The visitors came from far afield - some from the UK, and others from the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy, Norway and Argentina. The group was led by Charles Notcutt, Chairman of the Tours Committee of the IDS and former Member of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society. He visited Rothiemurchus many times as a child, and was particularly keen to return, commenting: "My mother was a Macpherson, so I feel very much at home in Speyside!"

Johnnie Grant of Rothiemurchus said:

"We are very pleased to have hosted a visit from this prestigious Society. Naturally we are very proud of our natural heritage, and we were also delighted to be able to explain how the careful management of the forest is helping to retain the Caledonian Pine Forest in perpetuity. Later this summer, we'll be publishing our Forest Plan which will set out detailed plans for managing and safeguarding this special part of the natural history of Scotland."

The action-packed programme took the visitors on a special tour of the estate, by coach, Land Rover and on foot. Starting with a visit to Tullochgrue, they saw the spectacular Scots Pine tree which features in the Rothiemurchus logo (see above). They then went on to the Doune of Rothiemurchus via the high point off Balvattan and the picturesque Loch an Eilein. Along the way, they enjoyed a guided commentary by Johnnie and Philippa Grant, along with specialist estate staff, revealing some of the many fascinating aspects of the forest at Rothiemurchus. In addition to finding out about the age and species mix of the trees at Rothiemurchus, the visitors also heard about hut circles, the Cairngorms, glaciation, regeneration, deer management, the tree line and the castle at Loch an Eilein. The visit ended at the Doune where, by special request, they saw a 19th century map of planting on the estate, and compared it with today's parkland.

At the end of the visit, Charles Notcutt thanked everyone for the visit, and commented:

"We were thrilled by our visit to Rothiemurchus and much admired the management of this traditional highland estate for the benefit of the wildlife and the general public. Rothiemurchus is a shining example of multiple land use"