Seasonal - The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd

17th July 202617th July 2026

Taking the Funicular to find the reindeer

A free range season adventure!

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.

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…

Mission accomplished! Now time for a cup of tea…

Daisy and Andi

3rd July 20263rd July 2026

Calving 2026: That’s a wrap!

Calving 2026 went really well but it’s now all done for another year with the last calf born on 24^th 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!

Fiona

19th June 202612th June 2026

Reindeer Metabolism and How it Changes Throughout the Year

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.

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.

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.

For anyone particularly interested in a much more in-depth description of the physiology behind these changes, I would highly recommend reading this article.

https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/download/335/327/1280

Glacee, Salsa and the herd enjoying a snowy day!

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.

Lotti

29th May 202628th May 2026

May photo blog 2026

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.

3rd May – Alicia and Daisy headed out to move the free-range group. Daisy was super excited to spot them!

7th 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 – Here is one of our ‘normal’ coloured calves.

14th May – Calves following their mum’s example, so are often happy to investigate us!

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?

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!

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 look

27th May – Old boy Stenoa chilling out in the sun at the farm.

15th May 202620th May 2026

Free – range season of 2026 comes to an end…

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!

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…

——————

Hope you enjoyed all our favourite moments from 2026, and here’s to free – range season 2027!

The Cairngorm Reindeer Herders

8th May 20263rd May 2026

Volunteer Blog: Emm’s Visit – October 2025 (Part 2)

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 1^st 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.

Emm

1st May 202623rd February 2026

Volunteer Blog: Emm’s Visit – October 2025 (Part 1)

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.

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.

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.

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!

Emm

17th April 202616th February 2026

Memorable reindeer: Porjus

Time for another installment of our – rather sporadic – memorable reindeer series. This time it is Porjus’ turn for stardom!

Back in 2004, we imported a batch of male reindeer, mostly calves and yearlings, from Sweden in order to bring in new bloodlines, and one of these yearlings was Porjus. He was named after a settlement up inside the Arctic circle in northern Sweden just north of the town of Jokkmokk, where our founder Mikel Utsi was from. His name was pronounced ‘porr-e-us’, though we frequently referred to him as ‘Gorgeous Porjus’, sounding the ‘j’ so the words rhymed!

Porjus, at the farm not long after he arrived from Sweden. He’s around 1 and 3/4 years old here.

By the time I started here in late 2007, Porjus was an adult and had just been used as a breeding bull in his second rut, going on to breed during the next three ruts too, his last crop of calves born in 2011. His genetics remain in the herd today, most prominently through the descendants of his daughter Chelsea (who include the lovely Winnie, Zap, Diamond – and somewhat less lovely Pumpkin (a reindeer with a serious attitude issue!)) and daughter Jenga, whose son is Jelly. Whilst Porjus fathered lots of offspring over the years, not every calf survives long term, but some of his better known male offspring were Gnu, Topi, Horse, Origami and Svalbard, though these lads didn’t follow in dad’s hoofprints and breed themselves.

Strutting his stuff in the 2010 rut, with Joni and Fiddle behind.

Porjus was a big, bulky reindeer, the ‘normal’ (average) colour for a reindeer, but with a distinctive paler forehead. Throughout each summer he always got incredibly fat – there was never any issue with his appetite – so much so we once tried to put him on a diet briefly (with hopeless results), but it never really mattered as bulls lose a lot of weight during the rutting season. A fat bull at the start of the rut is one that will go into winter in at least ok condition, as opposed to being underweight by the time the rut is over and winter arrives.

Fast asleep – saving his energy for the upcoming rut. Look at that belly!

Looking at our database, Porjus’ entry includes notes saying ‘A friendly boy’ and ‘well behaved during the rut’, and I certainly never remember being particularly wary around him during the autumn, though obviously we always give any bull a lot of respect at this time. Grandson, Jelly, would have done well to have considered Grandpa Porjus’ gentlemanly tendencies though – we planned to breed from him (Jelly) in 2023 and by less than halfway through the rut had changed our minds and castrated him instead!

Porjus’ grandson Jelly, looking like butter wouldn’t melt…

It is pretty unusual for a mature breeding bull to die in early autumn as they are in robust health ahead of the rut. However, Porjus did just that, dying extremely suddenly in September 2011 from an unknown cause (most probably tick-related), much to our dismay. However, whilst he left his mark in the form of his genetics in the last 20 years’ worth of reindeer born into our herd, he’s left another legacy too.

His is the incredible huge head in our Exhibition, gazing serenely over the thousands of people that come through our doors every year. Early autumn is the time of year reindeer look at their absolute best, with fresh thick winter coats and full grown antlers stripped of their velvet skin, so we therefore took the opportunity to have his head taxidermied. The only other taxidermied bull head we have hangs in Tilly’s house, having been brought from Sweden by Mr Utsi back in the 50s. For the last 14 years he and Porjus have gazed at each other across the room, but Porjus is so beautiful it would have been a waste for him to remain at the farm with hardly anyone seeing him.

