Calving 2026 went really well but it’s now all done for another year with the last calf born on 24th May. It’s an absolute favourite time of year for all the herders welcoming the new additions into the herd and enjoying the few weeks with them before they head onto the free range for the summer. We try to get out when we can to visit them but what happens on the summer free range is completely natural so we don’t always see every calf returning which means it is what it is! I thought I’d write down a few moments that I’ve enjoyed this summer to share our lovely experiences with the reindeer and their calves so here goes:
Calving season of 2026 is all wrapped up and the herd has so many new wondeerful additions!
Filming – Mid May we took part in some filming which you will no doubt see later in the year (watch this space). As a result Andi and I headed onto the hill with a very small film crew of two other people and spent the whole morning hanging out with the herd which was mainly the cows and calves. As there was quite a lot of standing around while they were getting the shots they were after, it’s always during these moments you really get to enjoy being around the calves who are finding their feet within their new environment. Now and again they’d get the zoomies which usually meant mum flying after them trying to keep up and get them back under control… They can also be quite inquisitive and if you stand still long enough then you find a few calves come sniffing round your legs and giving a wee tug on your trousers.
Making the most of all the time we get hanging out with the lovely calves while they’re still tiny before their summer of free ranging.
Another nice moment I had was bringing Lolly and her calf in from our main enclosure which is around 500 acres of hill and forested ground into our smaller ‘creche’ where we keep the cows and calves once they’re born. I first had to locate them and of course they were at the furthest back point of the enclosure in the woodland, so, as I started pushing her back towards the herd the calf kept getting stuck in deep heather. Eventually I decided Lolly wasn’t taking her calf on the best route home so I thought I’d try catching her instead and walk them in via a more sensible and less vegetated route. Lolly is one of these reindeer who it’s hit or miss whether you can catch her to put her on a head collar or not so I was going in with caution, however, she was obviously in a good mood today and I caught her no bother. The three of us then set off, at a very slow pace, back towards our final destination. The calf at this point was only a day old so still pretty doddery… We stopped a couple of times, the calf had a lie down then a suckle of milk from mum then we’d carry on. It was a lovely sunny morning so I didn’t feel like I needed to rush. Both Lolly and calf were totally relaxed. From a reindeer who in the past was never up front and had a shy character Lolly has definitely gone up in my estimations.
Can you spot Lolly’s wee one trying to get through all the deep heather?… A much easier route… A snack break before continuing on the long journey across the enclosure (long for wee legs anyway).
The last wee story I’ve got for you, or maybe this was more of a challenge during calving time, was when Winnie, our hand reared female from three years ago decided to start calving during one of our guided Hill Trips in front of 40+ tourists… There is a time and place Winnie! Herder Amy swiftly popped her on a head collar and brought her into an area a bit quieter and out popped a little pale coloured female calf. At first Winnie was not impressed by what had just happened and was showing no signs whatsoever of wanting or loving this new addition in life! So, Amy dried off the wee bundle and we all worked out where to go from there. We held Winnie so her calf could get it’s first milk as this is really important, however, her milk wasn’t coming through as it should so I suspect this little lass was premature. We brought her off the hill to our paddock area where we could monitor her more closely and after chatting with our vets decided to give her a hormone injection to help bring her milk on but also help with the bonding.
Winnie and her beautiful calf getting some time together in the barn at the centre.
This worked a treat and 2 hours after her injection she loved her wee calf and was licking her. The calf was still a bit too weak to stand and feed herself so we had to assist, however, with Winnie being so tame this only required some extra lichen (reindeer’s favourite food) for her while we held her calf in place. We did this every 3 hours roughly through the day and her last check/feed was around 10pm and first feed around 5am. The two then joined the reindeer on the hill so the wee calf could learn how to be a reindeer, not a human! Then at the beginning of June they headed for the high tops of the Cairngorms to spend the summer free ranging. With all the extra handling the calf got she was super tame and became a quick favourite amongst us herders.
It didn’t take long for Winnie’s calf to feel well rested and safe around all of the herders. Here’s to the excitement and cuteness of calving season 2027!
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)
The month has got away from us somewhat, so this blog is a bit of a mish-mash of photos from several of us, rather than just Amy. Calving season always leaves us battling to get the day to day stuff done – it’s hard enough just keeping the essentials under control, let alone the ‘extras’, such as blogs! It does mean of course that this blog is pretty heavy on calf content, but we didn’t think you’d mind!
