Welcome to Forsinard Lodge
A Highland Retreat for Nature Lovers, Photographers and Exploerers
Forsinard Lodge sits amongst some of the most wild and unspoilt scenery in northern Scotland. Located just 1km from the tiny hamlet of Forsinard, the lodge dates back to 1870 and has a long and colourful history.
Originally built as a hunting and fishing lodge on the Duke of Sutherland’s estate, it later became the main house of the Forsinard Estate. Today, the surrounding landscape is part of the vast Flow Country, with over 21,000 hectares of peatland, strath and woodland managed by the RSPB as one of the UK’s most important nature reserves.
The lodge itself sits within four acres of grounds beside the Halladale River, with views across the strath towards the beautiful hill of Ben Griam Beg. It’s a peaceful place where travellers can slow down, enjoy the landscape, and experience the quiet beauty of the far north of Scotland.
Today, Forsinard Lodge is home to:
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Three comfortable guest rooms
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A welcoming tea room serving home-baked food and refreshments
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A small gift shop featuring books and locally inspired items
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Photography holidays, workshops and courses run throughout the year
Whether you’re staying overnight, visiting the Flow Country, or simply stopping for tea and cake, Adrienne, Janet and David look forward to welcoming you.
Stay in the Heart of Scotland’s Wild Flow Country
Historic Highland lodge, peaceful guest rooms, home baking and photography experiences in one of Europe’s most remarkable landscapes.
The Forsinard Lodge Tea Room offers a warm welcome to travellers exploring the far north of Scotland.
Overlooking the burns, woodland and mountains surrounding the lodge, it’s the perfect place to relax with a pot of tea, fresh coffee and something homemade.
The Flow Country – a unesco world heritage landscape
The Flow Country is one of Europe’s most remarkable landscapes – a vast expanse of peatland, lochans and open moor stretching across the far north of Scotland. In 2024 the Flow Country was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, highlighting the global importance of this extraordinary peatland landscape and the role it plays in storing carbon and supporting rare wildlife.
From the lodge you can look across the strath towards the rounded hills of Ben Griam Beg and Ben Griam Mòr, two distinctive mountains that rise above the peatlands and have shaped the character of the area for centuries.
This landscape has a long and fascinating cultural history. Once part of the great Sutherland estates, the surrounding straths were home to small crofting communities and later became known for their sporting estates and remote Highland lodges. Today much of the land around Forsinard is protected as part of the RSPB reserve, helping to restore and safeguard this globally important peatland habitat.
The Flow Country supports a unique mix of wildlife adapted to life on the bogs and open moor. Golden plovers call across the peatlands in spring, hen harriers quarter the hillsides, and red deer roam the surrounding straths. Wildlife can be elusive in such a vast landscape, but that sense of space and quiet is part of what makes the area so special.
Visitors often come here not just to look for wildlife, but to experience the atmosphere of the Highlands — wide skies, distant hills, winding rivers and the feeling of being in one of the wildest parts of Scotland.
Meet our Team
Guides, Creators, Hosts
I’ve worked in the photography industry since I was 16, starting out in camera shops where I developed a strong interest in both the technical and creative sides of photography. Those early years gave me the opportunity to handle a huge range of cameras and equipment, and helped build the knowledge that still underpins my approach today.
I work with both digital and analogue systems and enjoy using a range of different cameras depending on the subject and situation. I regularly use Canon equipment alongside Fujifilm medium format cameras, and I also maintain a large collection of analogue cameras. In recent years I’ve been enjoying returning to film photography, and I’m currently planning the creation of a darkroom so I can spend more time working with traditional black-and-white processes again.
I’ve loved photography since receiving my first camera at the age of 13. That early curiosity led me to study photography at college, where I developed a strong grounding in traditional techniques, spending many hours working with film, medium format cameras, and black-and-white darkroom printing.
Over the years I’ve worked with a wide range of camera systems and still regularly use Canon equipment, while also enjoying the flexibility of smaller Fujifilm system for certain types of photography. For me, the camera itself is simply a tool — the real joy comes from slowing down, observing the landscape closely, and learning to notice the small details that make each place unique.
After a 25-year career in HR and qualifying as a solicitor, I decided it was time for a change of pace and to follow something I had always loved — cooking. That decision eventually led me to join Wild Arena in 2018.
Cooking has always been something I’ve enjoyed, particularly preparing homemade food that people can relax and enjoy after a day out exploring the Highlands. Whether it’s baking for the tea room, preparing breakfasts for guests, or creating meals for photography holiday groups, I enjoy making sure everyone is looked after.