A WILD RIDE IN THE CAIRNGORMS

Red squirrels have long been a symbol of ecological fragility in Britain, but they’re so common in and around Balmoral as to hardly raise an eyebrow.

Up in this corner of Scotland, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, wildlife thrives in a way it rarely has a chance to elsewhere in the country.

To better access it, Dan Brown and Rachael Iveson-Brown have developed an e-bike safari which traverses land around the famous castle before moving further into the Cairngorms. While most people come hoping to encounter charismatic megafauna like red deer or golden eagles, the naturalist couple are as enthused about wood ants, or the dozens of species of moths found here in the largest remaining section of old-growth Caledonian forest.