We’re excited to announce the program for the gathering this year. To help with planning, we’d appreciate it if you could complete the form at the bottom of this page to let us know more details about you and your preference for Saturday’s trips and whether you will attend the buildings tour on Friday.

Please complete the form once for each person attending.

Program

Friday
10:00Buildings Tour (see section below)
16:30Registration opens @ The Loft
18:00Dinner
19:00Welcome to the area – a talk by Alan Watson Featherstone
19:30Icebreaker / Housekeeping
20:00Soap Box – Bring your ideas or thoughts in a 2 minute talk. Maybe bring ideas for a Sunday workshop session
21:00Social time
Saturday
08:00Breakfast for weekend ticket holders
09:00Registration
10:00Welcome & organisation
10:15Talk – Steve Mickelwright on community rewilding
11:00Pick up packed lunch & visits instructions
11:15Site visits (see below). Return by 17:00
16:00RS project discussion groups – get involved with our current projects
17:00Tea & coffee
17:30Talk: Ted Wilson on productive timber forestry
18:15Talk: Owen Bushell on rural craft businesses & shingle making
19:00Dinner
EveningCeilidh & raffle (BYOB)
Sunday
08:00Breakfast for weekend ticket holders
09:00RS project updates & AGM
10:15Workshops & discussion sessions (see below)
11:45Tea & coffee
12:00Feedback session
13:00Lunch
14:30Depart

Buildings Tour (Friday, pre-gathering)

The buildings tour is a chance to visit buildings and sites of interest, for example in terms of sustainability, wooden construction or community involvement. This year the tour will start from The Loft at 10am so we can car share. You can join onto the tour at any point using the (approximate) timings below.

Click below for more info.

A separate email for the buildings tour will follow for those that sign up to it on the form below.

  • 10:00 Depart from The Loft, Kinloss [map]
  • 10:30 Sauna Ostara, Nairn [map]
  • 11:30 Laikenbuie Ecology Trust, Nairn (& lunch stop) [map]
  • 13:45 Logie Timber sawmill, Forres [map]
  • 15:15 Findhorn barrel house and ecovillage, Findhorn [map]
  • 16:30 Arrive back at The Loft

Saturday Trips & Workshops

We have a selection of great trips and workshops to choose from. You will just go on one. Each trip is for max 4 hours (including travel). Have a read through each one and then pick your preferred choice in the form below. We’ll do our best to make sure everyone gets their preference and have lists to remind you which you chose at the Gathering! There are no extra costs for any of the trips. We will organise car sharing on Saturday morning and make sure there’s space for everyone even if you are coming without a car.

Click on each for further info…

Sorry, this visit is now full.

Visit focusing on Continuous Cover Forestry systems and the Marteloscope project with a practical thinning game. This visit hosted by Ted Wilson will look at two different stands for first thinnings and get stuck into making a thinning plan and marking trees for different outcomes and focuses. We will be using tablet computers and work in pairs to get hands on into CCF approaches. This is a short taster version of workshop Ted usually runs and give us a chance to explore different approaches and considerations for managing forests with continuous canopy cover.

Accessibility: Walking on forest road for 2 miles and short distance in mature woodland to make measurements.

Travel: We’ll car share for the trip. 20 mins drive.

Further info: https://silviculture.org.uk/marteloscope/

The Findhorn Hinterland Trust (FHT) team is looking forward to giving you a full tour of the unique woodland and dunes they manage on the Findhorn peninsula. 

The team will first share about the ongoing transformation of the Ecovillage’s woodland from a stunted commercial Scots Pine plantation into a diverse nature-rich habitat. The FHT team also maintains and develops paths, provides walking tours, and manages a woodland shelter, fire areas, and camping areas which are widely used by the local community and visitors alike. 

Then, you will visit the endangered sand dunes adjacent to the woodland, which is on the Scottish Biodiversity List of priority habitats and was recently recognised as Scotland’s first official “Nature30” site, in recognition of FHT’s efforts as part of the wider initiative to restore 30 per cent of Scotland for nature by 2030. 

Accessibility: Easy walking on uneven terrain. Limited paths.

Travel: We’ll car share for the 10 minute drive

Wester Hardmuir is a 70 acre woodland that the owners, Hugh and Janet Andrews, purchased nearly 30 years ago. It had been clear-felled apart from around 10 acres of P50 Scots pine and Norway Spruce. They restocked to create a mixed woodland of both commercial grade trees and conservation areas, many of which they grew themselves.

The lower part of the woodland has been sold to the Buddhist group Gomde, who have created a retreat centre there. The other half of the original felled woodland, in different ownership, has had nothing done to it since it was clear-felled, so it makes a great opportunity to see the difference between a managed and a non-managed woodland.

Accessibility: Good tracks and paths, relatively flat. 2-3 km total.

Travel: 15 mins drive.

