AND FINALLY... GOLDEN EAGLES IN SCOTLAND t

ALLADALE Wilderness Reserve, in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, is an out-and-out rewilding success story.

The 23,000-acre utopia is just an hour north of Inverness, yet you’ll feel as if you’ve tumbled into Tolkien’s Middle-earth. That’s because the team here have been working tirelessly for years to restore the area to its former lush glory, reintroducing species and planting close to a million native trees.

As such, wildlife-spotting opportunities are superlative – an otter here, a red squirrel there (there are now more than 300 in the area) – but it’s the golden eagles that patrol the skies above that truly demand attention.

Alladale is a reliable location to try to secure a sighting of the stunning birds of prey. Book a guided hike with one of the rangers and you’ll get intel into the resident breeding pair and nesting sites, as well as the colossal white-tailed sea eagles that also roam these verdant hunting grounds.

Why so special? The splendid isolation. This is a place where you really are getting away from it all – the on-site self-catering Deanich Lodge is thought to be one of the most remote buildings in Britain. What else can I see? Pine martens, ospreys and mighty stags. A programme is also in swing to breed and reintroduce Scottish wildcats – one of the world’s rar- est felines – and if ambitions come to fruition, wolves. Dates Available year-round. Deanich Lodge can be booked from 2-16 guests from £40pp a night

(alladale.com).