Photo Blog: February 2026

February is the month that we ease ourselves back into Hill Trips again after being closed for a month. From mid-January to mid-February, we are trying to catch up with general maintenance and into February prepare for being open to the public again.  The start of the month consisted of feeding reindeer, ensuring we are prepared for opening and we also spared some time to visit one of the Lynx reintroductions drop in’s that have been happening in the area.

The 7th of February was our first day open to the public. It is always a bit of a daunting thought, and you’re left hoping that you remember how to talk about reindeer and that you have hopefully remembered everything that needs done first thing in the morning. But these anxious thoughts were soon squashed by our first Hill Trip of the season, the weather was good and how to be a public facing reindeer herder came flooding back!

The weather at this time of the year can be challenging and trying to take a picture that encompasses how brutal the weather is on a hill trip is hard. Daisy and I did a Hill Trip on the 11th, and the conditions were rather wintery. The met office report for the day told us that the max wind gust at Base Station was to be 26 MPH, our Hill Trip that day was lower than Base Station and the wind was enough to knock you off balance, so I feel it may have been a little stronger than that! I do love the variation that we get in weather as it makes the good weather days feel special.

4th of February: Left to Right- Suebi, Orinocco, Bolero, Ceilidh and Glacée on a very blustery trip out to feed the herd before we begin Hill Trips again.
5th of February: Ruth and Lotti enjoying biscuits whilst completing their Lynx questionaires.
7th of February: Myself, Kate and Maisy with Ryvita after the first Hill Trip of the new season.
8th of February: Trilby leading the herd in for our morning Hill Trip with Disco on her left, Tango and then Pip.
11th of February: On the walk out to the reindeer myself and Cameron noticed some unusual prints in the snow… Possibly Badger prints?
11th of February: Cameron teaching his merry band of calves bad habits
11th of February: Above is Beautiful Solero. This was the first day of good weather we had seen in a while, so plenty of pictures were taken!
15th of February: Another mission to collect the reindeer before our 11 am Hill Trip. In the fore ground (left-right) we have Dante, Disco and Bolero.
18th of February: The first day of the season where we had to cancel the Hill Trip due to the weather. Sanna, Fraoch and myself agree that it was the best call!
19th of February: Daisy clinging on for her life on a very windy walk out to collect the reindeer in the morning.
22nd of February: Vienna, often found snooping around us herders looking for extra food.
25th of February: Polka leading the herd in before our Hill Trip.

Amy

Photo Blog: November 2025

November has whizzed by. Even more so because I took a week off at the beginning of the month. Don’t worry though, this blog has just as many photos in as normal!

When I left at the end of October the rut was still underway for a couple of our breeding bulls. On my return the rut was well and truly over, and sleigh training had started! One reason I love this job is that every season is different with new things happening every few weeks.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy this snapshot of November. The snowy days were some of my favourites!

13th of November: Morven with her crazy curly antlers!
13th of November: I’ve only just noticed Beanie and Quickstep (Pinto’s calf) have matching coloured hooves!
13th of November: Sleigh training on a soggy afternoon in Glenmore. Kulfi and Jester at the back.
14th of November: Kulfi and Jester in the Paddocks. Kulfi drinking from the burn that flows through their night-time (off show) enclosure.
14th of November: Six-month-old Jig looking handsome! He’s Chickpea’s calf.
14th of November: Beautiful Beret on a cold morning.
14th of November: Salsa and her mum Sundae behind.
15th of November: My first Christmas event of the season in Buckie. The team were amazing.
17th of November: I helped out on a photoshoot trying to get the reindeer into position for two models. Kernel, Zoom and Dr Seuss were very obliging… if food was on the cards!
18th of November: Reindeer on the ski road! A regular sight at this time of year.
18th of November: Sanna and Tiree keeping me warm in the lorry.
18th of November: Sleigh training in the snow! Zoom pulling for the very first time alongside Mivvi.
20th of November: Snow has arrived!! Alba looking amazing.
20th of November: Florence leading the herd through the snow.
20th of November: More snowy reindeer – they’re all so stunning. This is Popsicle closest to camera and Cheer behind.
20th of November: Vanilla camouflaged for the first time since last winter!
21st of November: Haka suckling from his mum Christie.
21st of November: Another white reindeer in the snow! This time six-month-old Morris.
22nd of November: Patchy snow on the hill this morning after a warmer spell. This is Oro who potentially has the best tuft of all calves this year. He belongs to Emmental.
22nd of November: Sorbet and daughter Ballet sharing a pile of food.
27th of November: Cicero patiently waiting for breakfast.
27th of November: Some of this year’s gorgeous calves Bolero, Waltz, Lochi, and Foxtrot’s nose!

Ruth

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