My Month in the Cairngorms National Park

I have just returned from an incredible month in Scotland, where I was running workshops and photo-tours for various wildlife in the Cairngorms National Park.

I make the visit up to Scotland each winter and it never disappoints. The abundance of wildlife combined with the wintery conditions makes the Cairngorms a perfect place for any wildlife photographer to visit. This year was no exception, in fact, it was extra special as I had the added bonus of my wife and daughter joining me for the whole thing.

We arrived in the Cairngorms a week ahead of any participants and this is something I always do. Not only does it give me time to settle into the house, it also grants me the opportunity to visit my favourite wildlife locations. There are no guarantees with wildlife and the people joining my tours and workshops appreciate that however, by visiting the locations ahead of their arrival, it helps puts me in the best position possible and if I’m being completely honest, it’s a good opportunity to capture some images for myself.

Fear not, I won’t be writing about this month long trip on a day by day basis but I do want to start by mentioning that on my first morning I met Andy at RSPB Loch Garten who was kind enough to take me up onto the summit of Cairn Gorm in search of ptarmigan. He also pointed me in the direction of some other wildlife too. So a massive shout-out to Andy! I then had a few days photographing red deer, mountain hares and crested tits for myself before preparing for the arrival of our first group.

One of my favourite images from my time in the Cairngorms this winter

I had half a day to capture some images for myself before the second group arrived and this was one of them

It always feels somewhat deceptive to call trips like this work because let’s face it, I love what I do and I’m lucky enough to do what I love. That said, due to my conscientious nature, I always get slightly anxious ahead of each groups arrival. I guess it’s the anticipation of meeting each individual’s expectations before even ascertaining what those are. Fortunately however, any anxiety that I do feel typically dissipates within a mater of minutes of their arrival.

Hiking for 50 minutes uphill to try and find more mountain hares wasn’t enough to stop the smiles

On group one we had the pleasure of welcoming Nicola, Simon, Fiona and Steve and over the coming days we had a number of fantastic wildlife encounters. From spending time in the mountains capturing images of red deer as they moved through the Caledonian pine forest, to arduous hikes up steep mountains to capture images of mountain hares. We even managed to find some brown hares boxing, which was a welcomed bonus.

Photographing red squirrels from the comfort of Neil Mcintyre’s hide

This group worked so well together and in extremely tough weather conditions too but as a result of their efforts everyone left with great wildlife encounters and images. Whilst writing this I received an email with a review from Simon and it took me right back there to watching them working together to capture some images of a mountain hare before they lost the light:

I enrolled in Richard's workshop, organized effortlessly via email. The well-coordinated trip involved a pre-trip discussion to gauge my photography level and interests. The small group fostered a friendly atmosphere, and the week was enhanced by delicious food. The unforgettable highlight was getting within 10 m of a mountain hare, a feat I deemed impossible before Richard's guidance. The moment the hare hopped onto the snow, captured through my Sony camera's viewfinder, is etched in my memory. Richard tailored his guidance to my needs, focusing more on positioning for the perfect shot. Special thanks to his wife, Rosie, an unsung hero ensuring everything ran smoothly. If contemplating a session with Richard, don't hesitate—no regrets guaranteed.” - Simon Grinyer

Thanks Simon, Nicola, Steve and Fiona, it was a pleasure.

A couple of images from the first group

Group two saw the arrival of Norm and his wife Jan, Alan and his wife Sue, and Paul (who didn’t invite his wife). They brought with them the promise of better weather and a fresh dumping of snow. I’d like to point out that, as beautiful as snow is and as great as it can be for transforming your images, it does bring with it a new set of challenges. So on the morning of day one, as Paul, Norm and Alan lay on a snowy path with a wind chill of -10°C photographing snow bunting, I was wondering whether or not the group would be regretting their decisions to join me…

Fortunately the next morning promised a bit more comfort, as we had the use of Neil McIntyre’s red squirrel hide. No wind, snowfall and all the hot drinks you could hope for, the morning of day two was certainly a contrast to that of the previous morning. After a warm(er) start and a number of red squirrel visits, it was time to change location and photograph one of the UK’s coolest birds, the crested tit.

