Located in the Scottish Highlands, Ballintean Mountain Lodge has given nature the space and freedom to recover for three decades, demonstrating the transformative power of rewilding. Complemented by a strong commitment to communication and knowledge exchange, the lodge now brings inspiration, insight, and long-standing expertise to the network.
A pioneering property
Nestled in the heart of Glen Feshie — one of the most captivating valleys in the Scottish Highlands — Ballintean Mountain Lodge has joined Rewilding Europe’s European Rewilding Network, strengthening the presence of UK initiatives within this growing community of rewilding practitioners. Over the past 30 years, the family-run property in the Cairngorms National Park has quietly demonstrated the power of patient, process-led rewilding — allowing nature to recover and reshape the land with minimal intervention.
The lodge is owned and managed by Peter Cairns — a renowned conservation photographer and communicator, and founder of leading Scottish rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture — together with his wife Amanda Flanagan. Set within a landscape that has become emblematic of Scotland’s rewilding journey, the lodge occupies a glen that has witnessed significant nature recovery in recent years. Yet Ballintean’s commitment to nature-led restoration began decades earlier, at a time when rewilding was still far from becoming the mainstream conservation movement it is today.
Letting nature lead
The 52 hectares of land surrounding Ballintean Mountain Lodge — which was formerly an equestrian centre — encompass a rich mosaic of habitats typical of the Scottish Highlands: regenerating native woodland, scrub, and species-rich floodplain meadow. The lodge’s rewilding-focused management approach is focused on restoring and strengthening natural processes — particularly natural grazing and free-flowing river dynamics.
Over the coming decade, the Ballintean team will continue this approach, working to further revitalise local habitats, support the return of water voles and beavers, reintroduce semi-wild ponies, and enhance Atlantic salmon populations. The osprey — Scotland’s iconic fish-eating raptor — acts as the lodge’s flagship species, symbolising healthy rivers and thriving fish stocks.
Strengthening a growing European movement
The rapidly growing European Rewilding Network now connects more than 100 rewilding initiatives across nearly 30 countries, fostering peer-to-peer learning and amplifying the impact of practical, results-oriented rewilding across the continent. By joining the network, Ballintean Mountain Lodge brings valuable expertise and long-standing experience from the Scottish Highlands to the network’s burgeoning membership.
“One of the main motivations for joining is to stay connected with the latest developments in rewilding across Europe and to exchange insights on communications and wildlife coexistence,” says Peter Cairns. “As rewilding matures, effective engagement with communities, land managers, and policymakers is becoming ever more important.”
A living example of Scottish rewilding
The story of Ballintean is intertwined with the wider evolution of rewilding in Scotland. Intensively managed for timber and sporting interests, nature was degraded across much of the Scottish Highlands for centuries. In recent decades, however, a growing movement has sought to reverse this trend by restoring native woodland, breathing new life into rivers, and supporting wildlife comeback — and enabling local communities to benefit from this recovery. Located to the northwest of Ballintean, the Affric Highlands became the ninth landscape in Rewilding Europe’s portfolio in 2021.
Glen Feshie itself has become one of the most celebrated examples of landscape-scale rewilding in the UK. Natural woodland regeneration, reduced grazing pressure from deer, and restored natural processes are transforming the valley into a wilder, more resilient landscape. Ballintean complements and contributes to this broader recovery by demonstrating how privately owned land and nature-based tourism can align with the principles of rewilding.
Together with Wild Sweden, Ballintean Mountain Lodge is one of the first European Rewilding Network members located outside Rewilding Europe’s operational landscapes to be represented on Wilder Places — Rewilding Europe’s dedicated rewilding tourism booking platform. Experiences at Ballintean feature on the platform through its collaboration with SCOTLAND: The Big Picture — itself a member of the network — marking an important step forward in scaling up rewilding tourism across Europe and strengthening a continent-wide community of nature-positive experience providers.
Rewilding, learning and exchange
In addition to hands-on rewilding, Ballintean Mountain Lodge plays an important role in communication and knowledge exchange. Working in frequent partnership with SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, the property regularly hosts land managers, NGOs, policymakers, and other stakeholders for immersive experiences — from informal “walk and talk” visits to structured residential training courses and curated rewilding journeys. By blending practical demonstration with engaging dialogue and powerful storytelling, the lodge inspires support for rewilding among a wide range of people.
“In my previous role as Executive Director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, I was involved in building partnerships and developing networks across Scotland and beyond,” says Peter Cairns. “With my passion for rewilding as strong as ever, I’m now keen to forge new collaborations through Ballintean.”
A hopeful vision for the Highlands
Ballintean’s approach reflects a broader shift in conservation thinking — from controlling and managing nature towards enabling natural processes and trusting ecosystems to recover and mange themselves. In the face of biodiversity decline and climate change, such approaches offer renewed hope — demonstrating that landscapes can regain functionality, resilience, and beauty when given the space, freedom, and time.
From the return of woodland and wetland mosaics to the prospect of resurgent beaver and salmon populations reshaping and enhancing rivers, the vision for Ballintean is one of recovery and coexistence. At the same time, the lodge’s nature-based tourism and educational activities show how rewilding can support rural livelihoods and inspire new and more profound connections with the natural world.
By joining the European Rewilding Network, Ballintean Mountain Lodge is not only celebrating three decades of nature recovery — it is also looking to the future. Through collaboration, shared learning, and collective ambition, initiatives like Ballintean are helping to shape a wilder, more resilient future for landscapes in the Scottish Highlands and beyond.
Let’s rewild together
Rewilding Europe extends a warm welcome to all European rewilding initiatives that focus on practical, results-oriented rewilding and encourages them to apply for European Rewilding Network membership.