September 2025 was a month of ‘firsts’ for me…my first solo road trip, my first holiday in Scotland and my first time meeting a reindeer…
It was also my first time as a volunteer reindeer herder and it was Earl Grey who peered at me through the pine trees as I entered the Paddock with Lotti – my first, rather beautiful, slightly curious, white-nosed reindeer!
Lotti was showing me around and demonstrating the poo picking technique to me. Poo picking is a regular feature of the life of a volunteer and not only is an essential task to maintain the Paddocks, but also is a relaxing way to spend the first hour of the morning…the birds twittering around you, an occasional red squirrel, a few ducks clearing up stray food and the reindeer waiting patiently to be fed.
Kathy’s poo picking equipment!
There were plenty of jobs to be done in between trips – mixing feed, sweeping floors, keeping the outside areas presentable, cleaning wellies, clearing up inside….. Each of these jobs done by a volunteer means that a herder has more time to spend on herd management or administration of the herd records and the adoption programme.
Was I fit enough for the role? Not really …I puffed up the hills on the Hill Trips…but I managed, and the team made sure I was ok. I was able to choose how active I wanted to be and felt empowered to fill my day the way that I chose. I chose the Hill Trips as often as I could. The day to day life on the hills is so different to my usual routine, and by the end of the week I noted how differently I felt about myself and my life. I was proud of my strong shoulders and legs; I appreciated the feel of wind through my hair and rain on my face; I hadn’t once worried about what I was going to wear or how I looked; and my use of social media had reduced…well, perhaps not much, but my Instagram feed just featured cute reindeer faces, passing on the joy to my family and friends, who feared they had lost me forever to the Cairngorms.
The Hill Trips are just a small part of what the herders do and while they are telling visitors about the reindeer, they are also observing the herd for signs of illness or counting the herd to see if anyone has been missing for too long.
And when the visitors have gone, the herders spring into action, coordinating their movements through a never ending stream of WhatsApp chat. One herder might have to do a long trek to locate some free rangers, another may have to harness a couple of deer to be swapped to the Paddock for a few days, and a small team may be needed to round up the herd for regular worming treatment.
Magnum looking smart in his short coat. Kathy and Busby. Spotting some free rangers on the skyline.Looking down at the hill enclosure.
One day Lotti asked if I’d like to help bring a couple of reindeer down the hill for a short stint in the Paddocks. And handed me the lead! The joy of me leading a gently plodding Jester was captured by Daisy as we crossed Utsi’s Bridge. Jester was very willing to follow me… most of the time. And in less than a week I was leading Cowboy down. He responded well to a teeny wobble of the lead and the occasional encouragement from Andi behind.
Kathy with Cicero. Reindeer herders Lotti and Caz with Kathy.
One day I sat on the hill while a couple of the herders were tending to a calf. As I looked at the incredible view, an entire rainbow emerged and I felt quite overwhelmed – I couldn’t believe where I was and what I was doing. I felt a warm breath on my neck. It was Magnum. He touched me gently with his antlers and circled me. I know that he was probably just checking to see if I had some food, or maybe he thought I was a tree to help strip his velvet…but his appearance at that moment will be a memory I treasure. If I had a favourite….
Enjoying one of many rainbows.Kathy and rainbow!Kathy and Magnum behind.
Most evenings I was too pooped to do much more than put on my pjs and watch a film, but one evening I was invited to join the team and family at Reindeer House for the calf naming ceremony. The new calves were 3 months old and were to be named on a dance theme this year…and so, over a feast of nachos, brownies and chocolate-covered satsumas (absolutely delicious) the A4 page of names was whittled down to a handful that suited the pretty little creatures. Boogie and Morris and Haka…Rumba and Foxtrot and Mosh…Each matched to their personalities or named in a pattern that fitted with their parent.
The week I spent with the team at Cairngorm Reindeer will stay with me forever. The team are amazing and I feel privileged to have seen first hand the care they give the reindeer.
On the morning that I left Aviemore, I took a coffee and croissant to the side of Loch Morlich. I listened to Radio 6 and texted Lauren Laverne to say how appropriate her choice of “Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think)’ by Prince Buster was, as I’d just completed a week of volunteering with the reindeer herders. “Kathy…please write a book” was Lauren’s on-air response. Well, perhaps this is Chapter One…..
It’s nice to do a blog about an individual reindeer every now and again. Naturally it often ends up being an older reindeer, or someone with bags of in-your-face character. However this week’s blog is all about a three year old female called Glacée who up until recently didn’t really stand out in the herd that much.
Glacée looking pretty epic in September 2025.
