Red squirrel walk

Head out to one of our favourite spots for spotting red squirrels in the Scottish Borders for a small group guided nature walk

We’ll be using our knowledge of local red squirrel populations to head out to one of the areas where we are involved in monitoring red squirrel populations in the Scottish Borders.

You’ll join a wildlife ranger looking for signs of red squirrel activity and hoping for sightings of this iconic species. This activity helps to support our nature education programme.

At Go Wild Scotland we’re huge fans of the red squirrel – 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, joining a small group guided walk is great way of encountering one up in the wild.

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.

We’ll take a morning stroll through a local forest with a wildlife ranger experienced in looking for signs of squirrel activity.

Squirrels can be active throughout the day but early morning and late afternoon tend to provide the best chances of finding them on the move.

You’ll be looking for signs of recent feeding and listening out for animals moving in the trees.

We will also be keeping an eye out for other wildlife, including roe deer and the forest birds, including goldcrests. The forest is also home to pine marten, though daytime sightings remain quite rare.

The ground in the forest can be uneven so we recommend walking boots and warm clothing.

We’ll provide binoculars; phone cameras produce useable pics but for photographers a zoom in the 100mm to 400mm range is useful.

Patience can be required but please note that these are wild animals and we can never guarantee sightings.

Tickets cost £25 for an adult and £20 for a child. 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.