So Porjus has found his rightful place back here at the Reindeer Centre – he was always a handsome lad during his lifetime, and now he is an awe-inspiring sight with his majestic look and his enormous antlers. I’m glad I knew him, and I’m glad to be able to admire him every time I come to work still.

Hen

10th April 20267th April 2026

Reindeer Around the World: The Svalbard Reindeer

Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus

A wonderful past blog written by herder Hen detailing how the species Rangifer tarandus (more commonly known as reindeer) is broken down into seven different subspecies, got me thinking that I didn’t know too much about these differences. What adaptations did each subspecies have to equip them for their differing environments? I decided to start my research with the Svalbard reindeer – the smallest of all the reindeer and only found within the islands of Svalbard.

It is estimated that Svalbard reindeer became isolated from other populations of reindeer around 10,000 years ago when the vast ice sheet covering the Barents Sea melted as the earth warmed after the last ice age. Svalbard then became cut off from mainland Europe, effectively trapping any land mammals.

So, what happened to them 10,000 years ago to equip them with living on an open, isolated, arctic tundra landscape? Unlike other subspecies of reindeer, the Svalbard population dropped its need to migrate, only needing to cover short distances on a regular basis, remaining on mountain ridges and plateaus – continuously exposed to the elements. They also lacked forests for cover and fed primarily on short-growing lichens and vegetation.

The home of the Svalbard reindeer – open plains and Arctic mountains.

Apart from the occasional polar bear… the Svalbard reindeer also doesn’t have the worries that other subspecies have regarding predators. Due to these changes in their food chain and environment, the Svalbard reindeer evolved to have far shorter legs than the other subspecies. They could still reach a maximum speed of 60 to 80km/h but didn’t require the longer legs of other reindeer – so to conserve body heat, their legs became shorter.

*Body heat is lost through a reindeer’s legs due to less fat and blood vessels near to the surface of the skin, so if you don’t need to migrate – grow shorter legs and stay warm!*

Svalbard reindeer running, perfectly displaying how disproportionate their bodies are to their small heads and legs. Perfectly adapted to an environment that doesn’t require movement, but encourages good fat reserves. (Photo credit: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen)

Another unique adaptation to the Svalbard reindeer is their difference in circadian rhythm to other subspecies of reindeer. Svalbard has an extremely reduced day length in winter months. There are between 100 to 150 days per year during which there is no light and the sun does not rise above the horizon. Research has concluded that the Svalbard reindeer has a mutation in a gene associated with maintaining circadian rhythm, allowing their bodies to cope with lack of sunlight (vitamin D etc.). Another change in the genetic make up of this subspecies in comparison to the others, is a change in the genes associated with eye/ optic nerve development – allowing their eyes to adapt to winter conditions.

Svalbard reindeer have dark eyes, that like other subspecies are able to see into the shorter end of the light spectrum. This allows them to use UV light during twilight periods of the year to see their general surroundings – identifying food sources, other forms of life, etc.

Their diet is very similar to other subspecies of reindeer, feeding on low growing vegetation found along ridges, plateaus and mountain slopes. Feeding to excess on healthy vegetation during summer and then relying on fat reserves and limited grazing during winter when vegetation is limited, but lichen can be found in abundance. The Svalbard population is more of a solitary subspecies than the typical social herd structure of other populations of reindeer. They are often only found in groups of three to five and so over grazing is not as much of a concern in a smaller region, such as Svalbard. However, despite this, starvation is the most common cause of death due to worn teeth grazing on sparse vegetation growing amongst rocky landscapes, or from food frozen into ice pastures.

*Svalbard reindeer grazing on vegetation with areas of ice pasture seen behind them.*

Pick out the areas of low quality grazing amongst the rocks.

Despite their challenges and differences, one thing is for sure… the Svalbard reindeer are one darn cute animal!

*Trying to think of something professional to say here, but all I can think is… STOP IT!*

Okay, no more cute photos! I’ll leave it there until next time when we look at the cool adaptions of another subspecies of the Rangifer tarandus.

Daisy

More reading:
https://polar-latitudes.com/discover/wildlife/svalbard-reindeer/
https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-eurasian-arctic-during-the-last-ice-age
https://www.aurora-expeditions.com/eu/wildlife/arctic/mammals/svalbard-reindeer
https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article/17/9/evaf160/8233719
https://npolar.no/en/species/svalbard-reindeer/#3

3rd April 202616th February 2026

A Reindeer Christmas

A Christmas Eve tradition of my family is to go see the reindeer parade in Kingussie. When I was younger I often got to go on the sleigh, of course to my delight. Last year Fiona surprised me and I got the chance to pull the front of the sleigh with Akubra and Poirot. This year I had a feeling it would happen again and it did! However, Fiona did give me a warning in the lorry this time. She is known to surprise you…

Maisy with Poirot and Akubra at the 2024 Christmas Eve parade in Kingussie.