Glacée was born in 2022 and her mum, Dante, happens to be a reindeer who I have a big soft spot for. Dante is mega! She’s a big girl, who grows large antlers. She has an independent nature, she’s not super greedy or pushy but if we work with her gently, she’s reliable and catchable. In 2022, Dante had her second daughter, who later was named Glacée. (As of 2025 Dante now has four daughters – Mangetout, Glacée, Amazon and a new calf for 2025 named Disco!).
Dante and Glacée as a calf in the hill enclosure before going out to free range.
As usual, Glacée was born in the hill enclosure and after a few weeks, she and Dante headed for the hills. By the end of August it was time to bring them both back into the hill enclosure so we could start getting wee Glacée used to visitors, teach her what a bag of food is, and train her to walk on a halter.
We found Dante and Glacée in an area quite far away from the hill enclosure, too far away to simply walk them back in. However, we couldn’t get anywhere near Glacée to catch her, she was a very timid calf. So, us herders took it in turns to go out and feed Dante with the intention of slowly getting Glacée used to being around us so we could get close enough to catch her. What a chore – getting to walk in a beautiful area to find and chill out with two lovely reindeer! After a few trips out to see them both, Dante decided she would actually just bring herself home, and one morning we found her on the ‘ski road’ here on Cairngorm, where Fiona simply walked them in! They spent the autumn in the hill enclosure where Glacée quickly grew in confidence around people.
Glacée as a four month old calf enjoying being out free ranging in the hills. This was taken on one of my missions to make her tamer so we could catch her and bring her home.Glacée and her mum Dante in December 2022. Now a friendly wee lass, growing in confidence.Glacée back out free ranging in the early 2023.
As a yearling and a two year old, Glacée blended into the background a bit. She is ‘normal coloured’ and grows nice but relatively simple antlers. She had an independent streak so wasn’t super ‘in-your-face’ greedy but she always remained reliable when catching her out.
Glacée at the front of the herd in March 2024, at almost two years old.
In May 2025, aged three years old, Glacée had her first calf – a wee girl who we later named Ceilidh! Just like her three years earlier, Ceilidh was born within the hill enclosure and spent the summer out free ranging. Glacée and her calf came back into the enclosure in late August. This process was slightly easier than when Glacée herself was a calf as they were in walking distance from the enclosure and Lotti and Mel had a wonderful morning bringing them home.
Glacée’s new born calf – what a cutie!Glacée and Ceilidh on the free range in June 2025.At the end of July 2025 they both have changed a lot.Glacée and Ceilidh back in the hill enclosure in September and already getting quite bold.
Since Glacée has been back in the enclosure we’ve noticed a real change in her behaviour – she has turned into a complete beast! She’s got bags of attitude and confidence and spends a lot of her time chasing other reindeer around, including some older girls I was quite surprised to see her dominating. This can be quite distracting whilst trying to give a talk to our Hill Trip visitors, with her charging around in the background! She certainly like her own space! She’s only three years old so it will be interesting to see how she develops over the next few years. I can imagine her being one of the big dominant cows in the herd. Time will tell…
Recently, when researching something else, I came across series of beautiful, Mongolian, postage stamps highlighting the Tsaatan people’s lifestyle throughout different seasons. After a quick Google I found loads of other beautiful stamps from many different reindeer herding nations across the world. I thought people might enjoy having a look through some of the beautiful reindeer artwork displayed on some of the stamps.
Mongolian postage stamps:
The Mongolian stamps that I found portray images of the Tsaatan people (also known as the Dhuka), a group of indigenous, nomadic reindeer herders who live in the depths of the Taiga in northern Mongolia. The Tsaatan are one of the few indigenous reindeer herders who ride their reindeer.
Mongolian stamp showing an image of a Tsaatan camp.Mongolian stamp showing an image of Tsaatan schoolchildren riding their reindeer.Mongolian stamp showing an image of Tsaatan migration.
I also found this much older Mongolian stamp from 1961. Note how it also shows reindeer being ridden.
Mongolian stamp from 1961.
Norwegian postage stamps:
I found a whole range of Norwegian postage stamps from this first one from 1914 advertising Norwegian trips (Norwegenfahrten) with a particular shipping company along with some others with beautiful illustrations.
Norwegenfahrten (Norwegian Trips).Norge Noreg.Tromso by post.Norwegian stamp from 1963 showing a reindeer.
Russian postage stamps:
Russia is home to many indigenous reindeer herders from the Sami who inhabit the Kola peninsula in the northwest of Russia, to the Chukchi who live in the northeastern part of Siberia (with many other indigenous herders living in between). I found just a few Russian stamps showing reindeer including one showing reindeer racing.
