Aberfoyle, also often affectionately referred to as the 'Fairy Capital of Scotland' is the perfect place to start our tour into the Scottish Atlantic Rainforest. The rainforest is not just a nature story. It is also a human history story. From the centre of the village, we will take you on an easy walking route along the old railway path and talk you through some of the many plants, trees and mosses all around you - used by the local populations for centuries, in a symbiotic relationship between humans and nature, that modern society forgot. We will explore some of thee plants medicinal uses, folklore and local traditions.

Nearby, Flanders Moss National Nature Reserve protects one of Europe’s finest raised bog systems — peat layers preserving over 8,000 years of environmental history. Flanders Moss National Nature Reserve is a vast expanse of all things damp and wonderful. As one of the largest remaining intact peat bogs in Britain, Flanders Moss is a wild and ancient landscape, which has hardly changed for thousands of years. The surface of the moss is a mosaic of various mosses and other plants and animals adapted to a land that is mostly water. You can hear the blast of birdsong in spring, see basking lizards in summer or watch the geese arrive in winter.

This route, often referred to as 'The Highlands in Miniature', is a 7 mile long forest drive that will take us past three picturesque lochs – Lochan Reòidhte, Loch Drunkie and Loch Achray. The route was launched 40 years ago in 1977 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A lot of the 3 Lochs Drive route is covered in modern spruce forest, planted by the logging industry. This will provide a stark contrast between the Atlantic Forest and Peat Bog ecosystems you will have already witnessed on this tour. At the end of the drive, we will stop over at the eco Achray Farm, where you can buy artisanal goats milk ice cream made daily with foraged ingredients. You can also learn about the goats you will see roaming freely or their extremely cuddly Shetland cows.

The Scottish hairy Highland Cattle have become an iconic symbol of this nation. Here, you will be able to see up close the three resident 'hairy coos', Hamish, Honey and Baxter, and feed them some snacks. This will be good opportunity to talk about native cattle breeds, and how cattle farming changed the Scottish landscape forever.

On our way back, we will stop over at the Kelpies - the tallest horse statues in the world. These 2 equine statues will provide a good opportunity to explore the theme of how industrialisation changed our landscape - from the cutting of the forest for raw materials, to the construction of canals for transportation during the Industrial Revolution.