Red squirrel day

Head out to some of our favourite forest spots for watching red squirrels in the Scottish Borders, then enjoy a woodland wellbeing experience

There are few more uplifting sights than a red squirrel scampering around a Scottish forest.

At Go Wild Scotland we’re huge fans of these beautiful little creatures – and we spend a lot of time on the lookout for them in the forests of the Scottish Borders.

That means we’ve got a pretty good idea where to find them – and while we can never guarantee a sighting, you’ll have a great chance of encountering one up close.

Red squirrels are an increasingly rare sight in the UK but here in the Scottish Borders they are holding on and we’re involved in helping to monitor our local populations.

You’ll join an experienced wildlife ranger for a red squirrel walk, looking for signs of their presence on the ground and in the trees. After that we’ll visit a spot where we have had a lot of luck seeing squirrels: all the pictures on this page have been taken by us in the local forests.

We’ll stop for lunch at the Waterwheel Cafe on the Ettrick Water outside Selkirk and take a look at the Golden Eagle information centre there, where we learn about the release programme for these magnificent birds. Depending on the time of year, we’ll also look for salmon moving up the fish ladder to the next level of the river.

From there it is on to Mauldsheugh Wood, our own community wildlife project at the heart of the Scottish Borders.

There you’ll enjoy a woodland wellbeing experience which includes the chance to help with feeding the resident and visiting birds in the wood, topping up the feeders and waiting to see how many of the more than 40 species we’ve recorded there are around.

Great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, tree creeper and long tailed tits are just a few of the species you’ll have a chance to see. We also have sparrowhawk, kestrel and tawny owl, along with kingfisher, dipper, heron and little egret on the river.

You can keep an eye out too for the resident roe deer, which can often be seen moving among the trees, and the wood is home to a wide range of other species including stoats, foxes and badger. We’ve been visited by pine marten, otter and even a red squirrel in the last year!

For a small additional charge you can build your own nest box and put it up in the wood or take it home.

Your ranger will also lead you on a conservation activity of your choice, which could involve checking birds boxes, building new habitat areas or helping create a new forest school area for local children and community groups.

There’s a break for tea, coffee or soft drinks and some home-made snacks and it’s a lovely opportunity to sit quietly and listen to the sounds of the woods.

Please note there may be some waiting around for squirrels to appear and that sometimes they are simply not around. We are quite lucky but nature is unpredictable. To give ourselves the best chance, we don’t accommodate pets on the red squirrel experience and we recommend keeping group sizes to a maximum of five people and suggest that this is not one for very young children.

Prices start at £275 for a private group session for up to two people. Additional adults are charged at £80pp, with children £60pp. Please note that prices are based on the use of your own transport: we can arrange minibus, coach or luxury vehicles at an additional cost. Contact us for details.

We run our nature adventures to give more people a chance to enjoy the wildlife of southern Scotland and to help cover the cost of our community nature and wildlife projects. All profits go back into the community interest company to enable us to continue to operate Mauldsheugh Wood, along with nature clubs, school visits and collaborations with other community groups.