As a Christmas present to my family this year, I decided to take them up the hill to see the reindeer. The Centre is closed on Christmas Day but the reindeer in the enclosure still need to get their feed for the day. Fiona said if no one else said they’d do it; I could with my family. After a bit of persuading they agreed, and I took a couple from my family and a few friends up the hill. You can’t get a better Christmas than that! All photos here are taken by either myself, my dad or my brother.

When we got to the enclosure, we had all the reindeer on Cairngorm waiting for us. The girls who were on the free-range were asking for a wee bit of extra food too. We picked up the food for the reindeer in the enclosure and headed up the hill. It was a frosty morning and cold, but it was so beautiful. The sun even came out for a while which was lovely. We were all wrapped up but of course the reindeer were very well insulated with their winter coats. We usually feed the reindeer in the hill enclosure a couple of times a day depending on what time of the year but since we were only feeding them once we had a lot of food to take. Thankfully the team on Christmas Eve took it all up to the bins on the hill so we didn’t have to carry it all the way up.

My cousin Magnus leading the reindeer up the hill.

We wandered around the hill introducing the reindeer and answering questions all about how awesome they are. We also had our friends Lorriane and Massa too and they were just amazed. It’s so nice to show people that you know where you spend a lot of your time and where you just love to be. I’m sadly coming up to my exams so I will be cherishing my time with reindeer, Christmas definitely wrapped it up so nicely.

We then headed over to see the free ranging reindeer and I hadn’t seen any of those guys in such a long time, so it was so nice to see them. I was rusty at identifying them, so I had to get my trusty back up plan of a photo from the board in the office which keeps track of the whole herd.

The free ranging girls, left to right Nuii, Pumpkin, Brew, Alba, Camomile.

The girls on the free range haven’t had a chance of hand feeding for quite a while due to them being on the free range for the past year or so. Some exceptions for a couple of the breeding females. They can sometimes be quite wild and excited when they haven’t been around people for a wee while. I turned around to swap bags with my mum as I had an empty sack and she had a full bag of hand feed. As I turned, I saw my mum standing there whimpering. Ryvita, a 14-year-old female with no antlers, had her nose right up against her bag. I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. Sadly, no one was quick enough to get a photo or video of the moment of her being scared out of her mind.

Latte being a yearling is now getting to enjoy free ranging on the mountains.

For my Dad’s Christmas present, (which he didn’t know at the time as I’m a very last-minute person who left it too late,) was an adoption of Vanilla. You can find out what you get if you were to adopt a reindeer here. We’ve been in the hills together quite a few times and when we’ve come across a few reindeer, she’s usually always there. She’s such a beautiful girl and every time he always gets a good photo of her, so I thought they’d be a good match.

Vanilla posing on Christmas Day beautifully.

Sadly, not everyone was able to make it on the 25th so I promised to take them up another time. That just happened to be on the 3rd of January. I took my brother and his girlfriend up the hill on a very snowy day. It feels like magic when you’re with the reindeer in the snow, kicking the snow up to get the lichen and deer grass, or them walking in the snow easily while all the humans are falling in streams and falling down snowholes. Although in typical Maisy fashion, I faceplanted off the boardwalk in front of a whole group of visitors.

99 and Cowboy begging Maisy to give them more hand feed.

I sadly had not learnt my lesson and buried my hand feed bag underneath the snow because the reindeer kept pestering me when holding it. I’m not saying any names, but it wasn’t Dr Suess, Cowboy and Tub. I then had a hard time trying to get their big noses out of the bag within all the snow, if you know anything about trying to get a Christmas reindeer nose out of a white bag it’s hard considering their brain is controlled by their stomachs. Which is the same with me, I’ll be honest.

Holy Moley enjoying the winter which has finally arrived.

The reindeer look magnificent in the snow when it all just sits on their nose, and of course it doesn’t melt because they are so well insulated that they don’t let the heat out to melt the snow. However, all the humans do not look magnificent and are bumbling around in the snow trying not to fall in a snow-covered burn. Unfortunately, yes, three of us did fall in the same burn at the same time.

They couldn’t get rid of me that quickly. As the next day I came back up to Glenmore the to go up a Meall a’ Bhuachaille with Sanna and Echo the dogs. The best hill in Scotland and some of the best snow I have ever seen up there. So much fun although, so much more energy goes into walking in deep snow especially at some points I was sinking above my hips and the dogs kept vanishing under all the powder.

Sanna and Echo between her ears near the summit of Meall a’ Bhuachaille.

Maisy