Seeing reindeer in the wild has always been a lifelong dream of mine. Like, bucket list kind of dream.
So when I discovered that there was a herd which live in the mountains surrounding the Scottish town of Aviemore, in the Cairngorm National Park, it was the only place I wanted to go after Edinburgh. Feeding reindeer in Scotland on snowy mountain peaks right before Christmas? Where do I sign up??
Reindeer in Scotland – Who Knew?
We wrapped up warm and caught the bus from the town centre out to the Reindeer Centre. Once we had paid for our feeding experience, we were able to walk around the centre and read all about the herd, how they got each of their names and what their breeding habits are. I also discovered that the male reindeer antlers fall off in the winter time (the female in spring) and then grow back during summer. I guess this explained why a reindeer I had seen at a Christmas market several years before had had very tatty antlers which looked as if they had snapped. It’s perfectly natural though, guys, don’t worry. They can still fly when they help Santa deliver all the presents (this was my main concern).
There were a small handful of reindeer being looked after at the centre and being fed separately so we got to take photos of them before heading off up the hill to start our trek into the mountains. I would advise you not to do what one guy in our group did and wear dress shoes to trek up a snowy mountainside. Dress shoes. I mean, honestly. Needless to say he ended up on his backside.
Anyway, I digress…
It was FREEZING. But the scenery was like something from a Christmas postcard, so it definitely helped to detract from the cold.
Feeding the Reindeer
Once we rounded the hill and saw the herd it was even more stunning. The handler told us that they were extremely gentle and would walk and run around us, but that we should be careful when they see the food in our hands because they have no sense of feeling in their antlers during the winter time and could easily poke us in the face and chest while they were eating.
They were absolutely gorgeous creatures; so gentle and comfortable around humans. We all took several handfuls of feed and they all scampered towards us to get some of the good stuff.
You can tell from the pictures how happy I was to be there and it truly was an unforgettable experience. I love any kind of animal encounters and this was no exception.
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