From the moment we were collected at the hotel by our Safari Guide, Colin, we had a fantastic day. Loch Tay must surely be one of the prettiest of Scotland’s lochs and Colin had plenty of interesting conversation to keep us amused as we headed off-road and up through the forest – here I got my wish, and as promised, he found a red squirrel who was keeping very still on a fir tree not far from the track. I would never have noticed it myself as it was much smaller than I was expecting but really red and even prettier than it appears in pictures.

Leaving the Land Rover, we walked to a viewpoint only to be ‘attacked’ by a group of Highland Warriors wielding claymores. They were putting on a display for another group but thought they would practice on us!

We took it in turns to drive the 10-seater off-road vehicle, and with Colin’s guidance, negotiated some impressive hills and water obstacles. Lunch was laid on for us in a hilltop bothy and, either the food was exceptionally tasty, or we were exceptionally hungry! On the way back to the hotel, our guide pointed out a golden eagle circling high over the glen and he told us how to tell the difference between the various hawks by their wing and tail formation.

The Highland Safari offers a fantastic opportunity to view some of Northern Scotland’s hidden wildlife!

By Yvonne Shaw