Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
W
mountainspirit.co.uk.
If you want to buy or rent
equipment, from ski boots and poles to mountaineering gear,
pay a visit to this friendly and well-stocked shop in the centre
of Aviemore.
Daily 9am-5.30pm.
The Ski School
In the Day Lodge, near the funicular
railway's base station in the Cairngorm Ski Area
T
08455 191191,
W
theskischool.co.uk.
A good bet for
ski/board rental and lessons, not least because of its
proximity to the funicular, which whizzes skiers up to the
slopes.
Courses run mid-Dec to early April.
OUTDOOR TRAINING
National Outdoor Training Centre
Glenmore Lodge,
8 miles east of Aviemore
T
01479 861256,
W
glenmorelodge.org.uk.
For a crash course in surviving
Scottish winters, you could do worse than try a week at the
National Outdoor Training Centre, at the east end of Loch
Morlich. This superbly equipped and organized centre
(complete with cosy après-ski bar) offers winter and
summer courses in hillwalking, mountaineering, alpine ski-
mountaineering, avalanche awareness and much more.
SKIING
G2 Outdoor
Plot 10, Dalfaber Industrial Estate,
Aviemore
T
01479 811008,
W
g2outdoor.co.uk.
The
experts at G2 Outdoor will provide one-to-one tuition in
the art of telemarking (£12/2hr) and back-country skiing.
In summer, they also run kayaking and canyoning trips.
Mountain Spirit
98 Grampian Rd
WATERSPORTS
Loch Insh Watersports Centre
Six miles up-valley
near Kincraig
T
01540 651272,
W
lochinsh.com.
Offers
sailing, windsurfing and canoeing trips and rents mountain
bikes (£19/day), as well as boats for fishing. To save visitors
travelling back and forth from Aviemore, the centre also
offers accommodation.
11
T
01479 811788,
ACCOMMODATION
HOTELS AND B&BS
Ì
Corrour House Hotel
Inverdruie, 2 miles southeast
of Aviemore
T
01479 810220,
W
corrourhousehotel
.co.uk.
A secluded small hotel, surrounded by countryside,
with a nice, classy vibe. Goo
d ch
oice if you want to avoid
staying in the centre of town.
£96
Glenmore Lodge
8 miles east of Aviemore
T
01479
861256,
W
glenmorelodge.org.uk.
Specialist outdoor
pursuits centre with excellent accommodation in en-suite
twin rooms and self-catered lodges - guests can make use
of the superb facilities, which include
a poo
l, weights room,
sauna and indoor climbing wall. Twin
s
£74
Ravenscraig Guest House 141
Grampian Rd
T
01479
810278,
W
aviemoreonline.com.
This welcoming, family-
friendly B&B has a handy central location. Single, double and
family rooms available, plus a wide choice of brea
kfast
options, including sausages bought from a local butcher.
£80
HOSTELS AND BUNKHOUSES
Aviemore Bunkhouse
Dalfaber Rd, next to the Old
Bridge Inn
T
01479 811181,
W
aviemore-bunkhouse
.com.
A large modern place beside a cosy pub and walking
distance from the st
ation
, with 6-
and
8-bed dorms, plus
private rooms. Dorm
s
£19
; double
s
£50
Aviemore SYHA
25 Grampian Rd
T
01479 810345,
W
syha.org.uk.
Aviemore's large SYHA hostel, with its own
bike store and drying room, has rather plain rooms but is
with
in easy
wal
king di
stanc
e of the town centre. Dorms
£17
; singles
£25
; twins
£45
Cairngorm Lodge
Six and a half miles east of
Aviemore, by Loch Morlich
T
01479 861238,
W
syha.
org.uk.
A SYHA hostel towards the Cairngorms at Loch
Morlich, located in an ol
d sho
oting
lodg
e.
Feb-Oct, plus
weekends in Jan.
Dorm
s
£17
; twin
s
£45
CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK
The
Cairngorms National Park
(
W
cairngorms.co.uk) covers almost 1750 square miles and
incorporates the Cairngorms massif, the largest mountainscape in the UK and the only sizeable
plateau in the country over 2500ft. It's the biggest national park in Britain, and while Aviemore
and the surrounding area are regarded as the main point of entry, particularly for those
planning outdoor activities, it's also possible to access the park from Perthshire as well as
Deeside and Donside in
Aberdeenshire
. Crossing the range is a significant challenge: by road
the only connection is the A939 from Tomintoul to Cock Bridge, frequently impassable in
winter due to snow, while on foot the only way to avoid the high peaks is to follow the old
cattle drovers' route called the
Lairig Ghru
, a very long day's walk between Inverdruie at the
edge of Rothiemurchus and the Linn of Dee, near Inverey.
The name Cairngorm comes from the Gaelic An Carm Gorm, meaning “the blue hill” after the
blueish-tinged stones found in the area. The park is home to a quarter of Scotland's native
woodland and a quarter of the UK's threatened wildlife species; the tracts of ancient
Caledonian forest at Rothiemurchus (see p.424) are even home to red squirrels.