1st May – Fiona and friend observing the reindeer.1st May – Calving has begun!3rd May – Alicia and Daisy headed out to move the free-range group. Daisy was super excited to spot them!4th May – Mr Whippy having a lie-in7th May – Brie (left) hanging out with her adult son Cicero (right). He’s about twice her size!11th May – Calves coming thick and fast!12th May – Funky face markings!12th May – Here is one of our ‘normal’ coloured calves.13th May – Beret having a siesta14th May – Calves following their mum’s example, so are often happy to investigate us!15th May – Testing out the environment.16th May – Our cows often head off to find a quiet spot so we do lots of walking round to find them with their new calves. Can you spot the reindeer?17th May – Snoozing.18th May – Lots of spotty white noses this year!19th May – Sticking close to mum whilst checking out the world.20th May – Whilst most calves are born strong and capable, occasionally one is a little early. This toot needed a few days down at the Centre with her mum to get them establlished.23rd May – Cornetto giving relaxing his full effort.23rd May – Herder Ruth came to visit with her new baby – Fiona meanwhile is sticking to reindeer babies!23rd May – This wee calf needed a little extra help in her first few days as she was a little premature. Extra love needed too!23rd May – We check over the newborn calves when they first come into our nursery area – here Hen and volunteer Ruth are under close supervision from mum!24th May – Whilst the calves are born out in our large hill enclosure, we then bring them into our smaller nursery area. Sometimes their legs get tired – here Daisy has the hard job of providing a taxi service!26th May – Growing in boldness!27th May – The calves start coming through our handling shed at an early age, to ensure they remain relaxed in the future.27th May – Caz and Alicia rocking the wide hat/rainbow shorts look27th May – Old boy Stenoa chilling out in the sun at the farm.
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…
——————
Hope you enjoyed all our favourite moments from 2026, and here’s to free – range season 2027!
Time for part two of Emm’s wonderful blog, picking up where we left off last time – a broken Brenda and reindeer to herd!…
The next day I helped Lotti and Ruth walk the calves Oro and Flamenco around Glennmore. Akubra and Kulfi were the adult reindeer who came with us. I walked in front to make sure there were no dogs coming as reindeer are scared of dogs. They think that they are wolves. I also picked up the reindeer poo too if they went to the toilet.
Daisy and I did a very wet, windy and cold Hill Trip. We took the visitors to the Hill Trip spot but the reindeer were high near the ridge and were not coming down. So Daisy went up to encourage them down while I did the hand feed talk to the visitors and talked to them about reindeer facts and told them their names and naming themes. We then were able to feed the reindeer when they had come down with Daisy. We were splitting Sundae off because she is in season. I stayed with Sundae for most of the Hill Trip to keep an eye on her.
After the Hill Trip, I met Ruth and Lotti by the Sugar Bowl carpark and helped take Akubra, Kulfi and 2 calves called Disco and Foxtrot up to the hill enclosure. We were doing a Paddock swap as Disco and Foxtrot had finished their calf training school.
Emm walking Akubra and Foxtrot back to the hill enclosure.
I got very wet and soggy and had water in my wellies. It was like a loch in my wellies. Lol.
A very soggy team of herders! Ruth, Emm, Daisy and Lotti, still smiling despite the miserable weather.
Another day up on the hill, Vienna was looking miserable and sad and she kept going away from the other reindeer. So we put her in the shed area and pen with a friend and kept an eye on her and checking her temperature. The vet came to check her and did some treatments to see if they helped her and to see if it made her feel better. Along with Ruth I joined Daisy and Kate near the end of the Hill Trip. We needed to take Ceilidh’s temperature. We couldn’t catch her so Kate led Glacée, Ceilidh’s mum, and with Ruth I herded Ceilidh from behind to a smaller bit of the enclosure called the temporary corral. Daisy managed to catch Ceilidh to find she did have a temperature so Daisy injected Ceilidh to bring it down. Me and Kate took Glacée and Ceilidh to the shed to keep an eye on Ceilidh. Kate led them and I herded behind.
Glacée and a much brighter Ceilidh after spending some time being cared for by the herders.
The inside jobs I did were sweeping and hoovering around the Reindeer Centre. I also mopped the floor downstairs. I washed the wellies and put them up to dry then away later. I put a sticky label with the reindeer herds news on the back of each newsletter photo. I also put the newsletter and the newsletter photo into envelopes. I put the 1st year adopt packs together and I also did some shredding. I did feed mixing and hand feed mixing too, poo picking in the Paddocks and also let the reindeer through into their daytime Paddock area for their breakfast. In the evening I put them to bed and give them their tea in the night time Paddock area. I also got taught how to lock the Reindeer Centre’s carpark and swept the steps outside the Reindeer Centre, behind the lift and outside the front.
