The Scottish Big Five

AH!" exclaimed Duncan Macdonald, bending to examine a sticky swirl of animal droppings. "Pine marten scat." He squished off a piece and sniffed it thoughtfully. "It's meant to smell of parma violets. Here ..." He held some out on his finger.

"What do you think?"

Thankfully, I couldn't smell much: maybe you need special training - or maybe my nose was just too cold to function.

I was in the Cairngorms National Park with Duncan, a guide with Speyside Wildlife, and we'd been walking for hours in an icy drizzle, through one of the last remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forest. It was part of my bid to track Britain's "Big Five" - otter, badger, pine marten, fox and the elusive Scottish wildcat - though they are not particularly big and they also tend to be shy.

Scotland is the only place you've got a hope of finding them, and since it also boasts creatures like the red squirrel, golden eagle and mountain hare, it's the best place in the country for wildlife watching - though you need a guide.

Pine martens are nocturnal and to see them you must go to a hide with an exterior light. On my first evening, Duncan took a torch and led me through the darkness to one on the Rothiemurchus Estate. He scattered peanuts, sultanas and clots of peanut butter outside to attract them, though as he explained, these were just titbits: "They mostly eat rodents, beetles and eggs, as well as the occasional rabbit. They've got very sharp teeth."

Pine Martens obviously have a sweet tooth, too - within 10 minutes one was enthusiastically licking a daub of peanut butter from a stone. With its soft, chocolate fur and bushy tail it was larger than I'd expected, like a glossy stoat. Two more soon appeared and began scuffling. Then two young badgers lumbered out of the trees and began hoovering up peanuts.

They were so close, I could see beads of dew glistening on their fur. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, a roe deer slipped cautiously out of the shadows and began to graze.

While it might not be as glamorous as Africa - you pack fleeces, waterproofs and woolly hats rather than shades and shorts - a Scottish safari doesn't have to mean roughing it. I stayed in one of Aviemore's new woodland lodges, which together with a four-star hotel and spa are making this once tired resort a great Highland base.

The lodges are Scandinavian in style, with polished wooden floors, squashy sofas and well-equipped kitchens.

Comfort is important, as to appreciate Scotland's wildlife you have to walk - and wait.

After spending the next morning frozen as we fruitlessly looked for red squirrels, we spent the afternoon getting even colder at Loch Garten, searching for otters.

In summer, hundreds of visitors come here to watch the ospreys that nest nearby - but in the autumn it is quiet.

Our blood chilled slowly as we scanned the water time and again, while the light on the mountains changed from golden to grey and finally to surly black. We spotted a buzzard - or "tourist eagle" as it's known locally - but not a hint of an otter. I made full use of the spa that night, thankful that they included massage among the treatments on offer.

As in Africa, you need to get up early to see the most elusive animals. It's rare even to see a sign of a wildcat, but I did hope to spot a capercaillie - not one of the Big Five, but a bird so scarce in Britain it's in danger of extinction.

On my last morning, we set off soon after dawn to walk in the Abernethy Forest. We hadn't got far when Duncan pointed to a pawprint, clearly pressed into a patch of mud.

"Wildcat," he said. "It's very distinctive, there are no claw marks like you'd get with a dog." I felt as excited as if it had been the print of a lion.

We walked on and passed mounds of regurgitated rowan berries, left by queasy pine martens, and heard the strange bubbling call of a black grouse.

Eventually, we came across a ribbon of grey dung filled with pine needles.

"Capercaillie," whispered Duncan. "And it's fresh."

We looked around, but could see nothing. And then, just as I'd given up, there was a clatter of feathers and a large black capercaillie disappeared into the trees.

Who needs Africa?

WAY TO GO Woodland lodges at Aviemore Highland Resort, which sleep six, cost from Pounds 550 for three nights (0845 125 5455, www.

aviemorehighlandresort.com).

Wildlife guides from Speyside Wildlife (01479 812498, www.speysidewildlife.co.uk). BMI (0870 6070 555, www.flybmi.com) flies from Heathrow to Inverness, from Pounds 60 return. www.visitaviemore.com

(c)2005. Associated Newspapers Ltd.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.