THINGS TO DO ON THE GLENCARRON ESTATE
The 12,000-acre Glencarron Estate is approximately 45 miles west of Inverness. The estate has its own caretaker who lives next door to Stag Lodge at the adjoining East Cottage who will welcome guests and cares for the cottages.
We recognise that many of the activities on the estate are cunningly disguised ways to get wet and muddy. Therefore cottages like Stag Lodge have a utility room equipped with a washing machine, tumble drier, Victorian-style clothes airer and a boiler to allow guests to shed, wash and dry outdoor clothes ready for the following day's adventures without having to drag them through the cottage.
All of the activities available on the Glencarron Estate require advance booking. Please contact Alasdair Douglas on 020 8340 7421 (phone), 07768 005 703 (mobile) or [email protected]
CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING
Show off your target skills with a couple of hours of clay pigeon shooting on the Glencarron Estate. This fantastic sport is available at a reasonable price of £50 for two hours, plus the cost of cartridges and clays (the current price is £25 for 50 cartridges and 50 clays). Included in this price are your very own stalker, gun, trap and ear protectors.
At other times of the year the estate may be able to offer snipe and woodcock shooting. Please enquire, if this is something which interests you.
FISHING
For those looking for a more relaxing pastime whilst staying on the Glencarron Estate, why not try your hand at a spot of fishing. Salmon and Sea Trout fishing are available from February 11th until October 15th and Brown Trout fishing from March 15th to October 6th. The estate has its own loch with a boat, which guests are welcome to use for a small charge and with prior arrangement. There are also three miles of spate river on the River Carron where you can catch trout and salmon. The fishing is normally slightly better in the summer and autumn. Approximately an hour's walk from the estate are two further lochs with brown trout and char. The local estate stalker will be more than happy to identify the best spots to fish and be a ghillie if available. The cost for this service is £120 for a full day or £60 for a morning. There are two rods and tackle available to hire for £10 per day if you would like to save room in the car and not bring your own. Fishing on the beaches nearer the sea can also be arranged. Fishing is available free of charge to anyone staying on the Glencarron Estate.
If you are interested in fishing on the estate please note we have a strict catch and release policy and fishing is fly only. It is also a stipulation of the estate that any catches are reported to the stalker.
STAG AND HIND STALKING
Stalking in the Scottish Highlands is a tradition and a link to the country's culture and history. Not only is it a way to take part in a sport that has been carried out for years but it also allows you to see some of the incredible scenery. Whilst escorted by a trained and local stalker, you will witness breath-taking views of mountains and lochs as you search for your stag or hind.
You will need to be fairly fit and in good health to take part in the stalking as the terrain covered can become rugged and includes steep hills, and when a deer is shot and killed the body will need to be dragged to Argocat. A ghillie can help with the stalking and removing of the carcass for an additional £150 per day.
Deer stalking is not only a sport but a part of modern day land management. By taking part in this incredible experience you are helping to protect the local native plants and wildlife, as well as maintain a healthy and strong deer population.
Available from July 1st to October 20th, stag stalking on the Glencarron Estate costs £600 per stag; this price includes your own personal stalker, rifle and ammunition and VAT. The venison will remain the property of the estate but if you would like to take the antlers home as a way of remembering the experience then the stalker can cut and clean them for just £30. It may be possible to shoot more than one stag in a day, therefore two guns may go out together and be accompanied by one stalker, and two others can also join the party. Also, in October it can be possible to have a second group on the hills stag stalking.
Hind stalking is available from October 21st to February 15th. The cost is £220 per day for one gun and £300 for two guns. Two other people can also be part of the group. Included in the price is your own stalker, guns and ammunition. A second stalker can also be available for two parties stalking in the hills.
Prior to your adventures in the hills, the stalker will check you can hit a six inch circle at approximately 100 yards. It will also be up to the stalker to choose which stag to kill.
MORE INFO ON STALKING
The day usually starts at 9.30 am. Up to two shooters (the guns) and up to two others walking along and led by a stalker constitute a stalking party.
The stalker is in charge and you must follow his instructions. There may be up to two stalking parties on the estate at one time.
All members of a stalking party should wear clothes which blend in with the landscape and are not too noisy as you move. Greens and browns are suitable and it is important that even your hat blends in or the deer will see you. You are advised to wear water proof or wool garments (denim holds the wet and can be uncomfortable).
The estate is rugged and you will walk a long way so you do need to be quite fit. Walking boots are the best footwear but wellies are fine too.
You will be out all day so you need to take a sandwich and a drink and binoculars if you have some. A walking stick can be handy. The estate supplies the rifles and ammunition and ear protectors.
The stalker takes the guns to the target prior to going on the hill to check that they can hit a six inch circle at about 100 yards. Most novices can do this.
The stalker will instruct you in the use of the rifle. He will do his best to lead you into a beast but this is of course nature and weather dependent. A few hundred yards from the beast, the stalker will ask the party to remain where they are and keep quiet and out of sight while he leads just the gun to within 100 yards of the target deer.