It is lovely meeting the visitors too on the Hill Trips. It is lovely seeing their reactions when they are amongst the reindeer and when they get to hand feed a reindeer. On most of the Hill Trips, I did the hand feed talk and on one of them I did the introduction talk. I also got to see my adopted reindeer Scully and Zoom while visiting which was fantastic. I met Scully’s calf called Rumba which I was very excited about.
Emm taking a selfie with the lovely Scully and Rumba.
Away from the visitors and Hill Trips and I was able to enjoy spending time with the herders. While I was there they went on a zipwire trek (run by local company G2 Outdoor) on one of the dark evenings and I was very lucky to be invited to join them. It was very exciting. When you went in, a pretend big spider suddenly came down on you and there was a ghost in the toilet. It had lights and Halloween things when you went around. You went over rivers and through trees. You had to do a torch flash saying the next person can go. I had a race with Andi at the end and I went so fast. I really enjoyed myself. It was such great fun. Thank you ever so much everyone for letting me come.
A night of zipping through the trees for the reindeer herders! All smiles from Andi, Emm, Sheena, Daisy, Lotti, Kate, Cameron, and Amy.
On another evening, my reindeer herding friends came around to our holiday cottage for a curry night which was great fun. My Dad and Mum had made lots of curry and we ate and chilled out and I gave them a tour of the holiday cottage. Sheena had brought around a great spider target game which we played. The spiders were sticky and they ended up hanging of the ceiling and one even dropped into Ruth’s curry. Lol.
A wonderful evening of delicious food, great company, and sticky spiders!
Another day I went on a lovely walk with Lotti by Pityoulish Loch and we had cups of tea and sat and chilled out on the pontoon and watched the wildlife. It was a lovely spot.
Lotti and Emm enjoying a lovely walk wildlife spotting.
I met Daisy who works at the Reindeer Centre and her lovely dog Echo who is very clever and we went on a lovely walk to Green Loch and then up through the trees at the back of the Reindeer Centre. I also met Fiona’s and Joe’s lovely puppy called Sanna who is very cute and I also met Alicia who works part time at the Reindeer Centre.
Echo teaching Sanna how to sneak up on the herders and steal the reindeer food!
It was so lovely to spend my spare time with such special friends doing things we all enjoyed. I can’t wait to go back in March 2026. I am counting down to the day. I am so excited.
In this latest blog I would like to share some memories from my visit in October 2025. It was very exciting as the new reindeer exhibition was open to visitors with lots of interactive things, videos, information and photo displays. It is so brilliant. The visitors will learn lots of things about reindeer and the history of the herd.
Emm is back, and we’re so thrilled! Emm, Lotti, Amy, and Jig all posing for a team photo!
On my first morning, I walked the calves around Glenmore with EK and Cameron. The calves this year (born in spring 2025) are named after types of dances so I had a lot of fun learning all their names. We walked Ballet and Polka with 2 adult reindeer.
Emm and EK walking Ballet and Polka during calf training.
We were getting them used to everyday things like people, traffic, being led and being handled. Afterwards, Cameron showed me his shed he had built for the reindeer poo bags so they don’t get wet and it is named the poo shed, and it is really good.
There were some new things in the Paddocks. The Santa’s bothy was being built by Alex and Cameron, and they were hoping it would be ready for Christmas. There was also an extended area for the reindeer in their daytime paddock area in the trees.
Santa’s Bothy under construction!
Jimmy the bull, who had been over on Silvermount in the hill enclosure with his group of girls, had finished his job with them so one morning Lotti, Ben and Cameron led him off the hill as he was going to go back to Tilly’s farm. We were also taking Gazelle off the hill to go back to the farm that morning too.
Boogie relaxing with some of our older boys.
I led Gazelle off the hill to Brenda (the truck we transport reindeer in). Ruth and I went to find Vienna one of Iskrem’s girls as they had been moved into a different part of the hill enclosure and she had become separated from them. Iskrem is a very calm bull. We found Vienna and we had to herd her up the hill, as she didn’t want to be caught, to join Iskrem and his girls. Then we moved them as a group to a different part of the hill enclosure. We were very lucky that day as we saw 6 Black Grouse lekking.
Our hill enclsoure isn’t just home to reindeer.
The day after, I went with Kate, Ruth and Daisy back to Silvermount in the hill enclosure so we could move Jimmy’s girls to where they were meant to be next. Nuii and Fab were missing so Kate went to look for them. We let a few of them out to be with the main herd in the east enclosure in the hill enclosure and I helped Daisy and Ruth take 5 reindeer across the hill enclosure from Silvermount to a different part of the hill enclosure, as they were going to go out onto the free-range soon. I led Orinoco and Suebi. Meanwhile Kate had found Nuii and Fab and brought them back to join the group.