It’s happy faces all round when you can feel your toes

Not so much feeling in their toes the following day but memory cards filled with images of mountain hares made up for it

Just like group one, each person managed to capture a wide range of images, including all of the intended species; red deer, snow bunting, red squirrels, crested tits and perhaps the toughest of them all, mountain hares.

A huge thank you to Norm, Jan, Alan, Sue and Paul for your company. It was wonderful having you all join and I won’t mention the red wine going in the fridge… I look forward to seeing you all again soon for dipper workshops etc.

Thank you Paul for letting me capture some images on your Sony A1, as you rested your shutter finger

Mountain hare photography is by far the most challenging photography I do. It’s all about field-craft, endurance and copious amounts of patience. Notwithstanding the hard hike with all of your equipment, if you’re fortunate enough to find what’s referred to as a ‘sitter’ then that’s only the easy parts done! The hard part starts when you’re laying on the ground in freezing conditions waiting for the hare to do anything other than sleep.

All three of this winter’s groups found out that it can take hours of waiting to witness as little as a yawn or stretch of a mountain hare. Mountain hares are mostly active at night and as a result spend most of the day lying low in forms, conserving their energy, so I take my hat off to anyone who puts themselves out there to try and photograph these hardy little animals.

I will cover How To Photograph Mountain Hares in a future article but for now, just take my word for it, it can be tough!

A couple of images from the second group

After the departure of group two, I had a day workshop with both Megan and Paul, who made up half of the third group. I picked up Megan from Aviemore train station at 7:30am and we drove straight to a location to spend the day photographing mountain hares.

Here’s Paul blending in to the surroundings whilst a mountain hare takes a snooze

We were very fortunate to find an extremely relaxed mountain hare almost straight away, meaning that both Megan and Paul could spend as much time as they liked photographing it. Once they felt like they had enough images, we left the hare where we found it and made our way back to the car.

Later that evening the final two participants of the group arrived, David and Toby. The plan was to head out after breakfast and spend the day photographing mountain hares again. With a forecast of overnight snowfall but sunshine during the day, we made sure to get out early to give ourselves the best chance of finding some hares before the snow started to melt.

They were all enjoying it really, I promise

This time we met up with co-guide and friend Will Hall, with a view to potentially splitting the group in two and after a short briefing regarding field-craft and safety, we went off in search of some hares.

Much to everyone’s delight (possibly mine more than most) it didn't take too long to find one and after a short time observing the hare’s behaviour, it looked like we were going to be able to keep the group together. Will and I sat back at first, all the time watching the hare’s behaviour, as the group made their slow and steady approach. Once they were close enough we moved on in to assist them where needed.

This turned out to be the most relaxed mountain hare I had ever spent time with and that enabled to group to work on a few different compositions. Again just like the previous day, once everyone had enough images, we made our way back down to the car and to the comfort of the house.

This is me explaining to Paul and Toby that for three days running I forgot to bring my gloves…

Like with everyone who attends our photo-tours, on the final evening I offered some editing support to the group and I was blown away by the images captured by all four participants on that day. In fact, the images of red deer, crested tits, snow bunting and red squirrel were outstanding too. Once received, I will be sharing some of the images captured by everyone who attended this photo-tour on the Participant’s Images section of my website. So please keep an eye on that as they trickle in over the coming weeks.

Thank you Paul, Megan, Toby and David. You were all excellent to spend time with and it was a joy watching you work together to ensure that you all came away with unforgettable encounters and images. I hope to see you all again soon.

A couple of images from the third group

I could write endlessly about this trip and the experiences I had with each group but I’m sure you’ve all got better things to do than sit reading my waffle. So I’ll conclude firstly by giving a massive shout-out to my wife, Ro - without her efforts, I have no doubt that the experiences had by all who attended would not have been the same.

Taken at the start of the trip when I took the family to my favourite red deer location

I would also like to thank everyone for attending this winter and I can’t wait to see you all again soon on future trips. It was great meeting so many new people and equally as great catching up with familiar faces. You all continue to make it possible for me to do what I enjoy as a job and for that I’m truly grateful.

Finally if you’re interested in joining me in 2025 for my Winter Wildlife of the Cairngorms photo-tour, or my Isle of Mull photo-tour, then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me.

All the best,

Rich