This May I returned to the Cairngorms as a volunteer for the second time, drawn by the potential for beautiful weather and the prospect of tiny hoof prints. Whilst there is so much I could tell you about my week, with every single day being amazing, I think there’s one day that might stay in my mind for a while.
The day before, with the free rangers.
The day began with a trip up the hill with Lotti, Daisy and Maisy (the herders have such beautiful names!). Lotti and Maisy went to check on the latest arrival, a sweet little boy calf whose identity is currently protected to allow for more formal announcements to expectant adopters.
Daisy and I went on to do a full inventory of the herd in the enclosure. This involved some facial recognition (no apps involved, just the catalogue held in Daisy’s head) and then some ear tag number checking and ticking off against the list held in the office.
Why is this done? Well, at this time of year any of the herd that has decided to go solo is likely to be a Mum-to-be and may either be ‘faffing’ (which when witnessed is just like it sounds… that day you spend getting nothing done because you just can’t settle) or might be with calf in a remote corner of the enclosure.
After identifying the location of all the herd, including a faffer in the distance, Daisy and I went into the area where Lotti and Maisy were with the newborn, as the decision had been made to move them into their own space for a little while. Now, this might sound simple but moving a worried mum and a very teeny wobbly thing with back legs that seem almost twice the length of its front legs is not an easy task. It took 4 of us… although I was mainly the emotional and photographic support.
There was a very steep hill to climb and little baby needed a little help, whilst mum was constantly checking, encouraging and teaching. There were multiple suckling stops, an occasional poop on baby’s head and lots of encouraging grunting. Daisy’s back must have hurt as she had to pick up baby on the steepest parts of the epic journey but keep the calf in sight of mother at all times, which meant adopting a stooped position and walking in the side eyeline of the adult reindeer.
Daisy with the calf. Keeping the calf only a few inches off the ground ensures the mum can always see her baby.
At one point the previous year’s calf came to chat with mum, a slightly heart wrenching moment as we all realised that the yearling must now become independent and was nuzzled out of the way to make room for the new baby.
When we got to the final destination, we all stood back to watch mother and baby and, after a quick lick of all crucial parts, baby was settled down for a rest with mum guarding him. She was such a good mum!
And so we returned to Reindeer House for a cuppa.
I then spent a little time helping mix feed, checking on the paddock, watering some newly laid turf which the 3 boys in the paddock were greedily eyeing, and sweeping the inside and outside of the centre. I checked Santa’s Bothy but he was still out….
After lunch I went with Kate and Maisy to help with the afternoon Hill Trip – a great bunch of people who told me of their road trip plans and experiences whilst I helped identify reindeer and shared the few facts I have picked up.
Whilst Kate was talking to the group, one of a nearby female reindeer’s antlers popped off in front of us all! And a few minutes later one of our visitors found another antler, but not from the same cow. This casting of antlers happens when the females are pregnant and no longer have to fight off the advances of the males. We put the antlers safely in the rucksack as sometimes adopters like to buy them.
A bag full of antlers.
We then laid out a little feed to supplement the natural feed for the new mums, which is done from a distance so as not to disturb them and their calves too much, though we did check that each little calf was standing or chose to stand while we observed.
On our way back to reindeer house we drove up towards the Cairngorm Mountain Railway car park to check on the free ranging reindeer. Lotti and I had moved them away from that area the day before, down the valley quite a distance. They had seemed happy to follow us and stay there at the time. But guess who we found crossing the road? It seems the new grass covered with salt on the verges is as tempting to a reindeer as a salty snack is to us!
Out of the van we jumped. The strategy formed was to move them upwards this time. Maisy (part mountain goat I suspect) was sent up the steep rock face to call from above, whilst Kate encouraged the herd to move out of the road.
Kate directing the reindeer traffic.
I was sent to the bend in the road to slow down and explain what was happening to oncoming traffic. “Yes, we came to watch!” was one of the responses, with most people intrigued or happy to drive slowly past and take some good holiday snaps. The free rangers weren’t being entirely cooperative and soon Daisy and Sheena came to help, with a chain of herders up the hill calling and persuading.
Maisy and Daisy are up there somewhere.
When at last the final reindeer was moved safely onwards, Sheena took our photo in the middle of the clear road until we were surprised by a camper van rounding the corner, and scattered, giggling.
Our Abbey Road style moments.
That evening, straight after work, Daisy took me for a walk with her dogs on the banks of Loch Morlich. It was a stunning evening and showed off the beautiful surroundings that Daisy is incredibly proud to live and work in.
Loch Morlich as the sun was slowly going down.
In fact Daisy had to use her fire prevention knowledge to help put out a fire that had been made illegally that afternoon and it was clear how much she cared that her local area was not put at risk. Seeing the beauty of the woodland, and experiencing the peace of the beach by the loch, I understood completely.
Editor’s Note: Sorry to hijack your blog Kathy… This wonderful blog was written back in May, before the horrific wildfire that hit Glenmore in July. It goes to show how important this bylaw is. It’s wonderful to share the reindeer’s home with so many people that love and respect the outdoors – so please help us protect it in future.
Echo and Asta go for a paddle.
We met Maisy on our way back and stopped at the Pine Marten bar for some refreshments and much needed sustenance. While the others had soft drinks, I wanted to try a local ale which went well with a very good burger with fries (my salty snack of choice)! We chatted about the day of adventure and reminisced about road trips to lands of northern lights and reindeer.
Feeling thoroughly contented, I took a small detour on my way back to my lodgings, popping up to the top to look at the sunset over the loch. And who should I see on my way up? A small group of salty snackers at the side of a car park, watched by a lady from Germany who looked at me with tear filled eyes and said “It’s just magical!”
And I agree. What a day. What a week. I can’t wait till next year….
I’m on a roll with writing blogs about some of our lovely older lassies born in 2012. This time it’s time to put Diamond in the spot light!
Diamond is well known to be one of the sweetest-natured reindeer in the entire herd. She gets a wee name check in a couple of blogs for being so lovely – see here and here!
She’s only had one calf in her entire life, a notoriously bossy reindeer, called Pagan who was born in 2016. Pagan was the exact opposite to Diamond, in both character and looks! Diamond is a beautiful silvery coloured reindeer, and Pagan was ‘normal coloured’ with big bulging eyes and tones of attitude!
Diamond was found on the free range in April 2019 with an incredibly lame left fore. Vets diagnosed nerve damage and it’s left her with a permanent limp. She’s in no pain and gets around incredibly well, using her leg like a crutch. For this reason we have never run Diamond with a bull again as we don’t want her to carry any unnecessary weight on her leg.
Pagan sadly passed away very suddenly in spring 2023, however she has several calves herself and therefore Diamond’s legacy continues with her grandcalves – Pumpkin (6), Zap (4) and Winnie (3) and great-grandcalf Lapsang (2). Hopefully there will be several new additions to the family line this spring too – exciting!
This blog is full of photos of encounters I’ve had with Diamond over the last 5 or so years, including one rescue mission! Some members of her family also feature.
2021
Diamond enjoying herself on the free range in August 2021.Diamond in September 2021 after stripping the velvet from her lovely antlers.Diamond in October 2021 after very recently casting an antler. Don’t worry, this is a completely natural process, she won’t be in pain, despite the wee bit of blood you can see.