The choice of stag or hind to cull is entirely at the discretion of the stalker. The stalker will instruct you as necessary. The gun might have to help the stalker drag the beast off the hill as far as the Argocat, unless you have a ghillie.
If there is a second gun in the party, the stalker will lead you on to find another beast. All venison and antlers remain the property of the Estate. If, when stag stalking, you forewarn the stalker on the hill that you want the antlers, you may purchase them from the estate for £30 and the stalker will prepare and clean them for you.
The form is to give the stalker a gratuity for a successful day in the order of £40 - £50 per gun.
PHOTO STALKING OR NATURE SPOTTING WALKS
Available all year round, photo stalking and nature spotting walks are the ideal way to witness the wildlife that calls the Glencarron Estate home. You will hopefully see some of our resident eagles, red grouse, ptarmigan, snipe, woodcock, mountain hares, pine martens, otters, badgers, foxes and roe deer. As with all expeditions involving the wildlife we cannot guarantee you will see all these animals.
For a small charge of £150 per day a stalker can accompany you out on the hills and get you as close as possible to some of the local deer, giving you the chance to test your photographic skills. The Glencarron Estate stalker has more than 30 years' experience and knows the area and terrain well.
To give you the best chance of seeing some of the wildlife we do ask you to limit the size of your stalking party to four people. We also advise you not to wear clothing which is too dark, light or bright; it is ideal to have clothes which blend in so - lots of greens and browns please. Noisy clothes can also be a distraction to the wildlife, spooking them before you can see them.
Please note many of the activities available on the Glencarron Estate require advance booking, including stalking and clay pigeon shooting. If you are interested in participating in any of these activities, please contact Alasdair Douglas on 07768 005703, or please email [email protected]. It is also customary to give your stalker a gratuity fee.
4x4 AND ARGO SAFARI
for £200 for the day a group of 4 people can be taken into the hills on a nature search using the Argocat all terrain vehicle.
OTHER ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE IN THE AREA
CYCLING
Some of the highest roads in the UK are found in the Scottish Highlands. However, whether you are into mountain or road bikes, you will find a suitable trail in the Highlands no matter what your cycling skills are.
A classic route for the more adventurous cyclists is the 90 mile circuit across the famous Bealach na Ba. The Bealach Mor is considered one of the toughest in the country and hits heights of more than 2000 feet, giving cyclists the opportunity to witness incredible views, including those of Skye, Raasay, Loch Kishorn, Glencarron, Lochcarron and Applecross.
WALKING
There is no place better to breathe in the crisp fresh air than the Scottish Highlands. With hundreds of miles of beautiful undisturbed countryside it is incredibly easy to see why the area attracts thousands of walkers every year. The changing seasons make the scenery forever beautiful, whether it is witnessing the turning of green to gold, snow-capped mountains or crystal blue lochs alive with summer wildlife and plants.
There are plenty of day or half day walks on the estate. Munro Baggers will enjoy 'bagging' the four peaks on the estate. For the uninitiated, a 'munro' is a Scottish mountain over 3000 feet. There are some 250 in Scotland and climbing or 'bagging' them all is an increasingly popular pastime.
The Glencarron Estate is a wonderful place to set off on a day's adventures, with a mix of gentle flat walks to suit the more relaxed ramblers or a series of steep hills and mountains for the serious hiker.
Further afield are other popular areas for walking in the Scottish Highlands, including Kintail, which is known for its mountain ridge walks like The Five Sisters of Kintail and the South Glen Shiel Ridge, which are particular favourites with Munro Baggers. Lochalsh, running between Loch Duich and Loch Carron, offers more varied treks with walks through picturesque villages and towns and across the beautiful Mam Rattagan.
GOLF
Open throughout the year is the gorgeous 9-hole golf course at Loch Carron. Located beside the loch this small picturesque course is short but demanding and can offer something for all abilities. Lochcarron golf course has breath-taking views and wonderful scenery, so even if your skills are not up to scratch you won't be disappointed by the backdrop.
A larger and more challenging 18 hole moorland course is available at Strathpeffer Spa Golf Club.
BOAT TRIPS
The award winning Seaprobe Atlantis sets sail from the Kyle of Lochalsh, seven days a week from Easter to October. This glass-bottom boat lets you see not only the scenery and wildlife above the water's surface but also what is hidden beneath. Lochalsh is one of the best places to catch a glimpse of the otters and seals, and if you arrive in the early summer you will see the new born pups on Seal Island. If you are lucky you may also see some of the rare whales, dolphins and sharks, which occasionally visit these waters. Another benefit of the glass-bottom boat is the opportunity to see the World War II HMS Port Napier shipwreck.
SAILING
If your pastime is something a little more leisurely, why not try a spot of sailing around the Isle of Skye and the Lochalsh area. The views and scenery are incredible.
