24th November 2016

We have come across a fabulous informative website, FishPal; this is a great tool to enable our guests, who enjoy fishing, to book their rods on the Spey and Findhorn, ahead of their visit.

14th August 2016

8th August 2016

Some fantastic recent news, the Speyside Distillery, home of Beinn Dubh, has recently introduced tours by appointment. Located in Kinguissie on the banks of the River Tromie, the privately owned Speyside Distillery is widely thought to be the prettiest distillery in Scotland.

More information on this unique opportunity is available from Visit Cairngorms,  or contact Andy or Sharon – we are happy to make arrangements on your behalf.

6th August 2016

What an interesting summer we have had so far………

Since we opened in September 2015, we have welcomed guests from all over the world to Dava School House and been very fortunate to share their journey and experiences through the Scottish Highlands and Moray Speyside.  Our time spent researching the area we now call home has certainly paid off and we have been able to recommend some fabulous itineraries to our guests.

One of the highlights through the summer has been the programme of bird watching and photography talks we hosted in conjunction with Mike and Karen from A9 Birds; to get Mikes ‘birdy’ perspective on the summer so far check out his blog here.

21st June 2016

Earlier in June, and as part of our market research to enable us to guide guests to gain the best possible experience during their stay, we caught up with Charlie Phillips, approximately two hours after low tide, to see the Moray Firth Bottlenose Dolphins at Chanonry Point; Charlie is ably supported by the team from the Scottish Dolphin Centre who share an informative commentary around the time the Dolphins arrive.  We were not disappointed and the pod gave us a splendid and magical display.  Our efforts at photographing these beautiful and enchanting creatures were less than successful, although Charlie very kindly volunteered that capturing a fin and tail at a first attempt was pretty good!!  Charlie, on the other hand, has some stunning photographs available on his website.

Put dolphin watching on your ‘to-do’ list.  You can view these fantastic creatures, swimming and living in the wild, from the shore or via one of the fantastic companies, North58 Sea Adventures or EcoVentures, who provide eco-friendly trips to explore the beautiful Moray coastline and its amazing wildlife   #madeinmoray

2nd May 2016

Announcing our summer programme of free birdwatching talks: On Heilan’ Wings with Mike Crutch of A9Birds 7.30pm at Dava School House on the 3, 8, 17, 22 & 29 June and 7, 13 & 20 July.  Mike’s wildlife prints will be on sale and we are pleased to be raising funds for Roy Dennis’ Highland Foundation for Wildlife.  Booking is essential, please contact Andy or Sharon on 01309 651332 or e-mail info@a9birds.com.

22nd April 2016

Fantastic special offer from our in-house Bird expert, Mike from A9 Birds, any bookings for one-to-one tuition in fishing Osprey photography in May will be at the special rate of £170 – that’s a £60 saving over the June/July/August rates. If you’re interested, get in touch with Mike via his website or Facebook page

19th April 2016

25th – 29th August will welcome visitors to the Cairngorms National Park for the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Walking Festival .  The Festival offers a range of  long hill walks together with a series of shorter lower level walks ‘… so if you are new to walking or daunted by long hill walks you can still come along and discover this beautiful corner of the National Park’

All the walks can now be booked on-line at: http://www.tgwf.co.uk/.

Andy and Sharon can offer fabulous double or single accommodation and, after an exhilarating day out walking in the mountains, cosy in-house dining offering a home-cooked two or three course dinner; contact us to discuss your requirements

17th April 2016

As we firmly move in to the Spring, the bird life in and around Dava School House is certainly becoming very interesting.

Under the expert ‘guiding wing’ of our in-house bird expert, Mike Crutch of A9 Birds, you could observe and photograph the following birds, which can all be seen within a short distance of the School House: Blue/Coal/Crested/Great/Long-tailed Tits, Treecreepers, Crossbills, Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Short-eared Owls, Sand Martins, House Martins, Swifts, Swallows, Common Snipes, Curlews, Peregrines, Common Buzzards, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks, Goshawks, Red Kites, Redstarts, Tree Pipits, Meadow Pipits and Golden Plovers

Spring and autumn visitors include Ospreys, Hen Harriers and Wheatears.

Stand in the early morning and listen to the Black and Red Grouse chattering or experience the Common Gull colony nesting on the moor.

In spring and summer listen and look out for Cuckoos and our particular favourite visitors to the garden the Red-legged Partridge which enjoy cleaning up under our feeders. Contact Andy or Sharon on 01309 651332 for accommodation and bird watching/photography packages

2016 is shaping up to be another fantastic year for Highland Games.  A warm welcome for all the family is guaranteed amongst the traditional heavy athletic events like tug-o-war, caber toss, track and field events, and, of course, piping; not forgetting the skilful and spectacular Highland dancing competitions

Highland Games are a spectacle like no other; take a look at the calendar of events on the Scottish Highland Games Association website and experience these fun-filled family days out in a traditional Scottish back-drop

6th February 2016

Tickets for the #dram16 2016 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Event went on sale earlier this week, check out all the events and purchase your tickets here