2022
Chelsea on the right, Diamond’s mum, in January 2022. She was also a beautiful pale colour, similar in colour to Diamond.Diamond in April 2022. She’s just beginning to grow her new antlers and is looking very pale – her old winter coat has bleached to make her look even paler than usual.
On one memorable occasion Harry and I were eating breakfast at Reindeer House before work and got a phone call from the lovely staff on Cairngorm Mountain reporting a reindeer with netting stuck in their antlers. We jumped in the Land Rover and drove up to Mid Station where we were directed to the reindeer in question. All the way up we were talking about the reindeer we would least like it to be – Sod’s law it would be one of the small number of fiesty or uncatchable girls we have in the herd! We both breathed a huge sigh of relief when we saw it was the lovely Diamond. She was very pleased to see us, came straight over, ate out of the hand feed bag whilst we were able to cut her free. She had damaged her velvet a little bit so we put some antibiotic blue spray on any potential sore bits, gave her a good pile of food and left her to it! Thankfully things like this happen very rarely.
3rd of August 2022: Harry cutting the netting of Diamond’s antlers whiilst she enjoyed a good feed.Diamond sporting blue antlers – we applied an antibioic spray to the velvet to prevent any future infection. We let her off and she looked like nothing had happened, she remained out free ranging enjoying the hills.17th of August 2022: I was lucky enough to bump into Diamond again just a couple of weeks after our ‘rescue mission’ she looked fantastic and was in a small herd of other females.
2023
Diamond in May 2023 growing a new set of antlers.
Another story I have of finding Diamond on the free range is from July 2023. Cameron and I went up to see if we could find any reindeer. We did, just one, the beautiful Diamond! She was by herself which is slightly unusual for a reindeer as they are a herd animal but she seemed absolutely fine. As an older reindeer who knows the hills incredibly well Cameron and I were in no way worried about her and instead just enjoyed her company. We offered her a little bit of food and as soon as she realised we were reindeer herders she joined us on our walk. We were on our way back home so she followed us for a good couple of miles. We got some funny looks as we strolled past hill walkers who were doing double takes at our four-legged friend! When we were close to home and the footpath was getting busier with people and potentially dogs, we wandered to a nice quiet spot and left her to it with a big pile of food. What a sweetie! It is probably one of my favourite free range reindeer moments ever.
Cameron and Diamond joining us on our walk. She looks scruffy as she’s still moulting. Myself, Diamond and Cam stopping mid-walk for a wee selfie!September 2023 – Diamond free ranging in the hills, this time in a big group of other female reindeer (Mochi is on the left). Diamond is part way through stripping the velvet from the bony antlers beneath.Diamond the month later having stripped the velvet off her antlers pretty much completely.
2024
Shockingly, I don’t seem to have many photos of Diamond that I have taken myself over the last two years. So these are some I’ve nicked from other herders, and more that I’ve taken of her family members.
Andi found Diamond in a big herd, enjoying herself on the free range in July 2024 – again looking a bit scruffy as she’s mid-moult. She as beautiful as ever though!Diamond looking fantastic in September 2024. She’s obviously had a good summer as she looks very round! Pumpkin in October 2024 – Diamond’s granddaughter. Pumpkin has bags of attitude and often tells us off by waving her antlers at us if we walk too close to her.
2025
Winnie in March 2025, Diamond’s granddaughter, is so far also very sweet and much more like her granny in character than her mum Pagan, or sister Pumpkin. Time will tell if this remains the same!Lotti caught up with Diamond in July 2025. Sweet as ever, and ever hopeful for food!
2026
Diamond in February 2026 free ranging in the hills. Photo by Cameron. Scoop behind – still with his antlers!!Diamond’s family tree features on one of our brand new touch screens in the new Exhibition so you can come and learn all about her family.There’s the pretty lass on the touch screen for all to see!
I am the youngest Scottish reindeer herder. Although many people think I’m older than I really am and it happens on a regular basis. I’m either on a hill trip or doing a paddock talk and there is always someone asking me, “how did you end up being a reindeer herder?” When I give people my answer I often hear a gasp. “What, you’re still in school?!.” Yes I am, and only 2 years left then I’ll be free (Im counting down the days practically). Another question always follows this: what are you doing after school? I dunno, I’ll figure it out but I know one thing I ain’t sitting at a desk for ten hours a day. The reindeer herders have learnt that I ain’t sitting still.
Maisy feeding the herd during a snowy start to 2026.
Although most people are surprised about my age of only being 16, and are really interested in how I have such an interest in reindeer and the hills, the majority of the people I meet are supportive. But you’re always going to have a couple of people who treat you differently when they find out I’m at school still. I get a bit disappointed when people treat me differently after I tell them because all of a sudden there is a switch, “oh you do something so cool, but I still know better than you”. I do sometimes find it can be a struggle being young in a professional environment – but I enjoy this. I get a chance to show poeple my knowledge and it helps me build confidence.
Maisy and Winnie both enjoying the sunshine!
At first hanging out with the reindeer I was just an extra pair of hands carrying feed onto the hill and maybe chatting to a couple of visitors on the hill trips. I was nervous, only 13 and had no experience of talking to big groups of people with no knowledge of reindeer. Now I can easily chat to 50+ people because I now have a love for reindeer. I want to get everyone else to know all their fun facts to know why the herders are here and how important reindeer are to the Cairngorms ecosystem. However, saying this I still will not do a presentation in school! Reindeer I can talk all day about, but in other areas I’m still working on my confidence.
Dante and Disco relaxing out in the hills during this years free range season, during one of Maisy’s many long hikes out to see them.
A strong memory I have of the first time I talked in front of 20 people was in horrible weather with Joe. Joe asked me to talk about handfeeding but I did it only because I wanted to get off the hill and back to the centre as soon as possible! I’m glad for it now – sometimes you just need a little push out your comfort zone to see what you can do.
Reindeer have grown my confidence from now being able to talk to lots of people, work in the shop, give paddock talks, and even answer the phone… The thing I really don’t like is answering the phone! Mainly because you never know what you’re going to be asked on the other side. If it’s anything to do with officey things or on the computers I have no answer. There is always me handing the phone across the room when it’s ringing. If someone is busy in the shop however and only me to answer I have the dreaded task of answering. Slowly getting there but I am still not a fan.
Maisy feeding Cheer and Chai in August 2025 during a hike – Maisy always makes sure her backpack has all the neccassary gear for finding reindeer!
It is obvious that reindeer herding has boosted my confidence massively and I’m slowly gaining more responsibility and trust with the herders. At first I was just an extra person on a hill trip but now I get to help with the talks and help run them.
Amazon looking her absolute best on a morning free range mission in April!
In school they know I hang out with reindeer. This year I had the delight of giving my English teacher a 15 minute talk about The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd. Fun fact, my English teacher even taught Fiona… For my national 5 geography assignment I looked at how reindeer affect the vegetation cover and the different species of vegetation where there is a change in population of riendeer. My results showed that reindeer are creating more diversity of plant species. (If you want the results email us and I can send them over.) By doing this project it also meant I spent a few hours roaming on the hills. However it was revolting weather with no visablity whatsoever but it was still fun!
Morris helping Maisy with her studies of the vegetation growing along the top ridge of the Hill Enclosure.
