THE GRANT ARMS HOTEL

The Cairngorms National Park is about as picturesque as you can find in the UK, with some of the landscape almost untouched (emphasis on almost) by human hands. Many birds and wildlife that cannot be found anywhere else in the UK is found here, such as Capercaillie and Crested Tit (to name a few). And with it being one of the most enriched habitats left in Britain, it goes without saying that it deserves its own Wildlife Hotel! And that’s where the Grant Arms comes in.

The Grant Arms Hotel is tall and historical, featuring a clock-tower and a lift removed from a warship! Even its manually rotated revolving doors leave an impressive touch, panelled with dark wood. Everything you need is off one door or another from Reception. The people who operate reception seem to be a lot more nice and helpful than any other hotel that I have ever been to, because they don’t just check you in, they offer advice, packed lunches and even permits for certain birding sites!

Opposite reception is the weekly noticeboard, displaying all the guided tours and walks available to guests on each day, and there’s no hassle in signing up. All you have to do is put your name down on the signup sheet, and there you have it! The aptly named Capercaillie Bar is where we spent a fair few of our evenings, and the food is just brilliant! But the real treasure lies in behind the foot of the grand old staircase. As Sue Williams described it, it is ‘the domain’ of her and the BWWC (birdwatching and wildlife club).

The half-hour corridor. What’s the first thing that makes you think of? Well at the Grant Arms it is the name given to the main corridor into the club rooms. Packed with maps and information, ID guides and posters, you could easily spend over 30 minutes learning all the knowledge revealed here. And then there’s the Club Room, down the ramp and bang into a sightings board (try not to hit your head). But I guess you wouldn’t mind if you did (well, I wouldn’t anyway) simply because you’ve been hurt by the many birds seen by guests, such as Eagles and Slavonian Grebes! The power of nature, eh?

And you don’t even have to do any planning (unless you like that sort of thing, I’m not stopping you)! There are suggested days out adorning the walls, featuring two or three locations in the same area to make birding so much easier (though, I must admit, I do enjoy planning and we didn’t use these. I’ll leave it up to you)! The bookshop is a great addition, and featuring titles by Mark Avery, Nick Baker and many more! But the true jewel of the crown lies behind some pale wooded double doors…

The library. Yes, a library completely devoted to birds and wildlife. Multiple shelves stacked with bird atlases, concise reference guides and even portfolios of wildlife photography collections (warning: reading may result in speechlessness)! I personally spent a large proportion of my stay sat in there, flicking through pages. And through the next wall lies a theatre (yes you heard that right. But its not an expensive posh one like they have in London). The Osprey Suite (honestly, everything is named after birds in here! Great idea in my opinion) is where guest speakers and guides give talks and presentations on anything nature!

The Grant Arms is kept running by a team of amazing people, each a specialist in their own right. Hotel Manager Marion Muller always made a point of coming to talk to us, from when we arrived and right through our stay. Sue Williams (Head of the BWWC) was brilliant with us and introduced us to many incredible people (herself included). Special mentions have to go out to Nick Baker, Will Hall and Simon Pawsey; thank you for all the memories of mornings, evenings and days out. You shared so much of your vast knowledge of me and for that I am incredibly grateful. Big thanks to Dawn, Pete and Iolo for being so encouraging and kind, and for sharing tips and skills that will prove valuable for me.

I have deliberately not mentioned any of my sightings or trips out here (at least, I hope I have) in order to attempt to make you want to read the rest of this saga (did it work?). I’m going to have my hands full with all the content from my Scottish journey, so watch this space!