Russian stamp – Reindeer racing.Russian stamp – Reindeer and calf.
South Georgian postage stamps:
For about 100 years, reindeer resided in South Georgia and this is reflected in some of their stamps. The reindeer were introduced in the early 20th century as a food source for whalers. After the end of whaling with the lack of humans or predators the number of reindeer increased to the point there were too many for the land, so the decision was made to eradicate the south Georgian reindeer between 2013 and 2015.
Stamp from South Georgia.
Falklands postage stamps:
In 2001 a group of roughly 50 reindeer were translocated from South Georgia to the Falkland Islands and some of their stamps in the years following celebrate the reindeer through the different seasons.
Falkland Islands – Reindeer in Winter.Falkland Islands – Reindeer feeding on tussock grass.Falkland Islands – bull in the rut.
USA postage stamps:
North America is home to the Caribou which is the same species as reindeer, but haven’t been domesticated. They are found in Canada and Alaska. Here they are celebrated in this beautiful stamp.
Where has October gone?! It was a pretty hectic month here with the rut in full swing, halter training the calves, free ranging reindeer keeping us busy, and three weeks of October holidays. But it’s been very fun and hopefully a successful rut – we’ll find out in the spring! The big news was that we managed to open the Exhibition! We did a very ‘soft opening’ just letting the October holiday makers have a look around to test things out. The best place to find up to date information regarding our Paddocks and Exhibition is still our website, or feel free to give us a call.
1st of October: Torch looking mega – she’s in great condition and looks particularly super for 13 year old.6th of October: Cowboy investing the bags – “any more food for me?!”6th of October: The gorgeous Winnie, she’s now 2.5 years old so was running with a bull this autumn. We’re so proud of our little hand-reared calf!7th of October: Handsome Jester.7th of October: Choc-ice has been one of our breeding bulls this year. He certainly knows where the lichen comes from – this was the face that met us most mornings.9th of October: Kernel looking for food. Kulfi and Christie are behind.10th of October: Reindeer on the skyline. 11th of October: Mother and daughter – Sunflower and Fika.11th of October: Zoom will be trained to pull a sleigh this autumn.18th of October: Feeding the herd on a glorious morning.20th of October: Dr Seuss posing beautifully. 20th of October: Wonderful Emm walking off Orinoco and Suebi – they’d be running with Jimmy the bull but after a few weeks Jimmy seemed to be done with the rut, so these girls got to go back out on the free range.21st of October: Bordeaux and calf.21st of October: Beret and calf – he has super cool face markings.22nd of October: Jester and Kernel chewing the cud together. 23rd of October: Dante and her beautiful dark calf.29th of October: Feeding the calves out of the bag. It’s turned them all into absolute monsters! 29th of October: Tap and calf. Two of the darkest reindeer in the entire herd.30th of October: Pinto and her son.
As I sit down to write this blog the current newsletter, October 2025, has just arrived at the Reindeer Centre from the printers and will be packed up and sent out over the next few days! The newsletter gets posted out to our wonderful reindeer adopters in June and October each year. This gave me the idea to dig out some of our old newsletters to see how much, or little, has changed. So here’s extracts from the newsletter 20 years ago – in October 2005.
The ‘featured reindeer’ on the front page 20 years ago was Shekel, a friendly ‘Christmas reindeer’. Shekel was part of the herd, long before I became a reindeer herder, but I’ve certainly heard of his name, meaning he must’ve been a big character! He certainly sounds it – if you can’t read the article below (sorry, if it’s too small!) it describes him as “a very tame and greedy reindeer who certainly isn’t shy and took to harness like a duck to water”. He went on to live to 10 years old, a fair age for a male reindeer.
Shekel was a very handsome fella!Extract from the October 2005 newsletter.
This October’s ‘featured reindeer’ is (…spoiler alert!…) an old boy called Stenoa, born in 2012. He’s a strong, well-built lad and always one of the first on the feed line. In his day he was a steady sleigh puller but now is enjoying retirement! I never met Shekel, so can’t be sure, but they both sound fairly similar to me!
Stenoa looking handsome in 2021.
The next article made me laugh as not much has changed at all. I’d say the only differences these days is that we no longer do a big tour of the whole of the UK, mostly just staying much closer to home in Scotland. And of course, we no longer use a “local phone book” to find a telephone number we’re after! Otherwise, nothing has changed. We still use afternoons in the autumn to sleigh train our new recruits alongside the older boys who have done it lots before. In 2005 there were 10 reindeer to train, and I believe this year it’s a fairly similar number which will include Scoop, Calippo, Kulfi, Zoom, Kernel, Sherlock, Spartan and Morse.