A favourite memory of mine… In the summer on a Friday afternoon off the school bus, I was tying my shoelaces about to go for a run up Meall a’ Bhuachaille with Froach when Hen answers the phone from Amy saying she’s found some reindeer in Glenfeshie. Hen looked at me, “Maisy, what are you up to this afternoon?” There I was forgetting about Fraoch and my run and off we went up Glenfeshie to go find some calves and Amy. Not a bad Friday afternoon!
Lochi resting on a sunny day out in the hills. Maisy sitting with Winnie and Alba out in the hills after a free-range trip.
It took me a while to get used to being comfortable around the reindeer just because they are animals and I was still unsure of what their next steps were going to be. However now a few years down the line I’m comfortable with having reindeer brush up against me and try to calm a situation. From working with the reindeer my confidence has boosted and people in my life outside of reindeer can see that. This year was my first proper calving with working a lot more often during the weekend and my study leave. The calves are such sweeeties!
One of the first calves I met this year and my jaw dropped when I saw this guy. This is Texels calf and is just the sweetest little thing.
I think young people should get the chance to work outside with animals and in the outdoors more as so many young people are not getting opportunities to try many varied environments of work. I have found my own self confidence and knowing many young people struggle with this, it would benefit many. Working with reindeer has made me realize that I’m never going to want to get an inside office job mainly because I would probably explode if I were to sit still for 8 hours a day! I know there are lots of young people just like me that are meant for outdoor jobs and volunteering and working with animals gives you a chance to explore that. I’m also grateful for the resposibility and to find a group of people with interests just like mine. Sometimes you just find the right place where you belong!
Cameron, Sheena, Lotti, Daisy, Echo, Amy, and Maisy – Christmas Fun Crew, 2025!
Daisy: It was morning briefing in mid April and we were contacted to inform us the reindeer had moved right up onto the mountain plateau not too far from Ptarmigan Station. This was going to be a pretty long walk for us to make it up to the reindeer, find them in some pretty interesting conditions, and then herd them down off the mountains to one of our free range visit spots. Thankfully, Cairngorm Mountain staff came to the rescue!
Andi: A quick phone call to Cairngorm Mountain and they were happy to help us with a ride up on the shiny Funicular Railway – a unique scenic ride which is a destination in itself. For us, this would save us around an hour of uphill walking in blizzard conditions, and made the difference between needing to abandon our Hill Trip plans (with lots of hopeful visitors already booked) and hopefully managing to retrieve our reindeer in time for everyone to enjoy meeting them.
Thank you so much to the Cairngorm Mountain staff who let us hitch a ride on the Funicular to the top of the mountain!
Daisy: It certainly felt like setting off on an expedition that morning with Andi. We had all our gear on, map and compass in our bags alongside lots of reindeer food, and jumped on the mountain railway. A really cool way to start off a herding trip for the day! I actually had never riden the train up the mountain before so we grabbed a front spot and watched the snow get deeper and the visibility worse.
Andi: Travelling from Glenmore, where it felt like spring, to the ski car park, where it was cold and wintry with a little snow, it felt like we were going to a different world as the train took us into the cloud and the weather closed in. Definitely a day where knowing that you have a storm shelter in the bag is reassuring!
Daisy: As soon as we stepped out of Ptarmigan, we were hit by a pleasant enough breeze carrying some of the snow down the mountain. I pulled my microspikes onto my boots and my ski goggles over my eyes, and followed Andi along a snow fence and up away from the restaurant and Cairngorm summit. A few patches of deeper snow to stumble through, and a lot of frozen ground and sheets of ice that made for nice walking with the spikes on. We crossed past the final lift before the plateau and set off into a frozen, snowy, rocky landscape with little to no visibility. It’s funny to think how many people wander the plateau and hike these beautiful mountains throughout the year, because in that moment it was like we were the first people to explore what felt like a different planet.
Andi: Whilst I’m pretty familiar with our local mountains, having pottered around after reindeer for the past 15 years, it is a whole different ball-game in a blizzard. Visibility was between 10 and 30 metres, and it is so easy to see how people get completely disorientated. It takes a lesson in trust to believe the compass bearing when your brain can play tricks on you, making you think you’re heading in the opposite direction.
All smiles navigating to the reindeer in white out conditions on the Cairngorm Plateau.
Daisy: We used a combination of a good old trusty compass and Google Maps to navigate through the white out. Despite the freezing temperatures and snow that was blowing up off the ground, we were actually nice and toasty in very excited high spirits the entire time. Looking at the satellite imagery on Google Maps of roughly where we knew they were, I made up names for all the features I couldn’t see in front of me, and was probably really reassuring to Andi when I kept repeating “the reindeer should be at the bottom of the orange segment just in front of us”.
Andi: Between Daisy using the tech to pinpoint where the reindeer should be, and me keeping us on a compass bearing with the old-school methods, it felt like we had a plan! It was reassuring having two brains on it, keeping each other right and cross-referencing to ensure we were on track. Most of our reindeer herding is not done in a white-out, so it was a fun challenge to be testing out our nav skills.
We found the herd! (Trust us, they are in the photo…)
Daisy: We came to a stop and scanned the landscape, the reindeer should have been metres from us at that point. Then like magic, some cloud lifted and Andi pointed off into the distance: “Reindeer!”. There they were, 73 reindeer hunkering down on a hill edge. Several cheers followed as we dug our spikes in to descend a small ice sheet to get to them.
Andi: I was glad to have a fair bit of experience picking out a herd of reindeer on a hillside, as their camo was excellent, but something in the shape/shade of these particular bumps ticked the box of not just being rocks! It felt like such a prize to have managed to follow our bearings directly to them.
Can you spot the reindeer? The hard part’s over right?…
Daisy: It was my first time seeing how effective a reindeer’s coat is against heavy snow and winds and it was amazing to see the snow piling up against them. As I got nearer and walked around the back of the herd to encourage them up, I could see just how cold it must have got overnight with all the frozen snow and ice on them – not bothering them at all!
Andi: It amuses me how reindeer are so blase about weather, actively choosing to wander up to exposed ridges in the worst of conditions. There is actually method in their madness, as wind will blow snow off the ridgeline, meaning they have to dig less for food, and there is also less risk of getting stuck in a snow drift. But still!
Thanks to the hollow guard hairs that make up the outer layer of a reindeer’s coat, the snow doesn’t melt on them. This keeps them warm on mornings like this, lying in the snow at -4.
Daisy: With the herd up and already eager to follow Andi, we set off into the white to move the reindeer off the mountains and down to much lower ground. It wasn’t long before the winds started to pick up and throw quite a bit of snow at us. The herd stuck together really well and I got my first experience of how they stay together in low visibility. Usually they spread themselves out a fair bit when on the move, some will stop to graze and take their time – but in the harsh windy conditions and terrible visibility they were staying close as a herd the entire time.
Andi: The herd were in a very co-operative mood and as I set off in the right direction, shaking a bag of food, they all trotted after me. I tried to set a pace where the herd were close enough to me that I could still see Daisy, who was following at the back. It felt sensible to be able to keep an eye on each other!
The winds started to pick up as we got lower, here you can see gusts of snow blowing up from the ground and gusting into the herd.
Daisy: I’m glad that it was actually probably the easiest herding I’ve ever done, the reindeer wanting to get off the windy plateau as fast as we did. It gave me plenty of time for photos and to take in how amazing the experience was. Plus I was able to focus on my own struggles in the wind – like making sure I didn’t get blown over every 30 seconds!