Further Info: https://laikenbuieecologytrust.org.uk/

A visit to Lynn and Sandra’s Croft at the foot of the Cromdale Hills. A general walk round looking at all of their crofting enterprises, but with a special focus on the integration and management of trees as part of their productive system. More details of their Croft on their website, with numerous other case studies online.

Accessibility: Uneven, undulating terrain with no formal footpaths.

Travel: 50 mins drive.

Further Info: www.lynbreckcroft.co.uk

Led by Kirsty Wallace, we’ll be heading into the woods at Blervie to look for nature’s Autumn edibles and medicinal plants and fungi. Areas of the woods are being reforested with locally grown trees on site so we’ll visit the polytunnel nursery, and also we’ll have a look at Kirsty’s cruck frame simple timber and straw bale home.

Accessibility: Easy walking but limited marked paths.

Travel: 10 minute drive.

Marcassie Farm and steadings have been restored over many years and is now host to a thriving community of small businesses amongst the woodlands. We’ll be led by Karen Collins of Naturally Useful who grows basketry willow to make basketry and more! We’ll have a tour of the farm followed by looking at the willow growing fields, eco buildings, wellbeing project and discuss further opportunities for willow. We’ll also be treated to a sound bath with Tibetian bowls and gong in the woods.

Accessibility: Mostly paths and easy access. Disabled facilities on site.

Travel: 10 minute drive

Further info: https://www.marcassiefarmlodges.com/marcassie-farm-project

Forres Friends manage around 10 ha of land on the edge of Forres, a mix of woodland and fields, part of a much larger area of woodland, grassland and wetland. We will walk through the Kennel Wood, oak and birch, with a particular issue the eradication of laurel around a thriving badger sett. We’ll visit the small tree nursery, look at grassland management, using ponies as grazers, and briefly view the riparian ash/alder wood. Then we’ll go to the community veg garden, now in its fourth year, with a polytunnel and newly planted orchard including nearby walnut, chestnut and cob trees.

Accessibility: Easy walking, some uneven ground, short slopes. No specific hazards.

Travel: 10 minute drive

Further info: https://www.forresfriends.com/

Saturday Evening Ceilidh

We’ll have a ceilidh on Saturday evening so bring your dancing shoes!

Sunday Workshops

On Sunday we will have a selection of discussion and practical workshops to choose from. If you would like to lead a workshop then you can either let us know in the registration form below, or just suggest it at the Soapbox session on Friday night. Workshops so far include:

  • Tree seed collection & treatment local walk
  • Making a mini hurdle with willow
  • Hut Building 101 – discussion workshop
  • Trysting Trees – delving into our connections with native trees
  • Showing of short films & discussion

Signup forms will be around at the Gathering – no need to pre-book these workshops.

Baking, books, booze & raffle…

We’ll be having plenty of tea breaks over the weekend and if you’d like to bake something or bring along some goodies to share, they will be very welcome.

On Saturday evening we will have a raffle, as well as swaps and sales tables for books and seeds. If you are able to bring something for these to swap or donate, please do.

Please bring your own booze for Friday and Saturday evening. There is no bar at the venue and the nearest shop is 15 minutes away.

Meals & catering

Lunch and evening meals will be catered by The Loft and will be vegetarian food. For those staying the weekend we’ll serve a simple breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. We’ll be asking for volunteers throughout the weekend to help with serving, clearing and tea breaks.

Accommodation Check In

If you have booked accommodation then it will be at The Loft and we’ll direct you to the right place at registration.

Getting to the Gathering

The nearest bus and rail stations are at Forres. If you are coming by train or bus and need a lift from Forres, please drop us an email to heartwood@reforestingscotland.org and we will try to get a lift sorted for you.

Car sharing:

We have started a car sharing post on the RS Hub. Please add to this if you need a lift or can offer one. https://hub.reforestingscotland.org/t/rs-gathering-moray-lift-sharing/375/2

Registration Form

Please return to this page and complete the form for each person attending.

About You

In case we need to get hold of you over the weekend
Can you offer a lift to others, or do you need a lift? Please say where from and number of spaces and we will try to link people up.

Trips and Activities

Do you need a lift for the buildings tour, or can you offer a lift to someone else? If so, how many spaces?
Findhorn Hinterland & DunesWester Hardmuir and LaikenbuieLynbreck CroftForaging & Local Ecology WalkMarcassie Farm & Naturally UsefulForres Friends
1st Choice
Backup Choice
We will do our best to make sure everyone gets their preference however some trips have limited numbers.
E.g. for couples, friends etc. Pleas enter their name(s) here.
Can you offer space in your car for trips? How many? Or do you need a lift? Please let us know here...
Feel free to suggest a practical or discussion workshop for Sunday here.
Let us know if you can bring anything.
Please let us know anything else we may need to know about your booking.