A wee article all about sleigh training – something which happens to this day, in a very similar fashion!Poirot learning how to pull the sleigh in 2022 with Lisette at the front.
Another little article also made me smile about two reindeer called Mystery and Mystique. It says “150 reindeer and we know them all individually by name. That’s true… well nearly true because this year a strange reindeer turned up who none of us can put a name too.” Hopefully you’ll be able to read the article below but in a nutshell – a little female reindeer turned up who couldn’t be accounted for so was later named Mystique!
Another wee article all about two mysterious reindeer from October 2005.Mystique in September 2011.
Whilst I’ve been a reindeer herder over the past 8 years ish (on and off), I’ve not known this to happen as such, although there’s a few reindeer which certainly got us guessing as to their origins. In summer 2023 Andi was out checking the herd on the free range and discovered Brie with a calf. Huh?! We didn’t run her with a bull last autumn? That was a surprise! Bond turned up in the autumn of 2018 as a four month old calf without a mother. By process of elimination the herders worked out that his mother must have been Lairig, who sadly died in September 2018.
Bond in Autumn 2018 when he turned up without a mother (and any antlers!) – who do you belong to?!
It was very exciting as the new Reindeer Centre building and Paddocks were up and running. It was still ‘work in progress’ with still lots to do. The Exhibition was not ready for the visitors yet but four reindeer were in the Paddocks. Visitors were coming in to see them, the new shop and to go and see the reindeer up on the hill. The new Reindeer Centre building is so amazing and really nice. There is a staff room upstairs and an office downstairs and there is even a boot room for all our jackets, waterproofs and boots. The dogs aren’t allowed in normally so they stay behind in Reindeer House. I found my gold plaque on the outside of the building celebrating my Loch Swim which I was very excited about.
The new Centre back in February 2025.Emm’s plaque.
On my first morning, I did the Hill Trip with Ruth and Cameron but we missed all the excitement when, back at the Centre, Pip the reindeer jumped over a low rail in the Paddocks on to the board walk and escaped leaving her 9-month old calf Pukka behind! She ran out the visitor’s gate entrance, around Glenmore to Loch Morlich, through the campsite and back. Eventually Fiona and Amy caught her and brought her back and made the low rail bit higher to stop her escaping again. The next day with Fiona I took Pip and her calf Pukka from the Paddocks back to the herd on the Cairngorm free range. I led Pukka up the hill and Fiona led Pip. Ruth and Cameron had been to find the reindeer that morning and had just made it to the Hill Trip visit spot. We saw Pip and Morven have a fight with their antlers and were pushing each other to establish the pecking order. Fiona gave the reindeer their breakfast and then took Dante and Suebi off the free range for their turn in the Paddocks. It was a busy day on the mountain when we saw two ambulances going up the ski road, then an air ambulance helicopter was in the carpark. I later found out there were two Cairngorm Mountain Rescue call outs and rescues that day.
Emm with Pip and Pukka.
One of the days I got to go to Tilly’s farm and onto the second free range area. I went with Fiona and Lotti in Brenda the reindeer truck. On the way there, we were so lucky as we saw nine Black Grouse lekking by the side of the road. It was very exciting to see. We walked up and met Tilly who was on the quad bike and was calling down the free ranging reindeer who were there. The reindeer were surrounding the quad bike because of the bags of reindeer feed on it. We found Dr Seuss, LX, Clouseau and Morse and Fiona and Lotti walked them off the hill as we were taking them back to the Paddocks for another reindeer swap. I fed the reindeer with Tilly. Me and Tilly went further up on the hill on the quad bike to look for the other group of free ranging reindeer including Scully, my adopted reindeer. Tilly and I called and called but they didn’t come to our calls so Tilly said she would come up and find them to feed them later that day as me, Fiona and Lotti had to get back to the Reindeer Centre. Tilly drove the quad bike with me hanging on downhill back to the farm where we met Fiona, Lotti and the four reindeer. It was so exciting. We stopped off at Bothy Bakery and got ourselves some hot drinks and treats. When we got back to the Reindeer Centre, we put the four reindeer boys in the Paddocks and swapped them for Oatcake, Dante, Suebi and Mangetout who with Andi and Hen I took to the reindeer herd on the Cairngorm free range. I led Oatcake up. The reason for the swap was that the girls getting a bit feisty in the Paddocks and were fighting each other so we decided to get the boys into the Paddocks as they are more laid back.