Andi: As the wind buffeted us, humans and reindeer alike, I had to stop myself from feeling guilty that the reindeer were in these conditions, reminding myself that they had chosen to come up this high themselves!
Daisy was pushing the reindeer from the back, watching them disappear into the snowy winds ahead. As Daisy watched them disappear, Andi watched them steadily appear following her to lower ground.
Daisy: I was so grateful to be at the back! Apart from making sure I kept up with the herd, (which did involve the occasional sprint whenever they ran on ahead to regroup around Andi – slightly stressful as I’m much slower than a reindeer!) I at least didn’t have to worry about navigating. Andi had to lead 73 reindeer and one herder down off the mountains following just compass bearings!… I did not envy that task at all.
Andi: When fetching the herd, we generally take turns at either leading or pushing. Today Daisy had volunteered me to lead, as I knew the hills better than her so there was some theory that I would pick a good route. In reality, I’ve found it’s a case of heading in roughly the right direction, glancing back at which way the savvy reindeer are going, and repositioning yourself to be in front of them, which makes it look like you knew exactly what you were doing… The reality is that the reindeer spend their whole lives in these mountains and know them far better than any human. Once you have the herd on side, the job of leading becomes much more straightforward, though it is the first time I have brought reindeer in whilst using a compass!
The visibility continued to get worse, but thankfully Winnie (seen in the middle here) kept Daisy company at the back the whole way and made sure she didn’t get left behind!Andi leading the herd solely using compass bearings!!
Daisy: The further we got and the lower we started to descend, the higher the wind speed increased and the snow began to feel like needles being fired at us. I quickly lost any feeling in my face, and loved watching how the reindeer turned themselves into the wind, the cows with their calves sheltered alongside them. While I struggled to stay balanced on my feet and really starting to feel the cold bite – the reindeer were in their element! Sticking together as a herd and following the hoof prints of the reindeer in front of them.
Andi: Whilst the reindeer made it all look easy, the conditions were not so easy for us humans. As we began descending we encountered more deep banks of snow, which resulted in a couple of complete face plants for me! The look of confusion from the reindeer at how useless us two-legged-creatures are was pretty funny!
Andi’s view of the reindeer fighting against the wind gusts as we dropped off the plateau. The wind speed was gusting up to 72mph during our herding mission!
Daisy: We had finally made it low enough that the cloud cover began to lift and I could see all the recognisable land marks to suggest we had nearly made it! We had one last push over a steep bit of rocky ground that proved quite difficult to navigate in the high winds and deep snow – at this point I had stopped bothering with my count of how many times I’d fallen over in suprise patches of knee deep snow. The reindeer were even bracing the final harsh whips of wind for some lichen grazing! The last stretch to the visit spot they picked up pace downhill towards Andi and I watched as they swapped to a very wide gait in the way they were running. It looked pretty comical – their legs so far out to the sides as if they were going to skid on their bellies at any moment, but worked perfectly. Their hooves hardly made a dent in the snow and they kicked through patches of powder at speed. I did attempt my own version to see how effective it would be for a person, and even tried to keep my boots in their hoof prints. You guessed it… I built up a lot of speed before hitting the snow hard and my arms disappearing in front of me. Thankfully only Winnie saw, who gratefully had kept me company the entire walk. I won’t be trying to run like a reindeer again anytime soon!
Andi: By the time we reached our ‘visit spot’, we were low enough to drop down out of the cloud, the skies were clear and there was only a smattering of snow on the ground. We fished out the reindeer feed from our backpacks and the calves tucked in – we give them a brief preferential feed through the winter. The adults know the drill and waited patiently, then we popped out a line of feed for everyone. A quick headcount – everyone was present and correct.
Andi couldn’t get the bag of feed open quick enough for the hungry calves after the long journey. Look at the difference in the weather at a couple of hundred metres lower altitude.Boogie helping Daisy get frozen spikes from her hiking boots.
Daisy: We had done it! Thanks to Andi’s amazing navigation, we had successfully led the herd of 73 reindeer from the mountain plateau down just in time for the days Hill Trip! We fed the hungry reindeer and checked we had everyone and they were all looking happy and healthy and then had a moments breather to chat about how amazing the experience had been. I can confidently say, that herding adventure was the best experience I’ve ever had! Being in such harsh conditions with the wind, the snow, the lack of visibility – it felt like being on a different planet. Experencing the kind of conditions the reindeer are built, not only to endure, but to happily live in felt like such a privilege. Stumbling and running after them at points to keep up, gave me even more respect for how incredible animals’ adaptations are to their home environment, and how much of a privilege it is to experience nature at its best!
Andi: Many visitors assume that being a reindeer herder means you’re incredibly fit and spend all of your time running round the mountains. The reality is that a lot of our job is actually based in the office, shop, and working with visitors. Yes, we do get to roam around on the mountains too, but the weather is not usually quite so gnarly! We had so much fun testing our skills and experiencing the extremes that the reindeer are so at home in, and were buzzing for the rest of the day! It really felt like we’d voyaged to a different planet…
Welcome back to the final installment of Reindeer Around the World! For the last blog in the series we’re travelling west to look at the four subspecies of Caribou that cover Canada, Greenland and a few northern states and Alaska of the USA. So firstly, are caribou and reindeer the same animal? Short answer, yes. Long answer, no, they’re not.
The caribou: similar in nearly everyway to the Eurasian tundra and forest reindeer.
In North America, the reindeer populations are seen as two difference categories of animals: semi domesticated = reindeer, and wild = caribou. But from an ecological stand point, the caribou are broken down into four subspecies:
You’ll notice the similarity in scientific name with the European subspecies of reindeer we’ve previously looked at, confirming they are the same species, but each have slight differences. So, what makes each subspecies of caribou different to each other, and to the reindeer we know and love here in Scotland.
Population map of the four subspecies of caribou and smaller herd populations throughout North America. (Map credit: Cephas)
The Porcupine caribou closely resembles the barren-ground caribou, covering similar landscapes in the northern most territories seen on the above map. They cover a calving ground based on a river system including the Porcupine River – hence the name. They have a darker colouration to them, but their environmental adaptations and ecosystem role are what we’re familiar with throughout the other subspecies of reindeer we’ve been looking into.
Herd of porcupine caribou crossing a river (photo credit: Animalia.bio).
The woodland caribou is again very similar to what we imagine when we picture our tundra reindeer here at home. Adaptations for sub arctic habitats, dealing with deep snow and harsh temperatures, keeping on the move and fulfilling the same ecosystem role. The differences we know of with the woodland caribou are more to do with diet, it seems, than anything else. Inhabitating a lot of areas of old growth forest and smaller herds found in different rugid mountain ranges further south than any of the other populations, they have different species of fauna available to them to feed off. The woodland caribou feed almost exclusively from aboreal lichens for the colder half of the year, followed by dried grasses and some tree species throughout the warmer months.
An example of aboreal lichen, growing along the bark of a tree as opposed to carpets of lichen on the ground. These types of lichen are found at a lower altitude than the rocky mountainous ranges we expect to find reindeer, where they typically live above treelines amongst far shorter growing vegetation such as grasses and heathers.