Emm leading Orinoco and Suebi across the hill enclosure.
One day, the free-ranging reindeer were put in a part of the hill enclosure for a few hours so Amy could take Alba off the free-range, who needed to come into the enclosure for a short while.
Meanwhile Kate had gone to find 4 missing reindeer in the hill enclosure as they hadn’t turned up for breakfast or for the 2 Hill Trips and had been missing for the day. They were Pinto and her calf Quickstep and Borlotti and her calf Morris. Morris is such lovely natured and laid-back calf and is pure white meaning he is leucistic. Like some leucistic animals, Morris is deaf.
Emm and Morris relaxing on the hill.
I helped Amy put the free-range reindeer back out. We took them to the top ridge on the free range, Amy led and I was at the back. Then we went to help Kate who had found the 4 reindeer on Silvermount in the hill enclosure. Pinto had found a bag of handfeed and was eating out of the bag when Kate found them. We led Pinto and Borlotti on halters and their calves followed and I helped Amy herd at the back. We led them across the hill enclosure and took them to the shed to check them out and take their temperatures as reindeer being away from the herd might mean they are ill. Whilst out leading them we were lucky enough to see a mountain hare.
A mountain hare in winter colours.
One morning, the reindeer were slow coming down for breakfast in the hill enclosure. Some of the herd were with us and the rest were on Silvermount. As I helped Ruth call them down, Andi went up and herded them down from the top. We were then able to get them in position for the later Hill Trip.
Busby leading the way along the board walk ready for the days Hill Trip.
Unfortunately on our way back down at the end of the day Brenda broke down near the Sugar Bowl car park. The next day, she was towed away to be fixed, a sad sight!
Stay tuned for part two of Emm’s visit in October!
I thought I might start an annual blog of photos I’ve taken over the winter season, of things that are supposed to be reindeer – and aren’t. Although it turns out that being as I didn’t really go anywhere this winter, I didn’t take that many photos. Will try harder next year…
First up, shortbread. The commonest offender at Christmas I reckon, every shop has Christmassy tins of red deer, blatantly assuming they are reindeer. Or maybe just assuming that ‘deer are deer’ and they’re all the same… (arggh).
Shame on you, Tesco.
Ah, wrapping paper. Also a common offender. I’m not even sure what this (below) is supposed to be. It ain’t no reindeer, that’s for sure…
Another image I saw online that I thought warranted a mention, despite not being my own photo, was a new Banksy on a wall in Birmingham. The ‘reindeer’ (prancing Christmas affairs) are pulling a sleigh represented by a bench that is often used by homeless people; in the Guardian’s words: A Christmas cracker with a bang of reality. I like Banksy’s artwork, but ya know, would have been better if the mural showed actual reindeer…
Whilst I mostly failed miserably at remembering to take photos of the Christmas monstrosities masquerading as reindeer (quite possibly because I usually take a wide berth around the Christmas aisles in most shops), my winner this year (below) came looking for me at the Reindeer Centre, arriving in a box of stationary I’d ordered from Viking.
Eventually, having stared for too long at the vaguely fallow deer-esque antlers, still in velvet, on a head that isn’t a fallow, I realised it’s an AI picture entirely (as opposed to some bubble wrap and a ribbon being photoshopped onto an actual photo). God help us. So I’m naming and shaming you, Viking Office Supplies!
I’ll be back in a year with the Christmas 2026 edition of this blog…
As months go, January generally has a pretty bad reputation for being dark, cold, and really a bit depressing. Unless you are a reindeer herder, in which case January is likely to be one of your favourite months. Every year, from the end of the Christmas holidays to the start of the February holidays we close to the public. As much as I love taking hill trips and watching so many people spending time with the herd, after such a busy few weeks over Christmas, we all heave a sigh of relief once we can turn our signed to ‘closed’ for the month.
Despite being closed, January is still a really busy month. We spent the first few days getting all of our reindeer to the correct places to spend the winter free ranging. This year that coincided with a very snowy week, so we had lots of snowy walks and drives between Glenmore and our farm, to get everyone in the right places. We have been kept busy doing all the jobs that we just can’t do whilst we are open. Painting, cleaning, building, washing, repairing – you name it. Oh, and of course, we are still heading to the hills to feed the reindeer when we need to, we don’t feed the reindeer everyday so you will be treated to some extra dog photos this month – what’s not to love!