Feeding reindeer from Tilly’s quadbike.Some of our lovely males enjoying themselves free ranging.
Whilst I was there this time, I had my windiest and rainiest Hill Trip ever. It was on the free range. People who had booked on to it had a choice not to go and get a refund or go in the Paddocks and children weren’t allowed on it because of the conditions on the hill. Eleven people turned up so Me, Hen and Cameron did the Hill Trip. Rain was pelting in my face and I was trying not to get blown over and got very wet. The reindeer were not bothered by it. They were all sitting down when we got to them. It was so wild that after the Hill Trip we left in one big group. Normally people can leave the reindeer in their own time. Also Hen and Cameron kept their talks short and Andi and Ben had brought the reindeer down closer to the car park than normal. We said we could go by the shelter building by the carpark after the Hill Trip if anyone had any more questions. We said to the visitors at the beginning if they set off with us and the weather got too much that they could go back down. Afterwards, in the Paddocks, I talked to people who couldn’t go up on the Hill Trip that day.
Sundae and Winnie behind.Pumpkin closest to camera, part of the free ranging herd.
A couple of days after that Hill Trip the weather got worse meaning one day when I was there that it was too dangerous to go and find the reindeer and do a Hill Trip so no one went out that day. We all did inside jobs that day.
On the Hill Trips, you get to meet lots of interesting people from all over the world and it is brilliant seeing their reactions when they get to meet the reindeer and when you answer their questions about the reindeer.
I did the hand feed talk most of the time, guiding the visitors on how to hand feed a reindeer correctly and make the most of it. One day after a Hill Trip, me, Lotti and Ruth chilled out with Winnie for a few minutes. I had a selfie with them. When we got back to the Reindeer Centre, a visitor gave us all a chocolate bar each to say thank you for taking them to see the reindeer. It was very kind and thoughtful of them. On a Hill Trip, I saw Torch licking her 9 month old calf called Cappuccino which was very cute.
Emm, Ruth, Winnie and Lotti.Torch and Cappuccino.
There was one very exciting trip a few days later when I went to find the reindeer with Ruth to bring them down to the visit spot. We walked up a very steep bit which was 935m high (the highest I have ever been in the Cairngorm Mountains) and also a different part which I have never been too. We found the reindeer up very high chilling and sitting down. Meanwhile Lotti went to the visit spot that day to drop off the food bags for the reindeer’s breakfast and started to climb up a high ridge to meet us. Ruth started leading the herd with a hand feed bag whilst I was the sheep dog at the back. We went down a bit towards a gully that we would have crossed. When we got to the gully, Ruth stopped and said there were snow bridges across the gully which were too dangerous to cross. Ruth and Lotti radioed each other to say the best plan would take the reindeer to a different visit spot so Ruth and I took the reindeer back on ourselves and went down the mountain a different way. The reindeer were a bit confused as we had changed direction. Lotti could see Ruth and me moving the reindeer from the ridge she was on. Ruth was about 200m ahead of me whilst I was at the back being a sheep dog encouraging them to move and stay together as a herd. Winnie walked part of the way with me by my side and she also walked part of the way by Ruth’s side too. I saw a white mountain hare run very fast past me going up the mountain. There were some snow patches which we had to cross and it was so lovely seeing the reindeer on the snow patches and I could even hear them crunching the snow when they walked across them. We met Lotti at the new visit spot. The Hill Trip had set off so we waited till Andi and Hen had got up to us with the visitors. Whilst we waited for them, we chilled with the reindeer. I then stayed for the Hill Trip with Andi and Hen. Me and Hen gave them their breakfast whilst Andi talked to the visitors and we did the Hill Trip. This day felt like one of my biggest achievements and I was so proud of myself. Ruth recorded the walk on Strava. I got a very special reindeer herding badge for it too.
Ruth and Emm after a successful free ranging mission. Walking behind the herd of free rangers.
On other days I did inside jobs in the Reindeer Centre. I swept and hoovered with Henry the hoover the office, hall, shop, staff room and boot room. I cleaned and wiped the shop shelves. I helped Andi set up shelves in the staff room and move boxes. I helped Lotti measure for a sofa bed in the staff room. A few days later, Amy went to get it and I helped push it into place in the staff room. I made up the adoption gift packs up too which was a pen, a magnet and a pencil case. I made up the 1st adoption packs which includes certificates, leaflets, ID cards, letters etc., folded the Paddock information sheets which the visitors can have when they go into the Paddocks and cut out the Cairngorm Reindeer Flag stickers.
