My involvement with the reindeer goes back 30 years when Tilly and Alan were my neighbours and Alex and Fiona where still very wee.
I came up to the Highlands to work at Badaguish Outdoor Centre for people with additional needs before I was due to start a nursing degree . I never left – I fell in love with the mountains, and then a reindeer herder!! And now the reindeer.
My wonderful friendly golden retriever Rosie used to end up at Reindeer House after following any walker passing by my house down at Badaguish. Tilly would phone me and I would often end up there socialising, helping out, then for dinner and end up walking home with Rosie after a wee whisky or two!
I eventually went to university but not to study nursing. I did a Honors Fine Art degree in 2004.
Over the years I have kept in touch with Tilly and the reindeer, volunteering, an extras pair of hands or legs walking out onto the mountains to help herd in the girls for calving or just going up to spy the herd in the summer months on the mountain.
Several years ago, I got a call to work with the team and use my artistic talents for ‘Christmas Fun’ (weekends in December when Santa visits the Paddocks). By this time Fiona was all grown up and coordinating all things Christmas and the herd on Cairngorm along with her mum and the team. Now I am just a regular part-timer in the team.
So, when I am not a reindeer herder you might find me working in my studio at home as an artist, working on some colorful wild abstract paintings. These days I also work on some reindeer crafts, inspired from my trip to Jokkmokk, Sweden in 2020 with fellow reindeer herders Fiona, Joe, and Olly where we stayed with friend Sofia, Mikel Utsi’s great niece. Inspiration for art was everywhere. The snow, visiting herds of reindeer, northern lights, traditional cloths, and traditional food.
That part of Sweden is the capital of Sami culture in Sweden holding the Sami winter festival, which involve reindeer racing, reindeer parades, and all things Sami culture. And I had a wonderful time in the Sami Museum viewing the traditional arts on show. This was very much my inspiration for small reindeer art and crafts for the shop.
As you probably know, many of the reindeer herders are furloughed just now as the Centre is obviously closed to the public. So while Fiona and Lotti are working away trying to keep everything ticking over at Reindeer House and Andi and Derek are doing the same at the farm, what are the rest of the staff up to?
Sheena: What have I been up to… well I’m very lucky, I moved in with my 87 year old mum just along the road – she’s great fun and we’ve both kept very busy and well; 3 dogs and a cat and a big garden!
Some of you might know that when I’m not a reindeer herder I am an artist… so all this time I must have been busy painting yeah?… Well yes – my mum’s garden fence!! And a wee bit of crafting, the odd cycle and swim in my Loch with the dogs as its been so nice at times.
I signed up to be a Kindness Volunteer for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland so I’ve gone through a online training with them, helped out delivering the odd parcel in the community and done a lot of weeding at my mum’s… can’t wait to tackle the jungle at my own house when this is all over!! Mostly really I can’t wait to run up a hill to see the new additions to the herd. Missing all the reindeer herders too and missing meeting all our wonderful visitors.
Dave: So what have I been up to ? Well it’s a fairly long list. I feel lucky to be healthy and secure when so many are really struggling. I look after a small Croft. So between that and my 2.5 year old son I have been very busy. My four ewes have all lambed successfully so that’s cool.
I have also built a new mobile chicken coop. Heaps of new fencing and gates. Been planting things and painting things. But the coolest thing is the new river side den I’m building for my son! Ciao!
Hen: I’m luckier than the others perhaps, in that I live closer to Reindeer House so have been able to get up the hill to see the cows and calves on occasion within my daily exercise allowance. Has kept the withdrawal symptoms under control!
Other than that I’ve been in my garden as much as possible, and have finally started work on a rockery and a pond that’s been in the pipeline for years. Rather a few years ago, at age 30, I woke up one morning and the family genetics had suddenly kicked in – must grow plants NOW! I think Fiona was very relieved when I moved out of Reindeer House in 2015, having filled every spare inch of space (and there’s not much space spare to start with in RH…) with plants.
I even grew strawberries on the feed shed roof for a couple of years, prompting some strange looks from visitors in the Paddocks on a regular basis, looking over to see me climbing up the side of the building carrying a watering can!
Chris: It turned out I had a million and one things that needed doing so I don’t think I’ve ever had the time go by faster ever! I’ve been selling loads of stuff on eBay to try and boost my bank balance. I was cleaning and sorting out some old cycling/running shoes to sell and wondered what/how many shoes does it take to herd a reindeer?!
Walking boots x1: for when it’s too cold for wellies
Ski touring boots x1: For when there’s so much snow it’s easier to ski out to find the reindeer!
Cycling shoes x4: for when the reindeer have gone too far and its quicker too cycle out half way to where they are. No, we don’t have helicopters/drones/quad bikes which I’ve been asked several times on Hill Trips!
Hill running shoes x50: the joint most important shoe of a reindeer herder!
Light, comfy, grippy and worn almost every day outside of winter for running around the hills chasing reindeer and fixing fences/boardwalking.
Wellies x1: it is Scotland, it rains a lot, the ground is wet, muddy and boggy. Wear wellies.
Nicky: A different side of the Reindeer Centre Business is selling meat from our Glenlivet hill farm, where we have free-range cattle, soay sheep and wild boar. As lockdown kicked in and with meat scarce in the local shops, I received a message on our Reindeer Herders Whatsapp group asking if any of us would like any meat dropped off from our farm and I came up with the idea of offering an ordering and delivery service out to my neighbours and friends. We set up a safe payment and delivery method and, as I’m sure everyone has found, I never knew I could become so well acquainted with my wee bottle of hand sanitising gel that I now carry everywhere with me!
This was just the start. The word spread, other neighbours wanted to join the ‘meat delivery group’, and friends, family and colleagues I mentioned it to also wanted to join our gang. Many customers have expressed they are finding it so superior and delicious compared to other meat they have tasted. It’s lovely to receive such praise and appreciation and pass it on to my colleagues at the Reindeer Centre and Farm.
It feels good to be doing this on so many levels. For people to be able to get ethical, locally sourced meat; to get to know more of my neighbours; to help some of my elderly neighbours who aren’t able to go to the shops and are having supplies delivered to them; to deliver to friends who work for the NHS; it brings a wonderful sense of community when everyone pulls together in times like these.
So there you have it – lots of reindeer herders using their energy in different manners than normal! While some of us are quite enjoying our time off, others are itching to be back working with the reindeer. So the sooner the world can get back to some semblance of ‘normal’ the better!