As you perhaps know, reindeer are one of my favorite animals and so I was more than happy when I read that there are also reindeer in Scotland. Those reindeer live in the Cairngorms National Park and are the only free ranging herd of reindeer in Scotland. Since 1952, reindeers lived there in the Cairngorms mountains because there is the perfect climate for the animals.

So if you want to visit the reindeer, there are two options depending on the season you are visiting. First, from Easter to New Year, you can visit the Paddock. At that time, a small group of reindeer are living in the Reindeer Centre in Glenmore. This way of experiencing the reindeer is very suitable for children or people are not very good by foot. You are allowed to pet the reindeer, which is a really amazing experience. The Paddock is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm and costs 3,50 £ for adults. The second way to visit and really experience the reindeer is the Hill Trip where you will be very close to the animals in their natural habitat.

Hill Trip

The Hill Trip was a really amazing experience, especially for someone who loves reindeer. To reach the herd, you will walk a short path down into a beautiful valley and back up the other side to the reindeer. The walk is quite easy and affordable for everyone. While you are walking, the guide will tell you stories of the reindeer and the surroundings of the Cairngorm National Park. I have to admit that I was already in love with the Cairngorm National Park before I even saw the reindeer because of the beautiful valley that we walked through.

After the walk, we finally reached the herd. Surprisingly, the reindeer joined us on the road to their feeding ground. This is something that you will not experience everyday because normally, reindeer are very shy animals but there, they will walk next to you on the path.

Arriving at their feeding ground, our guide explained how she will proceed now. Firstly, she was feeding the reindeer according to their hierarchy. After this, she gave everyone of us some food in the hand so that we could also feed the reindeer. Basically the reindeer will eat out of your hand. I mean, how amazing is that. You can be so close to wild animals without seeing them in captivity. Once they are fed, you can pet them or simply observing the reindeer in their natural habitat.

Lastly, we were able to see baby reindeer, who were just born. They were so cute and clumsy. The mothers and babies are separated from the other reindeer because they need a lot of rest. As we were observing the babies, all the other animals were also standing close to the fence and looking on the babies.

History

Most people don’t know that reindeer exist in Scotland. This is certainly because the last record of reindeer in Great Britain is from about 800 years ago. Climate has change a lot since than and so the unique sub-artic climate in the Cairngorm National Park is the perfect and only home remaining in the United Kingdom for the reindeer.

The founders of the company, Mikel Utsi and his wife Dr. Ethel Lindgren, discovered this area while they were on their honeymoon. They said that the area reminded them of Lapland and so they decided to reintroduce the reindeer in the United Kingdom. In 1952, they brought a few animals from Sweden to Scotland and since then, the herd has constantly grown. Nowadays, they have about 150 reindeer living in the Cairngorm National Park.

All in one, for everyone who loves reindeer, it is the perfect experience. You will be so close to those animals. It is amazing to observe those animals in such a beautiful environment such as the Cairngorm National Park.

Read next: Reindeer sledding & Sami experience in Alta, Norway