Other jobs included feed mixing in the cement mixer and made up the hand feed. I also tidied up the welly area, washed the wellies and swept the outside sheltered area. My mum always said I never do these jobs at home!
Some mornings, I let the Paddock reindeer through to the display area for their breakfast and made sure their water bowls were topped up. In the evenings, I let the Paddock reindeer through to the bigger nighttime enclosure in the woods for their tea. I also poo picked in the Paddocks. I talked to people in the Paddocks too about reindeer.
I said bye to Lisette as she was leaving but she is looking forward to coming back to visit.
I am really looking forward to my next trip in October 2025 and am counting down the days.
I’ve worked with the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd as cover staff since 2019, coming and going, never staying more than a couple of months. This year I finally joined the team as permanent staff, so I wanted to commemorate my little journey to becoming a full-time reindeer herder.
I first encountered the reindeer in April 2018 as a visitor on a Hill Trip. We had the wonderful Sheena as our guide. Standing in the snowy mountains, watching the herd mill around us, I fell completely in love with it all.
Meeting Oatcake on my first visit in 2018.A young Dr Seuss in 2018.
After visiting a few times that summer, I asked about work. The next spring, the team were kind enough to have me along for a trial day. There was just one snag… My partner had just been offered a very exciting job at the opposite end of the country. We relocated from Scotland to the South-West.
I spent the summer of 2019 travelling up and down the length of the country to do cover work with the herd. My standout memory from that summer was a day out on the free-range. A cow with a little calf appeared on the plateau – Hobnob and Minsk.
Minsk on the free-range as a calf, 2019.The herd on the move in the enclosure, 2019.
My plans to return in 2020 were a bust due to Covid, so when 2021 arrived I was desperate to get back. I signed up to a solid two months of work over the summer and ended up living in my tent. It was such a rainy summer, and the old tent slowly accumulated duct tape to keep me dry and cosy. A solid two months of work really helped me build confidence.
Relaxing with Dr Seuss, 2021.Emmental
In 2022 I was completing an ecology qualification and needed a field project. I took a break from herding and spent several weeks researching instead. I surveyed ticks in the enclosure and over at the farm. These parasites are a big issue for the herd due to the diseases they carry. I spent my summer following my GPS unit to random coordinates around the enclosure to conduct my survey, exploring all the secret nooks and crannies.
Lupin inspecting my wind speed metre in 2022.A tick sampling transect on Silver Mount, 2022.
When I arrived in May 2023, I had just missed the birth of the last calf. There was still plenty of calf action though, as we ended up with two hand-reared calves – Winnie and Alba. In early June we walked the cows and calves out onto the free-range. It was such a beautiful evening that I had a bit of a realisation… I really didn’t want to leave. This set the wheels in motion for us to move back to Scotland.
With Winnie and Alba in the woods, 2023.Walking Cows and Calves onto the free-range, June 2023.
April/May 2024 was my first proper calving season, getting out and looking for cows and their new-born calves around the enclosure. I was house hunting in the area on my days off. Slowly, everything fell into place. By September we’d found a house, and I also got my first proper experience of working during the rut. When I left, it was so exciting to think that when I finally returned to Scotland it would be for good.
Catching a calf in 2024.Moving the herd of the free-range, 2024.
2025 kicked off with two big moves! Me and my husband moved cross-country again, and the Reindeer Centre moved into the new building! I came back for some cover work in March, and in April I finally joined as permanent staff. No looking back now!
Moving the herd on a snowy morning, March 2025.Winnie and Alba, all grown up, 2025.
It was 2022 I think, when I found a book in a local Waterstone’s in Kent entitled ‘An Arctic Life’ by Tilly Smith. At that point I had a road trip with my dog planned for the Cairngorms and fancied a book for the trip based in the area. I wasn’t aware that reindeer were free-roaming in the mountains, or that a wild herd had even been reintroduced to the UK (as a conservation student back then – shame on me!).
The book was so fascinating I read it twice! (And I’m not just saying that because the author is now my boss…) It was so interesting learning about a species reintroduction project that had been done in a way that still needed hands on husbandry management. I knew I wanted to learn more about how the herd was cared for, and the impact the reintroduced reindeer had had on the ecosystem.
In 2024 I left previous my job and took some time out road tripping Europe and the UK – and was lucky enough to see reindeer throughout North Norway and Finland! My interest in reindeer had grown and as soon as I got back home, I emailed the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre and asked if I could volunteer.
Reindeer roaming the roads in Norway.
In May this year, I set off in my van for Glenmore to volunteer for a week with the herd. I was so excited and couldn’t wait to learn about the reindeer and experience how they lived within the mountains. Any expectations I had in coming here where well and truly surpassed.
