Trips

Itinerary Suggestions & Recommendations

We can create itineraries to suit your main interests whether wanting to learning the tracks and signs of local mammals as a family, or focused on getting shots of Mountain Hares and Pine Marten. These can be from half-days to multiple days and even explore further out in the region. In order to help you narrow the possibilities and give you some inspiration we have created a breakdown below by season, by different species and by speciality days.

By Season

Every season has its charms, its own character and a superb array of wildlife on offer. You can visit Deeside at any time of year and not be disappointed.

Spring

Spring is an exciting time of year in Deeside. It’s all change. Days are growing longer and warmer and this triggers an abundance of life and breeding activity. In March and April, even into May, Black Grouse strut around their lekking arenas, whilst Red Squirrel, Pine Marten and Badger are all increasing their feeding and denning activity. Snow can linger right through spring and Mountain Hare and Ptarmigan may still be found in their winter whites along the edge of snow patches whilst Ring Ouzel will fill the mountain air with their melodic song. The first Birch buds start to break through in April and this is when the stunning Kentish Glory moth can be found closely followed by Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies in May. April is also the month when many migrant birds start flooding back into the area including Osprey, Cuckoo, Tree Pipit and the ubiquitous Willow Warbler. Golden Plover, Snipe and Common Sandpipers return to breed along the rivers and in bogs where the charming Whinchat can also be found. 

Summer

From the end of May through to the end of August Deeside is blessed with long, often warm days and a plethora of wildlife. All the summer breeding birds have returned and the high tops are home to Dotterels and Snow Buntings. Ospreys that have arrived back in spring will be foraging along the Dee. Arctic-Alpine flowers are now in bloom and with them a number of rare upland moths also fly such as Netted Mountain Moth and Small Dark Yellow-Underwing. Lower down the slopes Dark-bordered Beauty Moths can be found as well as Northern Brown Argus butterflies. Summer is when rare plants such as Twinflower and Creeping Ladies Tresses can be found in the Caledonian Forest whilst open meadows can be awash with colour from the flowers. Come mid-summer a number of rare dragonflies and damselflies are on the wing including White-faced Darter and Northern Damselfly. At this time of year Pine Martens and Red Squirrels have young out and about. 

Autumn

The shortening of the days triggers a major change in Deeside. Aspens turn brilliant-yellow and flocks of Pink-footed Geese migrate south. Some pause on the lochans, and closer to the coast huge flocks gather to stage on their journey south. The Red Deer rut commences in late-September with animals bellowing across the mountainsides. Ptarmigan and Mountain Hare start to acquire their white winter coats and there should be hundreds of fungi carpeting the forest floors. 

Winter

Despite the short days of winter, it can still be an excellent time to see wildlife. Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan looking pristine against the snow, flocks of winter thrushes arrive to feed in the valley bases and Black Grouse take to the trees to forage for buds. The scenery is spectacular, and herds of Red Deer add to the landscape. Red Grouse, Golden and White-tailed Eagles brave out the weather and remain on territory and can actually start to display as early as December. It is also a fantastic time of year for tracking wildlife with tracks and signs left for us to follow. 

Towards the end of winter in February we can find Goshawks displaying and Black Grouse back on their leks ready to attract a mate.

All Year

There are of course some species that remain year-round in Deeside though they may be easier to see in certain seasons. No matter what time of year you chose to visit this fabulous area we can hope to show you Golden & White-tailed Eagles, herds of Red Deer, Roe Deer, Black Grouse and Goshawk, Mountain Hare and Ptarmigan. Species such as Scottish, Common and Parrot Crossbill can also be found year-round and of course the landscapes look equally stunning no matter which month you visit.

Mammals

Deeside and adjacent areas are home to some of the UKs best mammal watching. Pine Martens and Badgers are widespread and can be seen at close quarters from designated viewing hides, Red Squirrels are widespread through the woodlands and Caledonian Forest which are also home to Red, Roe and Fallow Deer. In autumn the Red Deer stags signal their intent by bellowing across the landscape in an intimidating show of strength. With luck you can encounter Otters fishing in the River Dee and just occasionally Scottish Wildcat is sighted in the most remote areas. At dusk several species of bat come out to forage and with help from our bat detectors you can enjoy listening to their activities around us. Mountain Hares are a feature of the higher ground and can be found in good numbers at some sites. A little further afield we can go in search of Beavers whilst along the coast Bottlenose Dolphins, Porpoises, Grey and Common Seals can be found.

 Birds

Deeside is home to one of the best selection of upland and forest species anywhere in the UK. The endemic Scottish Crossbill can be found along with Parrot and Common Crossbills, Crested Tits are located relatively close by and the Caledonian forest is home to Black Grouse. On the high tops Ptarmigan occur year-round whilst Dotterel, Ring Ouzel and Snow Buntings can be found during the summer months, the latter descending to the ski resorts on winter. 

In summer Redstart, Tree Pipit and Cuckoo come back to the birch woods to breed and Golden Plover, Dunlin and Snipe return to the moors alongside the ubiquitous Red Grouse. White-tailed Eagle is now a breeding species in Deeside along with Golden Eagle, Goshawk, Hen Harrier and Peregrine. Osprey return to the valley from late-March and remain until September and with luck you may also encounter Merlin.

A visit to the coast can complement a day in the Cairngorms perfectly with huge seabird colonies, thousands of seaduck and waders, farmland birds such as Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer and Tree Sparrow, wetland birds that include Crane, Marsh Harrier and Bearded Tit and many other migrants. 

 Invertebrates

Deeside is especially rich in invertebrates. From April onwards the area boasts a number of rare and fascinating species including the striking Kentish Glory, a large, attractive, day-flying moth, Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Northern Brown Argus, Netted Mountain and Black Mountain Moth and Dark Bordered Beauty to name but a few. Around the wetlands you can’t help but notice the dragonflies and damselflies which include species such as White-faced Darter and Northern Damselfly, both nationally scarce. On the forest floor you will find huge Wood Ant mounds and some that belong to the rare Narrow-headed Ant.

Plants

From finding fascinating carnivorous plants such as Sundews and Butterworts to exploring one of the largest swathes of Caledonian forest in Scotland, Deeside has offerings for the generalist or more experienced botanist. The woodland habitats support such exciting species as Twinflower, Creeping Ladies Tresses and Intermediate Wintergreen. Groves of Aspen can still be found and in autumn they turn a blazing yellow. The mountains are also great for dry heath species and higher up we can find some of the richest areas in the country for Arctic-alpine plants, some of which are accessible on-foot.