Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from which ice hockey and golf evolved. Newtonmore itself is notable for its
top-notch
folk museum
, and there are plenty of mountain-biking routes in the
forests to the south.
Highland Folk Museum
Kingussie Road • Daily: April-Aug 10.30am-5.30pm; Sept & Oct 11am-4.30pm • Free; donation requested •
W
highlandfolk.com
Newtonmore's chief attraction is the excellent
Highland Folk Museum
. he outdoor
site is a living history museum, with reconstructions of a working croft, a water-
powered sawmill and a church where recitals on traditional Highland instruments
are given.
Laggan Wolftrax
Eight miles southwest of Newtonmore on the A86, just beyond the junction with the A889 from Dalwhinnie • Free; car parking £3/day •
T
01463 791575,
W
www.forestry.gov.uk
Laggan Wolftrax
is a superb, free facility with more than twenty miles of marked
mountain-biking trails to suit all abilities. he three-mile-long green route is the best
place for those starting out, but expert riders might prefer the gruelling black route,
which traverses a steep and rocky staircase made up of uneven slabs.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
11
NEWTONMORE
By train
The train station is south of the centre on
Station Road.
Destinations
Edinburgh (Mon-Sat 3 daily, Sun 2 daily; 2hr
30min); Glasgow (Mon-Sat 2 daily, Sun 1 daily; 2hr
20min); Inverness (Mon-Sat 5 daily, Sun 3 daily; 55min);
Kingussie (Mon-Sat 5 daily, Sun 3 daily; 5min).
By bus
Buses for Edinburgh and Inverness arrive and
depart from Main Street.
Destinations
Edinburgh (Mon-Fri 5 daily; 3hr 25min);
Inverness (Mon-Sat 8 daily, Sun 5 daily; 1hr 10min);
Kingussie (roughly hourly; 5min).
INFORMATION
Tourist information
For tourist information, including
maps of walking trails that pass local waterfalls and forests,
try the volunteer-run Wildcat Centre on Main Street
(June-Aug Mon & Thurs 9.30am-12.30pm, Tues & Sat
9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm; Sept-May Mon, Thurs & Sat
9.30am-12.30pm;
T
01540 673131).
ACCOMMODATION
Coig Na Shee
Laggan Road, a 10-minute walk west of
Main Street
T
01540 670109,
W
coignashee.co.uk.
A
soothingly decorated B&B in an old Edwardian hunting l
odge
.
Bright rooms with free wi-fi and good en-suite facilities.
£75
The Pottery Bunkhouse
Eight miles south of
Newtonmore at Laggan Bridge
T
01528 544231,
W
potterybunkhouse.co.uk.
The most convenient
accommodation for Laggan Wolftrax, with an excellent
coffee shop, good-value r
oom
s and even an outdoor hot
tub (extra charge). Dorms
£12
(bedding £4 extra)
Speyside
Strictly speaking, the term
SPEYSIDE
refers to the entire region surrounding the River
Spey, but to most people the name is synonymous with the “
whisky triangle
”,
stretching from just north of Craigellachie, down towards Tomintoul in the south and
east to Huntly. Indeed, there are more whisky distilleries and famous brands
concentrated in this small area than in any other part of the country.
At the centre of Speyside is the quiet market town of
Dufftown
, full of solid,
stone-built workers' houses and dotted with no fewer than nine whisky distilleries. It's
one of the best bases for a tour of whisky country, whether you're on the o
cial Malt
Whisky Trail or more independent explorations. Fewer visitors take the chance to
discover the more remote glens, such as Glenlivet, which push higher up towards the
Cairngorm massif, nestled into which is Britain's highest village,
Tomintoul
, situated on
the edge of both whisky country and a large expanse of wild uplands. hough not
