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Peace and quiet, however, for many is the biggest attraction; just to relax in the peaceful setting of the Lodges. Here you can watch the rabbits chasing across the garden and perhaps spot
a passing roe deer or pine marten. 
Look up into the sky and you may see our resident red
kites and buzzards soaring overhead, sometimes set upon by crows jealously guarding their territory. Hang up a nut feeder in the garden and scatter seeds on the ground
and you are guaranteed a visit from hungry birds– one guest recorded 15 different species from the lodge, including chaffinches, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, green finch, pied  wagtail, tree creeper, great spotted woodpecker and redpoll.
Another visitor who is an environmentalist, counted 91 different species during his week’s stay here. He even saw a golden eagle, an experience shared by many other guests – but not us!
Osprey
can be seen in one of the protected RSPB hides, the best known in Boat of Garten.
A short distance away in the Moray Firth around high-tide you will see Dolphins from many vantage points along
the shore, or of course take a boat trip
from Inverness, Avoch,
or both long and short trips with EcoVentures
in Cromarty - for that closer look. You can also spot them in the Beauly Firth along with plenty of seals.
 What many visitors find
amazing is the amount of lichen found on the silver birches around here, a sign of the clean air and when the skies are blue, there is magical depth to the hue, unique
to this part of the world - just look up on a crystal clear night to see the most fantastic starry skies, a real bonus for those dabbling in astronomy. 
There are enough wild flowers to keep the enthusiasts happy; such as wild orchids, wood anemones, the many varieties of vetches, marsh marigold, bog myrtle, wood
sorrel, wild roses, broom, the thistle family, “wild mountain thyme” and the “bonny bloomin’ heather” – and the list is endless!
There is nothing more relaxing and rewarding than picking your own wild plants and berries and we regularly pick blueberries, wild strawberries and raspberries,
red whortleberries, blackberries, elderberries and flowers for a refreshing juice (great with gin in frozen ice cube form). There are cloudberries as well though we have seen more leaves than the fruit! 
Most of all we love to go out into the woods and
collect wild mushrooms of which there is an abundance, something which the Swedish side of the family can appreciate - which has meant we now dare to collect many more varieties
than the easily recognised Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius),all types of ceps (boletus), hedgehog mushroom (Hydnum repandum) and we are still alive to tell the tale! |
