Wild Autumn Festival
Dumfries and Galloway’s inaugural Wild Autumn Festival gets underway this year, running 12th October until 3rd November and featuring over 50 wildlife events; many free and most hosted by local wildlife guides. Set amidst beautiful unspoilt countryside, our festival is perfect for families and wildlife fans alike to discover the most surprising and naturally inspiring part of Scotland.
From Red Deer to Red Kites and Otters to Oystercatchers and from Badgers to Buzzards, Barnacle Geese, Bats and the charismatic Red Squirrel, Dumfries and Galloway is teeming with wildlife this autumn. Find out more about our wildlife.
© Keith Kirk http://www.dumfriesandgallowaywildlife.co.uk
Kids go wild
Kids are fascinated by wildlife and, with a wide range of child-friendly events, our Wild Autumn Festival is perfect for inquisitive little minds…. From building a bird box and bird feeders to discovering small mammals on the ‘Hedgerow Safari’ to wriggly fun on the ‘Wellies and Worms’ trail. We even have nocturnal goings on to surprise and delight, from ‘Stars and Stripes’ badger watching at dusk to a Halloween ‘bats and creepy crawlies’ adventure to star gazing in the remarkable Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park; great fun and educational too for kids and grown-ups!
© Keith Kirk http://www.dumfriesandgallowaywildlife.co.uk
A ‘Naturally Inspiring’ break
Dumfries and Galloway offers a range of quality hotel, B&B and self-catering accommodation that is second to none. Whether you plan an overnight stay, a long weekend break or an extended holiday during the school holidays, our local accommodation providers have great value deals and packages to coincide with the 2013 Wild Autumn Festival. We will shortly list deals on this website. Register for an email alert.
You can also go search and book accommodation in Dumfries and Galloway right now at www.visitsouthwestscotland.com
© Keith Kirk http://www.dumfriesandgallowaywildlife.co.uk
Lots to do in Dumfries and Galloway
If you’re visiting Dumfries and Galloway for our Wild Autumn Festival, you’ll be amazed at the variety of things to in the region. There’s foodie heaven at Castle Douglas, an official food town with over 50 businesses making and selling local produce, the world renowned 7Stanes mountain bike trail and castles galore, including the moated Caerlaverock Castle and the majestic Drumlanrig Castle.
And there’s golf – 26 courses of tremendous variety, including the ‘little gems trail’ - plus spectacular gardens such as Broughton House with its Japanese garden and the Logan Botanic Garden, famed for its exotic southern hemisphere species. Find out more about the variety of things to do at www.visitdumfriesandgalloway.co.uk/see-do/.
© Keith Kirk http://www.dumfriesandgallowaywildlife.co.uk
The Southern Uplands Partnership and Wild Seasons
The Dumfries & Galloway Wild Autumn Festival is delivered by the Southern Uplands Partnership as part of the region’s year-round Wild Seasons initiative. Find out more about Wild Seasons and Southern Uplands Partnership.
At the heart of the Wild Autumn Festival is the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere.
Put simply, our Biosphere is a UNESCO recognised area of significant landscapes and wildlife covering 5,200 square km of the beautiful, unspoilt Galloway and Southern Ayrshire countryside.
From walking trails to sites of Special Scientific Interest and from local nature reserves to the Dark Skies Park and mountain bike trails like the acclaimed 7Stanes, there are abundant opportunities to explore the biosphere. It's teeming with the best of Scotland's wildlife and it's the perfect location for a great many exciting Wildlife events taking place during the 2013 Wild Autumn Festival.
You can find more about the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere at; www.gallowayandsouthernayrshirebiosphere.org.uk/.
© Keith Kirk http://www.dumfriesandgallowaywildlife.co.uk
