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THE MAR LODGE EXPERIENCE
Enjoy five days in the Mar Lodge Estate, once part of a Pictish kingdom and a playground for kings and courtiers. Today the National Trust for Scotland manages the estate as an internationally important conservation area, for it contains some of Britain’s finest remaining Caledonian pine forest and is home to an abundance of red deer, black grouse, capercaillies, golden eagles and red squirrels. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will introduce participants to the history of how the estate evolved and how it has been managed until the present day.
These five-day experiences have a house party feel atmosphere and are hosted by Mar Lodge’s rangers and stalkers. The trip includes four evening meals in the magnificent Mar Lodge Dining Room enjoying locally produced seasonal food; a walk-and-stalk activity with the gamekeepers; guided nature walks and orienteering experiences with the rangers; and a day out in Aberdeenshire including an exclusive guided tour of Crathes Castle with its world-famous gardens. The day will continue at Drum Castle where you will have lunch in the 13th century tower library, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the castle and its chapel,and an in-depth ranger-led walk through the ancient oak woods of Drum (a Site of Special Scientific Interest). |
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The tour will depart from Edinburgh on Mondays in October and November 2009 with pick-ups in Perth. Participants will enjoy visits to historic Dunkeld, the NTS-conserved Hermitage woodland, before continuing over the Spittal of Glenshee to Mar Lodge. The tour will end on the Friday with a return journey along Scotland’s east coast, passing Balmoral Castle and visiting Dunnottar Castle (famous as the setting for the 1990 film of Hamlet) before travelling via Perth and Stirling to Edinburgh. |
The Mar Lodge Experience will cost £799 per person based on twin share (single supplement £85), including four nights accommodation at Mar Lodge, four hearty Scottish breakfasts, five lunches, four evening meals and all activities described above.
Dates:
19-23 October 2009
16-20 November 2009
Contact us to book .
Useful Information
Tour departs Monday 9am 207 High St, Edinburgh. Returns Friday 6pm. Pick up can be arranged at Perth train station 10am Monday and drop off 5pm Friday. Please confirm with us if you would like this when booking.
Much of the day time experiences will be outdoors and we recommend that you bring the following items to allow you to experience this to the full whatever the weather will be like during your week in Royal Deeside.
Recommended items:
Waterproofs including waterproof over-trousers
Comfortable walking boots/shoes
Warm outdoor clothing including hats and gloves
Boot gaiters to cover your legs against any wild beasties in the heather/long grass
A walking stick or pole (optional but can be very useful on the hills)
A peaked hat (if the sun is shining it can be quite low in the sky) and this will help with visibility
Binoculars and cameras
Sun cream in case the sun does shine magnificently
Any favourite field guides you have and bird books though the rangers will have supplies of their own for your use
Dress code for the evenings/dinners etc is informal
Towels, hand soap, shower gel and shampoo will be supplied in the bathrooms, but these are not en suite so we recommend you bring a dressing gown or bathrobes for access to the bathrooms.
Mobile reception is quite poor – Vodaphone is the best and there is wi-fi in the reception area of the lodge. There are payphones at the lodge for your use as well. The telephone number of the lodge is 01339 741427 if you would like any family members to be able to contact you.
There are outdoor kit providers in nearby Braemar if there are any items you would like to get when you are up at the lodge.
Also to let you know the lodge does not have an alcohol licence so wines and drinks will need to be supplied on a bring your own bottle basis. (Of course this will make it much cheaper for you all) Again there is a wine merchant in the local village of Braemar and you will have opportunities to club together to buy drinks on your way to the lodge and restock during the week!!
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Experience the life of a laird
at Mar Lodge in Royal Deeside
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The Mar Lodge Experience
in the Cairngorms National Park |
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| HISTORY OF THE MAR LODGE ESTATE |
THE LODGE
Mar Lodge was restored following a fire in 1991, is still an impressive building and of some architectural value. Its associations with the Fife family and Victorian royalty give added historical interest. It was built in 1895 for the Duke and Duchess of Fife, following the destruction by fire of the previous family home, Corriemulzie Cottage. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria, grandmother of the Duchess. The architect, A. Marshall Mackenzie, was the leading architect in Aberdeen during this period. |
6 LISTED BUILDINGS
The architectural importance of the Estate is reflected in its 6 Listed Buildings all dating from the later 19th century and showing the development of the Estate for game shooting and recreation. These are Queen Victoria's Picnic Lodge (category C), Derry Lodge(C), Victoria Bridge(B), St Ninian's Episcopal Chapel and Mar Lodge(B). The Stable Block and Ballroom are assumed to lie within the curtailage of Mar Lodge. |
ARCHAEOLOGY
The post medieval archaeological remains of the Mar Lodge Estate are exceptionally well preserved and reflect the three phases of settlement history: post-medieval mixed farming, 19th century sheep-rearing, and late-19th century hunting.
The steadings of the townships in Glen Lui, which were cleared in 1776, were built with clay-bonded random rubble walls with round or square ends and cruck timbers to support the roof. The farm buildings are loosely arranged, with no clear plan, but include a main farmhouse, outbuildings, and a kiln-barn for drying, and possibly malting, corn.
Amongst the shielings, found in all the glens except the upper reaches of the Dee, there are at least two main types of huts: the more recent, which are stone walled; and the earlier, which use a combination of turf and stone or, in some cases, just turf. From 1725 the state encouraged the use of stone shielings, because of the detrimental effect on the pine-woods of cutting timber for building.
The building of the later sheep-farms at Tonnagaoithe and Dalvorar in Glen Dee are more solidly constructed with
coursed-rubble walls, and there are drystone dykes around the in-by ground, encompassing the earlier rigged fields.
In addition to the improved buildings and enclosures associated with the introduction of sheep farming, circular turf folds are to be found in Glens Geldie and Derry, along with well-built shepherds' bothies used while the flocks grazed the higher ground in summer.
With the fashion for stalking and grouse shooting in the mid 19th century, the management of the Forest of Mar was focused once more on hunting. A system of outlying lodges was established (Bynack, Geldie and Derry), as well as several keepers' houses elsewhere. The abandoned remains of the former may still be seen, the best preserved being Derry Lodge, while at Bynack, there are footings of outbuildings and stables, including game-larders and a subterranean cold-store. Some of these buildings were timber-framed, but only the stone base survives: a good example of this type of construction is the tiny cottage by the river at Allanaquoich. |
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