The Peary caribou are the smallest subspecies of caribou and are found in much smaller herds than any other. During winter time you are most likely only going to find up to four of them travelling together and this expands to maybe a dozen during the summer months. They feed on similar plant life to the other subspecies, having limited choice due to their sub arctic and arctic home ranges. But unlike the others, they predominantly feed on purple saxifrage which can stain their noses with a purple tint. Their migratory path is not as large as other subspecies of caribou, moving up to 150km between winter and summer home ranges, sometimes between islands (seen on the map above as number 6). Similarly to the others they are ready for anything winter can throw at them, but do choose to avoid areas of very deep and heavy snow, retreating instead to rocky mountainous outcroppings and beached areas.
Can you spot the Peary caribou? (Photo credit: Animalia.bio.)
Finally, the last animal on our list to discuss… The barren-ground caribou. Maybe the best to last if that’s fair to say. Let’s meet the animal with the largest ground migratory path in the world! You heard that right, a bigger migration even than the wildebeest in the Serengeti. They migrate twice a year between summer and winter ranges with each journey potentially covering more than 1,000 km depending on the location of their calving grounds. They use higher spots for calving grounds, out of reach of predators such as the wolf, then descend to lower ground and migrate in large herds to areas for summer grazing. Their winter diet consits of some grasses, lichen and leaves from low growth trees. They share their other qualities and adaptations with the other subspecies of caribou, making them efficent at moving and feeding through shallow snow and coping with cold temperatures found in arctic regions.
Barren-ground caribou grazing.
And there we have it – we’ve learnt all about the different subspecies of reindeer all across the globe! Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading this blog series as much as I’ve enjoyed researching it. I feel it’s important to say there are other indivdual named herds that I haven’t covered, but to learn about the different adaptations and qualities, I think we’ve got all bases covered. Reindeer truly are a remarkable and wonderful animal, with clearly a lot more to them as a species than we may first realise.
The bodies of reindeer go through many changes allowing them to cope with huge temperature difference throughout the seasons. In summer reindeer can cope with temperatures above 30 degrees and the lowest recorded temperature that reindeer have been know to survive is -72 degrees Celsius. Reindeer have two different coats, a thick white winter coat as well as a fine, dark summer coat. Their antlers grow in an annual cycle and the different times of growing and shedding them allows different animals to be dominant at different times of year. One of the most interesting, and important, changes to a reindeer though, you can’t see – their metabolism.
Magnum in his winter coat.Colorado, Iskrem, Yangtze looking smart in their summer coats.
Reindeer have adapted to eat vast amounts of food throughout the spring, summer and autumn to gain enough weight to survive the winter, when food is scarce. To cope with these changes in food availability their metabolism changes too. In the summer reindeer will graze around the clock, eating a huge variety (between 200 and 300 different species) of plants which are high in nutrition. This allows each individual to grow a new set of antlers, they start to grow in the spring and are fully grown by the end of august and the heaviest set we have had in our herd, weighed a whopping 8.9 kgs. The summer is also the time that the young reindeer grow in body size. Finally, every reindeer will need to gain body fat which will act as reserves over the winter. All these things require their digestive system to work in overdrive converting the food they are eating into energy that can be used by their body to create protein, bone, fat, and whatever is needed.
Ryvita grazing and growing her beautiful antlers.Cow and calf grazing on the high plateau plants.
On the contrary, winter is all about survival. During the winter most of the plants will have died under the snow and 70% of a reindeer’s diet is made up of lichen. Lichen is a symbiosis of fungi and algae and is very resistant to extreme changes in temperature. Over the winter lichen won’t grow but it will stay dormant, preserved under the snow. Reindeer will then dig down through the snow to reach the lichen. But lichen is relatively low in nutrients, just enough to sustain the reindeer through the winter and their metabolism shifts in line with this. In fact, even if you gave a reindeer a big pile of food, during the winter, they just aren’t as hungry and wouldn’t eat it all.
Winnie eating lichen under the snow.
During the winter reindeer are no longer growing their antlers, they won’t increase their body size at all, a calf will grow lots in the first 6 months of their life and then stay the same size for the next 5 months, until the following spring. They will survive the winter by using their fat reserves. The one important growth that does happen in winter is that of a growing foetus. This is the reason that the females grow antlers and keep them after the males have shed them, as it gives them a physical advantage during the time that they are pregnant and therefore they get first dibs on the food.
Vienna and Amazon showing off their beautiful antlers right through the winter.A group of our males in the winter having cast their antlers.
But how does a reindeer know that it’s time for spring? Rather than responding to food availability or temperature which may well change year by year, the changes in their metabolism are triggered by the changes in daylight. The increased daylight associated with spring is detected by specialised receptor cells in their eyes which then convert to a hormonal signal using melatonin. Melatonin is synthesised during the dark period each day and then synthesis stops during daylight. This means that the amount of melatonin varies based on the time of year. The concentration of melatonin has many effects. In terms of metabolism, in the spring as melatonin decreases, this increases the appetite of the reindeer. In the autumn, as melatonin increases, this decreases the appetite of the reindeer and increases the breakdown of fat stores. The changing melatonin levels also controls their antler growth and release of sex-hormones but that may be another blog in the future.
Eye of a reindeer.
For anyone particularly interested in a much more in-depth description of the physiology behind these changes, I would highly recommend reading this article.
If you have made it this far, thanks for reading my very nerdy reindeer biology blog! Hopefully you have learnt something and enjoyed the pictures of the reindeer along the way.
Following on from a blog I recently wrote all about Cheer, I thought I’d write another blog about another white-faced reindeer born in 2012 – Merida!
I first met Merida in May 2017 when she was five years old. It was my very first week as a reindeer herder and I have a very strong memory of sitting in the hill enclosure with Sally who was showing me the ropes. Two cows and calves were in a smaller part of the enclosure and we were spending time observing how they were getting on – what a tough job! Merida and her new born calf were there, and whilst Merida herself was fairly uninterested in us, her calf came right up to me and starting nuzzling my shoe laces. It was instant love! This tiny reindeer calf grew into the mighty Dr Seuss, who everyone knows is the best reindeer ever. As the ‘mother of the greatest’ I am also very fond of Merida, so this blog is full of photos of her.
Merida has a very distinctive hourglass pattern on her face and therefore one of the first reindeer I learnt to identify. She is friendly around people and enjoys hand feeding. She has been an excellent mother over the years and has three surviving sons – Dr Seuss, Ärta and Mr Whippy.
Merida and her newborn calf – who later was named Dr Seuss. This was around the time I first met them both.
I left the Reindeer Centre in March 2018 for another opportunity, but missed the herd (and my colleagues!) too much so returned to herding in March 2021. Most of these pics are therefore of Merida, and her offspring, over the last 5 years or so.
2021
Catching up with Merida whilst she’s out free ranging in the hills. With no calf at foot in 2021 she was able to put more energy into herself and grow lovely big antlers.Merida looking beautiful with her beard blowing in the breeze in October 2021. Camembert is the reindeer in the background.Spartan doing his best to woo Merida. She looks a bit unsure but it must’ve worked as the following spring Merida had a male calf.