For anyone who’s been to Glenmore, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about, and for those of you yet to travel here you’ll have to put up with my description that does not do justice to the breath taking beauty of the hills and mountains. The views of the rolling landscape went on for as far as I could see, and everyday I spent up on the hill with the reindeer I couldn’t believe how amazing it looked. The pine trees descended the hill towards Loch Morlich, and the beautiful hills rose up again the other side. The reindeer stood amongst the heather, their winter coats still hanging on and the purples and greens of the plant life framing them so perfectly. It felt like a real pinch me moment, and every day I was full of mixed emotions knowing that while I was loving every minute of each day, I was going to have to leave.
Having had an incredible week learning about these amazing animals, getting to know a few individuals by name, gaining experience in working with the reindeer, and having met the loveliest and most welcoming group of people I had ever experienced in a workplace – I knew I had to find a way to stay!
Sending cows and calves out to free range during my week as a volunteer.
I can’t have been completely useless, because two months later I was packing up my camper and my dog and I set off on the 600-mile journey to move to Glenmore! I was full of excitement the entire build up to the move, trying to remember all the reindeer IDs I had managed to learn while I’d been volunteering, the different morning tasks I had done, the information I had learned – all so I could hit the ground running and hopefully continue to not be completely useless. (My first incredible sights of the reindeer again quickly dispelled any hope in identifying anyone as I took in all their identical deep brown summer coats!)
It has now been almost a whole month since moving to the mountains and becoming a reindeer herder, and I can quite confidently say this is the best decision I have ever made. Not just because the reindeer are amazing, and the people fantastically welcoming and have made it feel like I’ve been apart of the team for ages, but because for the first time (maybe ever – not to be too dramatic), I feel completely at peace. Exploring the mountains with my dog on my days off, anticipating the excitement of being back at work and seeing the reindeer, and my fast-paced days as a herder filled with reindeer related tasks. My mind is clear with fresh mountain air and only thoughts of reindeer and where to hike next!
Making friends with Cornetto.
It’s so exciting to have every day filled with learning new information and skills, getting to take visitors up to the reindeer in the hill enclosure and talk to them about how fantastic these animals are, and to stop and take in how unbelievably lucky and grateful I am to have this job and call this place home.
Can never spend enough time with reindeer.
The highlight of my month so far has to be the first time I saw reindeer out free ranging in the mountains – six cows and a calf wandering through some heather. I walked a little way down to the path alone, equipped with a small bag of hand feed, and called to them. To my absolute delight (and relief as I had members of the public watching me) they immediately came over to me at quite some speed. With the occasional stop to hand feed the leader and the odd call, I lead them through the heather towards the river in the hope of walking them back into the enclosure. I got them quite far before a steep descent of a hill put them off following me any further, and as I stood below them looking up at the reindeer silhouetted by the sun, I had a chuckle to myself that I was getting paid to do this!
Herding reindeer solo on the free range – Emmental closest to camera.
The reindeer finally made it back into the enclosure after quite a lot of tempting, calling, and encouragement with head collars (oh yeah – and my colleague Cam turning up and doing most of the work with his years of experience to my three weeks! Thanks Cam), and I really felt like a reindeer herder.
September is a beautiful time of year. We’ve had the first snow on the plateau and lovely autumnal sunny days. The odd soggy day too, of course! The reindeer look fantastic with fully grown antlers and fresh winter coats growing through.
We’ve been doing lots of free range missions to bring in the cows and their calves which is always fun. The bulls and cows have been stripping the velvet and getting a wee bit more feisty and hormonal in preparation for the upcoming rut. We split the first bull, Choc-ice, with a small group of girls on the 22nd – exciting times!
The calves have also been given a name but as always we don’t post any names online until our adopters have their newsletters. Maybe by next month’s photo blog!