1st January 2026: Herders Lotti, Joe and Zoë with the lovely Winnie for the new years day feed. 1st January: The herd and herders walking up the boardwalk for their feed.3rd January: The lovely Lupin with a wonderfully snowy nose!3rd January: A very alarmed Daisy at the state of the shop floor after a busy, snowy day.4th January: Daisy leading the herd for their breakfast.4th January: The reindeer in the trees at the end of the hill trip.6th January: Fiona walking some of the reindeer onto the free-range hills.8th January: A very snowy walk from the enclosure with the boys getting them ready to free-range.8th January: The boys heading up onto the hills.8th January: The most enormous Icicle at the farm (Kate for scale).9th January: The very handsome Rowan was our office dog of the day!12th January: Sanna helping Fiona with her computer work!12th January: Cameron coming up with creative wet-weather clothing solutions.13th January: Suebi leading the herd over. With the deep snow and high winds we’d not seen the reindeer for 5 days. They were delighted to see us.13th January: Foxtrot and Beanie saying hi!13th January: Shannon on a snow patch.16th January: Cameron delivering the all important tea run!17th January: Cameron, Daisy and Hen feeding the herd on a rather dreich day.17th January: Helsinki and River being very lovely and Latte photobombing absolutely covered in feed! 😂19th January: Fiona and Lotti sporting rather fetching sunhats to keep the low, afternoon sunlight out of their eyes.19th January: As we arrived on the hill that afternoon the reindeer were looking very majestic on the skyline.20th January :Feeding the herd on a rather dreich day.25th January: Andi surrounded by a sea of calves!29th January Some very impressive snow drifts on the drive up the hill.29th January: Glacee, Pip, Suebi and Jig crossing a snowy patch.
Once again we had an excellent volunteer season in 2025, with a lot of familiar faces returning to spend another week with the reindeer, and also plenty of fresh new ones!
We take on volunteers for a week at a time, starting on a Monday, from roughly the start of May (start of April from 2026 onwards) when we move up to two daily guided Hill Trips, through to the end of the October holidays. In 2025 we had the Paddocks up and running once again so everything has had a more ‘normal’ feel to it, with volunteers learning the daily routine down at the Centre as we open to the public each day – lots of poo-picking and sweeping and general smartening up of the place each day! But most time is spent up on the mountainside with the main part of the reindeer herd, helping with the guided tours and chatting to all the visitors. Taking a volunteer along on one, often two, tours a day is the best way we can provide heaps of time right in amongst the reindeer – time that is something I suspect us herders can take for granted rather easily.
So, in no particular order, huge thanks to our ‘new’ volunteers in 2025 – Stephan, Victoria, Dylan, Marsaili, Ruth, Jo, Jane, Sarah, Kathy, Jamie K, Anna, Sue and Jamie C. There was also Daisy and Alicia, but it seems a bit odd now to list their names as volunteers as they’ve both come back to work for us – this time in return for money! Alicia, who lives locally, has been doing a couple of days a week, whilst Daisy (and her lovely collie dog Echo) loaded up her camper van and made the long journey north from Kent and is working full time for us. Volunteering is our favourite way of recruiting future staff, so hint, hint if you want to get your foot in the door here… Here’s a link to the excellent blog Kathy wrote for us after her visit, if you want an idea of what volunteers get up to. And here’s another blog written by Anna who amongst her volunteer duties enjoyed taking photos of the reindeer.
Kate and volunteer Alicia, who is now working with us a couple of days a week. Daisy on the left, who after a volunteering for a week in June is working here full time.Kathy and Busby.Marsaili (in the distance!) doing an expert job herding the reindeer on a very hot July day.
For the returnees, we had Kathleen, Jayne, Sophie, Lisa, Helen, Rachel, Katie, Stephanie, Anne, Becca and Emm. Long-term followers of ours will probably know of Emm, who’s helped us out over the years multiple times, and always writes us wonderful blogs about her time here! You’ll find her most recent blog from her visit in February here – no doubt there will be another from her October visit published in the next few months.
Hen, Fiona and returning volunteer Rachel doing some harness training with the male reindeer.Lisa has volunteered with us several times now – here she is hand feeding Magnum!Emm and Holy Moley in February 2025.
In 2025, 15 year old Maisy has turned from a volunteer to a paid member of staff, working some weekends and in the school holidays. She apparently can’t get enough reindeer time though, as she still turns up to volunteer too at times, sometimes arriving off the school bus unexpectedly! She wrote a blog with lots of lovely photos here, back in the summer. And Carol, our local volunteer from Moray, has been in on some weekends too.
All in all, another excellent year! If YOU are interested in volunteering, we start booking people in from the start of January each season, so drop us an email. Volunteer weeks start on Mondays from April to October inclusive, and are 5-7 days a time. We can only take on one person at a time though, so it’s first come, first served…