2022
Dr Seuss and his mum in early January 2022, hanging out together – both waiting in line for the hand feed.A heavily pregnant reindeer in April 2022. Her new antler is just beginning to grow. Merida and newborn calf in May 2022. We later named him Mr Whippy! You can see the antler that had a head start (see above photo) is taller than the other.Merida and her calf the day they were released out on to the free range for the summer.Torch & mum Magnum and Mr Whippy & mum Merida in September 2022 after coming back into the hill enclosure.
2023
Merida and Mr Whippy back out free ranging in the hills in January 2023.Merida enjoying herself on the free range in early August. She looks a bit scruffy as she’s moulting the final bits of her old winter coat. She’s grown another set of cracking antlers!Merida on the end of the feed line in October 2023 with a lovely rainbow behind.
2024
Merida in February 2024 with her epic antlers!In May 2024 Merida had a new male calf. When Merida grunted for her new calf, her 7 year old son Dr Seuss would come running over!Merida and new calf with older son Dr Seuss (mid-moult with a sunburnt nose). Dr Seuss was often by his mum’s side for the few weeks they all overlapped in the hill enclosure. Very sadly Merida’s calf picked up a tick-bourne illness in August and despite receiving medication and all our best efforts he sadly didn’t survive.Ärta in October 2024 – Merida’s son born in 2020. I can’t resist including this photo – he looks so magestic! Whilst Merida has never had a female calf, son Ärta has been bred from so her line continues.Merida in October 2024 with rather silly antlers. Merida invested so much energy into her calf that her own antlers were a rather poor show this year.
2025
Merida in March 2025 – just beginning to grow her antlers. Her old winter coat is quite faded so harder to see the distinctive hourglass pattern on her face.Merida in August 2025 looking great in her short summer coat. She’s now retired from breeding so will spend most of her days free ranging in the hills and enjoying life!
2026
Cameron’s photo of Merida enjoying free ranging in February 2026. She’s in a big herd which includes her three sons – Dr Seuss, Ärta and Mr Whippy.
Rangifer tarandus tarandus and Rangifer tarandus fennicus
Continuing on from learning about the lovely Svalbard reindeer (we all remember how cute those guys are!), this time we’ll look at the two other European subspecies of reindeer, the forest and tundra reindeer. Starting with the tundra reindeer…
Our very own tundra reindeer, Chickpea and Morven roaming the Cairngorm mountains.
Found across Northern Scandinavia and across Northern Russia with a large population in Siberia. They are also found here in the Highlands of Scotland roaming the Cairngorm mountain plateau. The southern most population on continental Europe is found in the mountain regions of Norway, however it is quite tricky to know where the tundra reindeer population ends and the forest reindeer population begins.
Forest reindeer grazing amongst trees.
The most notable population of forest reindeer is found surrounding the Karelia region, near the border of Finland and Russia. The population is then further wide spread across Russia.
Population map of all subspecies of reindeer, including the N.American caribou populations and the European domestic and wild populations. (Map source: found at the bottom of the image)
Unlike the Svalbard reindeer, these subspecies do follow a larger migratory pattern, and will usually cover anywhere from 12 – 34 miles per day. They move between areas following the availability of vegetation and to avoid the harshest environments during winter months.
The herds will also move alongside humans. Both species are heavily domesticated and have been for over 10,000 years now. Not only are the reindeer used for food, income, and general way of life by indigenous communities (most noteably in Europe – the Inari Sámi), but the reindeer themselves benefit. Knowledge passed down through generations regarding migratory behaviour, and the animals role in the ecosystem means a huge positvie impact on Arctic conservation. This not only benefits the domestic populations of reindeer, but also the wild ones, as well as all other forms of life living in these ecosystems.
Sámi communities will follow the reindeers migratory habits, travelling vast distances with them every year. (Photo credit: Norsk Teknisk Museum)
The vast numbers of these two subspecies, the distribution of their population, and their movement patterns, give them a much larger impact on the ecosystem than the Svalbard reindeer. With grazing habbits helping to maintain Arctic tundra, it prevents the release of stored carbon in the permafrost. Being farmed in the traditional methods that they are – constantly moving, following the behaviour of the reindeer rather than using other methods of stationary farming – the reindeer are still able to exhibit their natural behaviour. It has also maintained a positive coexsistence between man and the fragile Arctic ecosystem.
Moving home and following the natural behavioural patterns of the reindeer.
This means that the reindeer have not needed to adapt to a stationary lifestyle. Their bodies are still designed to cover large distances and they remain successfully adapted to their role in the ecosystem – dispersing seeds in the trampled ground they’ve moved over.
Something they have adapted for over the last 10,000 years though, is sledge pulling.
Bigger males, often castrated herd members will be used to pull belongings when following the reindeers migratory habits.
Due to living alongside humans for such a long period of time, the European tundra and forest reindeer are semi domesticated. They don’t perceive humans as a threat and are very accumstomed to interacting with people and being handled. This means their strength and good hoof structure can be utilised for sled pulling.
Reindeer toes!
During the winter months, their footpads will shrink and tighten, this exposes the edge of the hoof and allows them to dig it in to the snow. They’ll maintain grip for descending and ascending hills/mountains, and still be able to run at high speeds without the risk of losing their footing. Their strong and muscular build, easy going/ docile nature, and drive for yummy rewards(!) makes them the perfect Arctic sled pulling animal. Second to the sled dog of course, also having worked alongside humans for approximately 8 – 10,000 years (I don’t think anyone could be happier pulling a sled than those guys!).
Keeping tradition alive. Our very own reindeer pulling sleds here in the Cairngorms. (Photo credit: Alex Smith) Our wonderful boys Zoom and Mivvi pulling a wheeled sleigh through Glenmore.
So, in summary, it seems the main adaptations for the European tundra and forest reindeer are behavioural more than physical. They have adapated to be more docile around humans, whilst still maintaining their natural drive to move. Not only for their benefit of chasing good grazing, but also for the benefit of the ecosystem – keeping the Arctic environment healthy.
Next time we’ll jump over 4000 miles from Europe to North America, and find out what the difference is between a reindeer and a caribou (if any).
Daisy
Further reading:
www.//oneearth.org/species-of-the-week-reindeer/
Reindeer and Caribou: Health and Disease, edited by Morten Tryland and Susan J.Kutz (CRC Press, 2019)
Up and moving from Kent to Glenmore to live amongst the reindeer hasn’t just been a big change for me, but also for my dog, Echo. He’s certainly used to the outdoor lifestyle, having spent most of his life on hiking holidays and the last three years living in a van. But this new chapter for him has meant daily hikes, new friends, and endless adventures!
I’ve made it to the home of the reindeer!
Parking up in our camper after my first day of work, it was time for Echo to meet his new neighbours. He spent a decent hour that evening watching the reindeer through the door, desperately trying to spy antlers through the trees.
My first glimpse of my new neighbours.
Echo was very excited to be introduced to the official team of Reindeer Dogs, and swiftly made good friends, and found some new adventure buddies.
Many hikes up Meall a’Bhuachaille with Fraoch, the world’s fastest dog and must be the record holder for Meall a’Bhuachaille summits! Including sunrises up there before the herders head off into the hills in search of reindeer.Lots of walks spent with Ginger (I always have to look my best when Ginger’s here!).
Shortly after we arrived in Glenmore, someone else was quick to join Reindeer House… Sanna the pup. Sanna instantly took to Echo, and it was lovely to see him playing with a puppy in his older years.
