I started Wild Braemar in 2022 with three core goals: to connect people with nature, to promote the local area and to encourage nature-based tourism. In short, it was about sharing the love I have for nature and my home.
Braemar is a small village, steeped in history, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. We are cocooned by rounded mountains, with rough streams flowing into the meandering River Dee that winds past the village. The hills are a mosaic of grassy marshes, heather grouse moors and Scots Pine forest. The village itself is split in two by the tumbling River Clunie, where red squirrels can be seen darting across the bridge and into the gardens of the surrounding cottages. Spend any time here and you will quickly discover the village is a hive of activity, with a local community who have a deep care for the land and for each other.
I spent my childhood exploring the forests, rivers and hillsides around Braemar, it is where my relationship with the natural world began, so it was the obvious place to encourage others to connect with nature. I also felt strongly that I should focus on this one region, rather than trying to offer guided experiences across the country. Over the years I have discovered the best swimming spots, oldest trees and most incredible viewpoints and I feel it is my life-long relationship with this place that really adds depth and meaning when I take guests out with me. There is an intimate pride in sharing these places with people, it feels like welcoming a visitor into my home in a way and I don’t feel I would give the same personal experience if I were to guide people elsewhere. My hope is that I can pass on my love and passion for these natural spaces so people will want to protect them in the future.
I started out Wild Braemar just taking people on short nature walks. As a child I hated walks and hikes because I was always at the back, desperate to stop and look things but we had to hurry along to the end of the walk, or the top of the hill. I decided to take people on my style of walk, where we stop and admire the shape of a particular tree, or watch a frog cross the path for a while, not necessarily covering great distances but really absorbing where we are. This ethos is woven into everything Wild Braemar does - we want to promote slow, immersive and more sustainable travel.
My walks quickly expanded to a range of nature-based experiences including wild swimming, forest sketching and a wood fired sauna by a waterfall. I have recently begun building a team of other freelance guides in the area who offer their own activities including fishing, off-road tours, traditional music sessions and outdoor cooking. This means Wild Braemar can now help visitors plan their whole holiday with personal and authentic activities in this area. All contributing to promoting nature based tourism in Braemar and connecting people with nature.
Connect with Wild Braemar:
www.instragram.com/wildbraemar
Find out more about the Cairngorms National Park:
Photography credit: www.orlandogili.com
