The Cairngorm Capital Foundation
The Cairngorm Capital Foundation was established in 2021 by Cairngorm Capital’s partners, as a way for us to support the causes about which we are most passionate and to make a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate.
Our firm’s Scottish heritage naturally draws us to projects that focus on protecting and restoring the landscape and wild habitats of the Scottish Highlands but we are always on the lookout for initiatives elsewhere in the country that align with our ethos and values.
The Foundation’s most recent activities include:
Woodland Wheels
Professional pump track in the Cairngorms National Park
Development of a free-for-all, state of the art mountain bike track in a woodland setting is a perfect example of community enhancing projects Cairngorm Foundation is proud to support.
The track provides a safe place for riders of all ages to exercise, whilst interacting with wildlife in a spectacular natural surroundings. Open to the public since 2022, the pump track is the first of its kind in the Highlands and caters not only for cyclists, but also skaters and e-bikers.
The track now hosts a whole array of events including “Race The Worlds” North region qualifying race
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Our Rewilding Journey
Braving the elements, Cairngorm Capital’s team of volunteers travelled to the depths of the Northwoods rewilding reserve to experience first-hand the achievements of our partner charity Scotland The Big Picture and their collaborators.
Over three enjoyable and learning-filled days, we had the opportunity to observe the changing landscape of the Glenfeshie Estate. In recent years, native woodland has been regenerating at pace, creating a welcoming environment for countless previously absent species;
A hike into Glenfeshie Estate
A place once affiliated with large scale deforestation is now regenerating rapidly, offering visitors a glimpse of how the Scottish Highlands may look like once again, if nature is given a chance to thrive.
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Getting a different viewpoint
We climbed up a steep forest path to take in the majestic views of the re-forested valley below, forming part of Cairngorms Connect restoration project. It’s a vast area covering 230 sq miles and created through a partnership of neighbouring, like-minded land managers dedicated to a long-term vision of enhancing habitats and species within the Cairngorms National Park.
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Against the odds
We enjoyed an al fresco lunch break on the edges of River Truim, cheering on Scotland’s Atlantic salmon, the “King of Fish”, making their way up the choppy waterfalls. We learned about the perilous journey each one of them must take each year to ensure the species’ survival.
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Putting down new roots
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for arrived, as we spent our last morning planting native trees – a mix of the early pioneer woodland established and supported by the Cairngorm Capital Foundation.
In less than 2 hours, nearly 50 young saplings were safely deposited in the soil, which to our enthusiastic group seemed like a great result. We plan to return regularly to see the progress as our saplings mature. A few additional trips will be required to match that of our guide and local ranger Mark, with more than 7000 trees already planted and thriving at his Northwood site.
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Our re-wilding journey was organised for us and guided by Peter Cairns and SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.
Cairngorm Foundation Edinburgh Summer Event
A party with a purpose!
The Cairngorm Foundation Team recently had a pleasure of hosting our first Edinburgh summer “party with a purpose”. Our special guests from “Scotland – The Big Picture” charity, led by Pete Cairns joined us for the evening and shared the latest information on the state of Scotland’s nature. We also discussed various ways in which we can all contribute to help the natural habitats thrive, and all the good things already taking place in the continuous restoration process.
Paired with chilled prosecco and astonishingly dry and warm weather, we couldn’t have dreamt of a better way to welcome the start of the Scottish summer! Big thanks to The Big Picture Team and to all our fantastic guests for joining us and making our special summer party a success.
Giraffe about Town – Edinburgh City
The Edinburgh’s Giraffe Trail has now come to an end, not only successfully helping to raise vital funds for future RZSS wildlife conservation projects, but also reviving the streets of Edinburgh City.
Cairngorm Capital Foundation is proud to have sponsored this important cause and tell the story of Scotland’s endangered species with our sculpture’s charismatic design, which was also voted the most popular design by the visiting public.
Cairngorm Capital Foundation – Giraffe About Town
#RZSS
The Cairngorms (Scottish Gaelic: Am Monadh Ruadh) are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain of the same name—Cairn Gorm (Gaelic: An Càrn Gorm, meaning Blue or Green Hill). They form part of the Grampian Mountain range.
The Cairngorms feature the highest, coldest and snowiest plateaux in the British Isles and are home to five of the six highest mountains in the UK:
• Ben Macdui (1309 m)
• Braeriach (1296 m)
• Cairn Toul (1293 m)
• Sgor an Lochain Uaine (1258 m)
• Cairn Gorm (1245 m)
Cairngorm Capital’s motifs are inspired by the flowing contour lines of these ancient mountains and by the colours of the heather, granite, forests and lochs that illuminate the rugged landscape.
