Outdoor events around Shenval B&B, Loch Ness, Glen Affric.

This page features all the major Highland wildlife, Scotland food and drink and outdoor sports events -except Highland Games listed HERE- held over the year around your holiday accommodation base at Shenval organic B&B in the Loch Ness, Glen Affric and Inverness area in the Highlands of Scotland. Tastebuds experiences, Guided walks, Duathlon, Marathon and Half-Marathon, winter walking festival: there is something for most endeavours and for relaxed spectating and enjoyment. Open air concerts and festivals are listed HERE. More wildlife watching and conservation events are also listed in our News page.

Refresh your senses and look forward to the coming of Spring while visiting gardens taking part in the Scottish Snowdrop Festival 2012 near your accommodation base in Shenval B&B.

Dunrobin Castle Garden
Dunrobin garden and grounds may be visited for free in winter. A seaside walk (dogs welcome) features large areas of snowdrops. Open for the festival from 1 February - 19 March: daily 8am - sunset (free entry). Castle opens in April.
Address: Dunrobin Castle, Golspie, Sutherland, KW10 6SF, tel. 077747 69787.

Poyntzfield Herb Nursery
Explore half an acre of snowdrops in the woodland below the garden (and winter aconites for contrast). Always spectacular from late January to late February/early March. Visitors welcome. Monday to Saturday 1pm - 5pm (free entry).
Address: Black Isle, by Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty, IV7 8LX, tel. 01381 610 352.

Rosehaugh Estate
Enjoy the snowdrops in the magnificent woodlands of Rosehaugh Estate overlooking the Moray Firth - park in the Walkers carpark at the estate entrance and proceed to visit the estate on foot. No facilities or guides provided. Open 4 February - 19 March (free entry).

APRIL

Only minutes away from Shenval B&B, the Corrimony black grouse lek safaris will be held at weekends from Friday 6 April to Sunday 29 April.

Take a dawn safari trip through Corrimony reserve with RSPB staff and enjoy fantastic views of the local black grouse as the males strut their funky stuff to woo the females. This event is run in conjunction with the Famous Grouse and each adult participant will be given a complimentary miniature bottle of Black Grouse whisky and an invitation to a Saturday evening whisky tasting.

After the dawn safaris a breakfast menu which includes a full cooked Scottish breakfast, porridge, bacon roll, pancakes with maple syrup and more (yum!) will be offered at a local Cafe in Cannich.

Though you will be in a minibus, please ensure you wrap up warm as April in the Highlands can be a chilly affair! We hope to get close up views of the black grouse, but remember to bring your binoculars (if you have them!).

In order to cause as little disturbance to the grouse as possible, you have to stay in the minibus and keep noise to a minimum, therefore this trip is not suitable for young children, and any older children must be accompanied by an adult.

Black Grouse lek, Corrimomy RSPB Reserve © Mark Hicken

Bus leaves Cannich Village Hall car park at 6.00am. Price: £25 non members, £20 RSPB members
Booking essential.For more information about this event Telephone: 01463 715000
E-mail: blackgrousesafari@rspb.org.uk

Full list of dates:
    * Friday 6 April
    * Saturday 7 April
    * Sunday 8 April
    * Friday 13 April
    * Saturday 14 April
    * Sunday 15 April
    * Friday 20 April
    * Saturday 21 April
    * Sunday 22 April
    * Friday 27 April
    * Saturday 28 April
    * Sunday 29 April

MAY
Whole Great Glen Way Walk from Sunday 6th till Friday 11th from Fort William to Inverness with 3 stages close to Shenval B&B on 9th-11th May. More than just a walk. A journey though the cultural and natural history of the Great Glen, a transport route for humans and animals for millennia. Booking is required. Prices per day: adults £10, concessions £5.
Join the Great Glen Rangers for a single day or the Whole Way.
Sunday 6th Fort William - Gairlochy 10.5 miles
Monday 7th Gairlochy - South Laggan 15.5 miles
Tuesday 8th South Laggan - Fort Augustus 9.5 miles
Wednesday 9th Fort Augustus - Invermoriston 9 miles
Thursday 10th Invermoriston - Drumnadrochit 14.5 miles
Friday 11th Drumnadrochit - Inverness 20 miles
For more details please contact the Great Glen Way Rangers on 01320 366633.

Shenval B&B is closely associated with the TGO Challenge which will take place for the 32nd year from Friday 11th till Friday 25th: for a fair number of years now, participants have regularly called at our door for an overnight stay. An entirely non-competitive event the well established TGO Challenge aims to foster good fellowship among walkers within the framework of a challenging expedition. It takes 300 long distance walkers on a self-supported trek on a variety of routes over an average 180 miles across the Highlands from the West Coast between Ardrishaig and Torridon to the North Sea shores between Arbroath and Fraserburgh. Some participants on one of the favourite routes through Glen Affric will be stopping over at Shenval B&B once more. We extend a very warm welcome to them!

JUNE

Close to your accommodation at Shenval organic B&B the 9th Glen Affric Walking Festival "Outta Affric" will take place on 1st -4th June. Don't leave it too late to book accommodation with us!

Saturday 9th, The Olympic Torch will come close to Shenval B&B on its way to Loch Ness & Inverness.
The Torch will run from Glasgow, up the A82, through Glencoe, Fort William ,then run along Loch Ness via Fort Augustus, Urquhart Castle, Lewiston & Drumnadrochit on its way to that day's destination, Inverness. Evening celebrations marking the flame's arrival will be held in Inverness that same evening.