1st of September: Cheer and her daughter Chai in the background. 1st of September: The time of year when the bulls start stripping the velvet. Here is two-year-old Limpopo looking very handsome. 3rd of September: Emmental and her calf back in the enclosure after a summer of free ranging. 3rd of September: A family portrait! Irish, his wee sister, and his mum, Helsinki. Since Helsinki has been back in our enclosure, one-year-old Irish has become rather attached to his mum again! Helsinki is very tolerant and shares her pile of food with her teenage son. 4th of September: Bordeaux and her son. These two didn’t come in for their breakfast so I got a lovely walk up Silver Mount to find them and return them to the herd. Both were completely fine and clearly just having a lie-in. 4th of September: Elbe, a twin, is looking phenomenal! He’s two years old and has a really lovely nature! We’re all very fond of him. 4th of September: Peanut’s male calf is looking great and is already quite tame. 4th of September: Two freckly white noses trying to get into the hand feed bag. Sundae on the left and Beanie on the right. 9th of September: The calves in the enclosure have quickly learnt what’s in the bags! They get allowed to feed directly from the bags which encourages them to be tamer and so they can get some extra mouthfuls without a bigger reindeer stealing it from them. Zoom and Choc-ice are circling the bags like piranhas! 10th of September: One of our gorgeous calves. This wee one belongs to Hopscotch. 10th of September: Glacée and her daughter. She’s done so well as a first time mum!11th of September: Lotti and Kate feeding the herd. 11th of September: Moving some of our free rangers from outside the cafe on Cairngorm Mountain! Sunflower, Fika and Solero are the three closest to camera. Fika and Solero are stripping the velvet from their antlers. 15th of September: Old girl Ryvita on a very soggy day. She’s now back out free ranging but came into the enclosure for a few days for a health check and vaccination. She’s looking great for 16!16th of September: Brie posing beautifully on a lovely autumnal morning. 16th of September: The calves are allowed to feed from the bags before we put it out on the ground for everyone else. You can see the older reindeer lurking around the edge and Cameron and Kate on guard duty!17th of September: Amazon is now two years old. Her mum Dante is just behind. 17th of September: Christie has done it again! She looks phenomenal and has produced yet another lovely, chilled-out wee dude!18th of September: Jimmy looking very handsome.22nd of September: Winnie looking gorgeous in the beautiful autumnal light! She was hand reared in 2023 and has come back into the hill enclosure after almost a year out free ranging looking amazing!23rd of September: Morven and her calf. Both have ridiculous antlers!24th of September: Marple and calf. Her calf has turned into a greedy food monster!26th of September: After a week in our Paddocks Dr Seuss is now back in the hill enclosure ready for the 11am Hill Trip and hand feeding!
This summer I have had a lovely spell of catching up with our cows and calves out on the free range. After missing both of the nights that we lead the cows and calves out onto the free range a small group decided that I couldn’t miss out and were found loitering outside the hill enclosure the following morning, it was a glorious morning to be moving reindeer and allowed me to spend some time with the group before they went to higher ground.
Thankfully for Amy the second batch of cows and calves to leave the enclosure didn’t go far and she was able to go catch up with them the following day just outside the hill enclosure.
My first trip out to see the free rangers was at the end of July, heading to an area that the herd frequent through the summer; this is an area of the hill that I’ve heard a lot about, but hadn’t seen it first-hand. After a bit of a slog going up hill due to the heat, the temperature began to decrease, it became windier and a whole lot more comfortable (no wonder the reindeer like the top of the hills!) after a short period of time I stumbled across a group of cows and calves and began to identify them. I would say this is the most overwhelming part of heading out onto the free range as you want to try and document as much as possible so we can keep track of who we have seen and also take lots of pictures and videos to reference in the future. We are also trying to make it around the group to see what condition they are in and see if everyone is well in themselves, since the summer is when there can be long spells between us catching up with the females. I have included a few pictures of some of the girls that I caught up with on this trip. Due to the time of the year, they’re very scruffy as they are moulting out of their winter coat still and I could already see some impressive antlers. As I was enjoying my time with the herd, another group of older girls joined us – at a distance. Even at that distance you can see how epic Spy’s antlers are.
Cheer and Chai – mother and yearling daughter still hanging out together.Vienna and Scully – still looking rather scruffy but you can see their smart summer coats beneath the tatty old winter coat.Tap’s calf closest to the camera.Beret’s calf, much paler than Tap’s above, showing the variety in coat colour.Marple having a good summer and growing her usual lovely antlers.Spy on the skyline – even at a distance her antlers look epic!
I am continuingly amazed at how much the reindeer move around on the free range and it definitely becomes more apparent during the summer; we can head out to different areas on the free range and still come across the same reindeer. Just over a week later, I went back out onto the free range and caught up with a smaller group of cows and calves (on another warm day, much to my dismay), but having these warmer spells means that you can almost guarantee that the reindeer will be higher up and lazing around rather than travelling great distances; making my life easier. It was a mixed group of reindeer I had seen the previous trip and some other cows that I hadn’t seen since they had gone out on to the free range, which was lovely as I could appreciate how the calves had changed in the week or so since I had last seen them.
Marple and calf a week or so later – you can see how much Marple has moulted in that time.Brew – a cheeky yearling.