Playing with my new pal and the newest reindeer dog.
Echo quickly fell into the routine of his new life – spending time around the Centre while I was working, and hiking in the hills in our free time.
Getting to work straight away! My first day on the job helping wash the Hill Trip welly’s.Helping herder Kate put up bat boxes in the reindeers woodland paddock. Helping eat – I mean make – the reindeer food.Looking for reindeer.Exploring more of the reindeers home range.
Echo soon got to enjoy the benefits of his new life here in the Cairngorms, including lots of lovely antlers to chew, and lots of fuss and exercise with the herders.
Unlimited antlers!Posing with my best pal on a hike with herder Maisy. Loving life in the snow with Sheena and Zoë!Visiting the reindeer and making sure I was on my best behaviour.
Echo even put in a shift on Christmas Eve, keeping us herders’ company all day and meeting all our lovely visitors while getting into the Christmas spirit with antlers of his own! He even made it onto Trip Advisor – 5 stars of course.
Christmas Eve is hard work at the Reindeer Centre.Christmas Eve Crew – I even got to meet Santa!!
As the new year began, six months into our new lives here in the Cairngorms, the biggest change arrived. I had loved seeing how healthy and happy Echo was here – especially playing with his new pals and enjoying spending time with the lovely Sanna, that I made the decision to expand our mini family. Echo was no longer the newest addition to the Reindeer Dogs…
Snoozing with my new sister on her first day home.
Meet Asta! It didn’t take long for her to fall in love with our home and all her new pals (Echo being the best thing since sliced bread, and Sanna a close second!). Now Echo gets to show her the ropes around the Centre – including where all the best spots for finding reindeer food to hoover up are, and where all the antlers are kept!
Asta’s first day at work.
I’m looking forward to seeing what she thinks of the reindeer when she finally spots them from afar, and all the adventures her and Echo will have with their pals over the coming summer and beyond. The Reindeer Dogs are a very lucky bunch, and it’s so lovely for Echo and Asta to get to be apart of the gang!
Asta’s first summit of Meall a’Bhuachaille (she cheated and got to be carried most of the way!). Posing for a summit photo with all my pals Asta, Tuva, Moskki, Tiree, Sanna and Fraoch (plus the humans).
Since the first week of January, our wonderful herd of reindeer have been out free – ranging the mountains. Our females and smaller male calves from last Spring roamed the hills here in the Cairngorms, while our males, bigger male calves and their mums free roamed the hills not too far from our farm. Free – range season is a chance for all our reindeer to enjoy the good grazing and open plains of the sub-arctic tundra we find ourselves in here, and to grab a well earned rest after our busy Christmas season.
Free – ranging season provides the most stunning views of the reindeer with the backdrop of the beautiful Cairngorm mountains.
It’s also a fantastic time of year for us herders, getting to move the reindeer around the hills every morning, and take guests out to see them in their natural habitat with no fences. So, as free – range season draws to a close for 2026, it’s time to look back on our herders favorite moments.
Can you spot the herder amongst the herd?…
Lotti
Looking back over the last few months, one morning fetching the reindeer immediately sprung to mind as a highlight. To set the scene, the previous day, Andi and I had fetched the reindeer for the morning visit, and both agreed that the reindeer had been slower and more difficult to herd than either of us had EVER seen! Fast forward to the following day, I was feeling tired and whilst the morning walk out to find the reindeer is usually my favourite job, after the day before I was quite happy to do a hill trip instead. But alas, it was not meant to be. As it turned out Daisy was the only herder with enough beans to volunteer to walk out to find the reindeer. At this time of year it takes two of us, one at the front and one at the back, so reluctantly I joined her.
Poor Daisy had to cope with a distinct lack of enthusiasm from me on the walk out which finished with an uphill, off path trudge through the snow. When we reached the top of the hill though, we were greeted with the most wonderful sight, the herd on a snowy hillside with the beautiful mountains of the Cairngorm’s behind them. I have lived and worked here for a wee while, but a view like this still has the ability to take my breath away – I hope that never changes.
Of course, on that day the reindeer were good as gold, and we had the most wonderful time walking them in. I often find that the days when I’m feeling less joie de vivre than usual are the days that the reindeer and the mountains really show off and have the ability to completely change my mood. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face for the rest of the day!
Orinoco leading the herd across the snowy hillside.
Amy
My favorite day from this winter free range was collecting the reindeer at the start of March. Myself and Hen had walked out to where the reindeer where and it was decided that I would be the person that would walk infront of the reindeer and lure them to the visit spot, whilst Hen would stay at the back of the herd and make sure that we didn’t leave any stragglers behind. At the front I could see that lovely Vienna was very determinedly trudging up the hill behind me, along with the sweetheart that is Ryvita, plus Christie and Cheer had taken a small group of reindeer on a questionable detour into a snowy crevice and Bordeaux was walking off very purposefully in the completely wrong direction. Given Bordeaux’s nature, it is very unusual for her to decide that she isn’t going to follow the herd, so I sat back for a brief second to see how things were going to play out and Bordeaux continued in the direction she was heading- away from myself.
Eventually, I rustled the white bag of hand-feed I was carrying to see if I could catch her attention and then it became evident that Bordeaux was confused about what direction I was going in. You could quite literally see in her face the moment she realised where I was and that I wasn’t in the direction she was expecting. I also loved the urgency she had when she walked off in the wrong direction, there was so much hope that just over the skyline she would be able to snack on some yummy handfood.
Whilst we were waiting for Bordeaux, Vienna is trying to persuade me to give up some hand feed.
Hen
My memory links directly to Amy’s, as I trailed along at the back of the herd keeping them moving in the right direction, like a sheepdog. Unfortunately my short stumpy legs cannot go uphill nearly as fast as a reindeer – or downhill, to be honest – so this role is often somewhat unneccessary when they are moving well as I’m struggling to keep up and can’t do much about stopping them going in the wrong direction anyway. On this particular day the herd had been quite hard work already, really preferring to stay put grazing, but once they were finally moving I clocked Bordeaux heading off in the wrong direction, leading multiple other reindeer with her. We were crossing a really rocky bit of ground and Amy was partway down the hill the other side already, and I remember yelling something rude at Bordeaux… Perhaps she realised at that point she was going the wrong way, or perhaps she’s well-versed in my swearing, but a minute or two later she appeared back in sight, now heading the right way…
I’m not sure this is necessarily my favourite memory, but it’s the one springing to mind right now, and the morning is one I actually have a photo from (although involving the random dog-leg of Bordeaux’s route).
Andi
My highlight of this year’s free-range season was fetching the herd from high on the mountain in a white-out, and having to use a compass bearing to navigate our way down out of the cloud – the first time in my 15 years of herding that I’ve had to rely on a compass whilst leading the herd! You will find out more about that experience in a few months time… keep following the blog!
The cows battling the high winds and snow gusts, protecting their calves in the harsh conditions.
Daisy
One of my most memorable moments from my first free-range season has to be the wild weather Saturday of moving reindeer in a blizzard! The day had started with hardly any clouds and blue skies when I first dropped Cam and Sheena off to move the reindeer that morning. But, by the time Andi, Emm and I set off for the Hill Trip, a white out blizzard had struck. I only managed to locate Cam and Sheena thanks to their bright waterproofs! As I waited for Andi, Emm and the Hill Trip guests enough snow had settled against my ski googles that I could hardly see past Juniper stood next to me. The snow was quite short lived though and the guests had the most amazing blue skies and calm breeze with a fresh layer of snow settled on the reindeer for their trip. The hills looked amazing!
