The Grant Arms Wildlife Book Festival, now in its second year, is a gathering in the Scottish Highlands of some of the most prominent authors in the field of natural history.
The festival, hosted by the Grant Arms Hotel in Grantown-on Spey, runs from 15-19 April 2019 and features daily talks given by the participating authors, who will also be mingling with the guests and signing books.
BBC Wildlife reader holiday
Don't miss the chance to enjoy the Grant Arms Wildlife Book Festival, as well as a glorious spring in the Scottish Highlands, with our great reader holiday offer.
As part of our partnership with the Grants Arms Festival, this special five-night holiday will take place over the Festival and will be hosted by members of the BBC Wildlife editorial team.
How to book your holiday
Call: 01479 872526 (quoting 'BBC Wildlife Holiday')
Dates: 15-20 April 2019
Costs: £495 per person; non-refundable deposit: £60 per person
For more information:
In addition to the five-night stay, the chance to hear talks from renowned authors about their works, and the free-to-all morning wildlife watching sessions, our holiday will include an exclusive wildlife walk in the Cairngorms area with an expert guide, on the Monday afternoon before the festival proper begins.
The discussion following each talk will be led by naturalist and former BBC natural history producer Stephen Moss – himself a popular author of books about British wildlife.
The four-star Grant Arms is a specialist wildlife hotel with a distinguished history. Built in 1765, in the reign of George III, and situated within the Cairngorms National Park close to Anagach Woods and the River Spey, the hotel is a traditional Scottish building, tastefully refurbished to thoroughly modern standards of comfort, with en-suite bedrooms, a cosy bar and a one-rosette restaurant serving locally sourced food.
Programme
During the week, a series of walks and trips will be run in the mornings with local wildlife guides and some of the authors as guests. If guests don’t fancy going out, the hotel will be showing an episode from the Dynasties series each morning.
Monday 15 April
4pm: Stephen Moss. Film: Dynasties Episode One
8pm: Celebrity speaker: Miranda Krestovnikoff, The Sea
Tuesday 16 April
2pm: Dr Michael Brooke, Far From Land: The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds
4pm: Isla Hodgson, Hidden Nature: Uncovering the UK's Wildlife
8pm: David Hetherington: The Lynx and Us
Wednesday 17 April
2pm: Dr Erica McAlister, The Secret Life of Flies
4pm: Dr Pat Morris, Hedgehogs
8pm: David Lindo, How to be an Urban Birder
Thursday 18 April
2pm: Charlie Phillips, On a Rising Tide
4pm: Polly Pullar, A Richness of Martens: Wildlife Tales from Ardnamurchan
8pm: Stephen Moss, Mrs Moreau's Warbler - How Birds Got Their Names
Friday 19 April
2pm: Jack Perks, Field Guide to Pond and River Wildlife
4pm: Lucy Bellamy, Brilliant and Wild: A Garden from Scratch in a Year
8pm: Pete Cairns, SCOTLAND: A Rewilding Journey
What's included
- Five nights' dinner, bed and breakfast in a superior room, 15-20 April (superior room subject to availablity. No single supplement)
- 13 one-hour talks from guest speakers in the afternoons and evenings
- Exclusive BBC Wildlife guided walk at 2pm on Monday 15 April
- Wildlife films in the library
- Free-to-all guided walks and/or field trips every morning
- Book signing opportunities
PLEASE NOTE: own car will be necessary to participate in field trips
Not included:
- Travel to Grantown-on-Spey
- Drinks
- Travel insurance
- Other incidental expenses
- Gratuities