Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lecht Ski Area
Seven miles southeast of Tomintoul along the A939 • Open year-round • Full-day pass £28; ski rental costs £20/day from the ski school at the base
station • For information on skiing and road conditions, call the base station on T 01975 651440, or check W lecht.co.uk or W ski.visitscotland.com
he Lecht is the most remote of Scotland's ski areas, but it works hard to make itself
appealing with a range of winter and summer activities. While its runs include some
gentle beginners' slopes there's little really challenging for experienced skiers other than
a Snowboard Fun Park , with specially built jumps and ramps. Snow-making equipment
helps extend the snow season beyond January and February, while downhill bike tracks
open in the summer (there's no bike hire on site, though).
Huntly
he ancient burgh of HUNTLY , ten miles east of Dufftown, has one of the smallest and
prettiest, albeit rather skeletal, castles in the area. he town also makes a good base for
salmon fishing on the Deveron River, which flows right past the castle, and it is just on
the fringe of whisky country, with the isolated Glendronach Distillery (see box, p.431)
the nearest to town.
11
Huntly Castle
Half a mile north of town near the river • April-Sept daily 9.30am-5.30pm; Oct-Nov Mon-Wed, Sat & Sun 9.30am-4.30pm • £5.50; HS
Huntly Castle , power centre of the Gordon family, sits in a peaceful clearing on the
banks of the Deveron River, a ten-minute walk from the town centre down Castle
Street. Built over a period of five centuries, it became the headquarters of the Counter-
Reformation in Scotland in 1562. During the Civil War the earl of Huntly, who had
supported Charles I, was shot against his castle's walls, after which the place was left to
fall into ruin.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
HUNTLY
By train Huntly is on the main train route from Aberdeen
to Inverness. The station is on the east side of town, across
the River Bogie.
Destinations Aberdeen (up to 11 daily; 55min); Elgin (up
to 11 daily; 35min); Inverness (up to 11 daily; 1hr 25min).
By bus Buses arrive and depart from Gordon Street in the
town centre.
Destinations Aberdeen (hourly; 1hr 20min); Elgin (hourly;
1hr); Inverness (hourly; 2hr 30min).
INFORMATION
Tourist o ce 9a, The Square (April-Oct Mon-Sat
10am-5pm, July to mid-Aug also Sun 10am-4pm;
T 01466 792255). The friendly tourist o ce is in the
middle of town, on the main square, and can provide
information on the best places to go fishing.
ACCOMMODATION
Castle Hotel Marquis Drive T 01466 792696,
W castlehotel.uk.com. The former home of the duke of
Gordon is now a classy hotel that stands at the end of a
long driveway behind the castle ruins. The best rooms here
have four-poster beds and fireplaces, and the on-site
restaurant serv es ind ulgent mains like baked guinea fowl
for around £17. £135
Coynachie Guesthouse About 5 miles south of Huntly
in Gartly T 01466 720383, W coynachieguesthouse
.com. Handsome, family-run B&B in the countryside south
of Huntly, with thr ee good-sized bedrooms and a cosy
breakfast room. £84
 
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