After the guests had gone we had the task of moving the reindeer across flats, jump a burn, over the road, and up onto a new set of hills. We set off as the mornings blizzard returned and the winds picked up! It was my second go of leading the reindeer, and seemed quite daunting given the lack of visibility. But the combination of Andi’s hand signals from the back of the herd and Ryvita leading the charge and following my calls, meant we successfully crossed the burn and got them up onto the road. With a cluster of cars parked up in the middle of the road, everyone hanging out their windows to record the reindeer – the entire female herd of 73 steadily came into view as they ran across the road and up onto the bank of the next hill in a quick single file. I never get over how fantastic it is to see the reindeer rush over the road, and how excited all of the passing drivers are, but with the snow falling and having just herded them through a blizzard – it was pure magic. From there it was up onto the flat of the next hill and to give the reindeer some well deserved food, and then back to the centre for a hot cup of tea (and several custard creams)!
Chilling with Ryvita before the blizzard returned.
Maisy
My favourite moment in this winter free range was when Cam and I went out to fetch reindeer for the morning visit at the start of April. It was a stunner of a day with most of the snow gone which was meant to make it easy walking, however Cam decided to take us through deap heather and across a large river from the snow melt. Thank god I had my big wellies on! We headed along then up to where we thought the reindeer were. We arrived for where we last spied the herd, but they were nowhere to be seen. We had lost our 73 reindeer! I thought they had gone back the way we came, but Cam said that they probably carried on round the side of the hill. I suggested for us to split up to cover more area, so off we went in oposite directions with our walkie talkies turned on. All I could hear as I was walking back round the direction we came from was silence from Cams end. I was thinking about heading back and looking else where until I saw them! I was right. Cam was wrong… The reindeer had gone the way we wanted them to. Cam made us walk straight past them! Once Cam evantually caught me up with the reindeer (he took ages), I lead the herd up towards the visit spot (this was actually my first time leading reindeer on the free range!). Some were more enthusiastic than others to follow. We made it to the spot and awaited for Daisy’s arrival in the sun (which took longer than expected as she also got lost… what can you do?).
Can you spot Cam miles in the distance?…
Cameron
Erm… That’s not how I remember it!
Editor’s Note: This is all we could get out of Cam for his offical response.
Fiona
Being an old timer when it comes to reindeer herding I often end up leading the herd in for their morning feed rather than being the sheep dog at the back to keep them moving. This year we had a few newbies herders join our team and this was their first winter fetching reindeer so I took this on board and mostly lead the herd, even though everyone’s favourite job is at the back. At the back you just get to hang out, at a sensible pace and you don’t have to choose the route so when given the choice this is where most herders would want to be. Mid March I went out with Amy (another old timer) and this time I didn’t give her the choice, I opted for following along at the back. It was a glorious day, blue skies, sunshine and snow… Just perfect! I spent most of the time taking videos and photo’s and sending them to everyone I knew working an office job that day boasting about my morning. It’s days like this that make you forget about the wet, windy and claggy days that end up being a total mission and therefore restoring your faith in Scottish winters!
Nice butt(s)!
Kate
Free-range season is a real mix. The weather can be truly awful, and on days the reindeer are feeling stubborn, moving them can be a long and difficult slog. But sometimes, you get a bluebird day when the sun is out and the reindeer are hungry and cooperative, and these are some of my favourite mornings throughout the whole year. Me and ‘The Aisies’ (that’s Daisy and Maisy) headed out on a lovely blue-sky day in March to move the herd. We wouldn’t be returning by the same path, so Cam kindly dropped the morning feed at our destination (thanks, Cam!). We could see him from a distance, making his way to drop the bag. “He looks like a tick!” Daisy said. I then had to explain to her how perspective works and that things look smaller at a distance… Walking out without a heavy bag always nice. We found the herd at the crest of the hill, a few were up and picking through the snow to graze, but most were dozing in the sunshine. They were initially slow to get going, and split into two groups which can make things difficult, but having three herders is a luxury and made it much easier to keep the herd moving in the right direction. I led, the Aisies herded at the back, and we skirted around the slopes easily enough, until we hit some big snow patches and the reindeer started to pick up speed. Eventually, Emmental decided she knew exactly where we were going and passed us. The herd followed, and most of them rushed over the snow to gather ahead, where the feed was waiting. I waited for Daisy and Maisy to catch up and we enjoyed having the last few minutes of the walk to just enjoy the sunshine and chat.
A lot of our most memorable days on the free-range are the big adventures, when it’s difficult, and you feel exhausted but accomplished at the end of it, but I always love the calm mornings, when things are easy, the sun is out, and you have enough time to stop for a moment and appreciate the reindeer and the incredible place we live.
Emmental and her son, Oro, leading the herd, 7th March 2026
Sheena
I think we all love heading out to look for reindeer in the morning when they are free ranging on the high slopes of Cairngorm. My most memorable walk out this year was with Cameron, just at the end of winter start of spring. Our biggest challenge was what to wear. The weather was sunny one minute and then full on winter blizzard… So a full set of winter waterproofs, gloves, hats, hoods and last minute went back for ski goggles! We had a long walk and luckily we spotted them just before the weather changed into a white out snow storm. Goggles on time.
We had several challenging stream crossings, the first one had a big snow drift over it and was very dodgy spring soft snow, so we went for a crossing area up stream, with a good helping hand from Cameron when I jumped over, so no wet boots for me. After locating the reindeer Cameron lead the way as our plan was to move the reindeer to an area easier for our visitors on the hill trip, it took 30 mins in white out condition. Just as we got near our Hill Trip spot, we saw a hill walker on the hill path who unfortunately had a very noisey dog and, two barks later the reindeer turned on their hoofs and headed back up the hill! Luckily the sun came out, blue sky and we caught up with the herd not too much higher and changed our visit location as the weather was now sunny. It was now a safe option for our visitors. Cameron and I had a good work out and I wish I had a step counter that day – it would have been miles.
You may have caught the wonderful video of Sheena and our lovely Holy Moley post blizzard hike! If not you can watch it on our facebook page here.
Alicia
March has been my first taste of the free-range season, and thus has been host to many small ‘firsts’ for me! First time leading free-range Hill Trips, first time seeing the girls out in the mountains (leading them off the road in December doesn’t count!), first time out with radios trying to bring the girls to a nice spot for the Hill Trip in the mornings…
My favourite memory from this season was also my most trying morning. Fiona and I hiked out in the morning, braving blue skies but 30+ mph winds (which is quite a lot when you’re carrying a lot of reindeer feed on your back!). The cows and calves were happily resting in a little gully when we came upon them, and they were very much not in the mood for moving on! I was the ‘sheep-dog’ at the back of the herd trying to encourage some rather stubborn lassies on from the nice patches of lichen they had found, all the while unsuccessfully dodging boggy sections of ground. After finding a safe way to cross the river, I gave a quick celebratory ‘Yes!’, before promptly falling into a bog on my next step…
All smiles pre bog fall…
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Hope you enjoyed all our favourite moments from 2026, and here’s to free – range season 2027!
