The Central Highlands - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 163

In summer, the main activities around Aviemore are walking (see box opposite) and
watersports, and there are great opportunities for pony trekking and fly-fishing (for the
latter, the Aviemore tourist office provides a brochure outlining which permits you'll need).
For both the adventurous and novice cyclist, the entire region is great for mountain biking;
the Rothiemurchus Estate has several excellent (and non-technical) way-marked trails
running through its extensive lands. Sailing, windsurfing and canoeing are also popular,
with a specialist centre at Loch Insh providing lessons and loaning out equipment.
Wintertime sees the tourist focus switch away from the lochs and rivers and up
towards the surrounding slopes, home to a well-established ski resort, a dogsled centre,
and a herd of reindeer - a species reintroduced to Scotland from Scandinavia - now
acting as an unlikely tourist attraction.

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Strathspey Steam Railway
Aviemore Station, Dalfaber Rd • July & Aug three times daily; less regular service at other times • £13 return • T 01479 810725,
W strathspeyrailway.co.uk
The main attractions of Aviemore are its outdoor pursuits, though train enthusiasts are also
drawn to the restored Strathspey Steam Railway , which chugs the short distance between
Aviemore and Broomhill, just beyond Boat of Garten village. The return journey takes an
hour and a half, with glimpses of the Cairngorm Mountains visible through the trees.

Cairngorm Sleddog Adventure Centre
Moormore Cottage, 3 miles east of Aviemore on the Rothiemurchus Estate • Sledding Oct-April, by appointment • Museum £8; 30min
sled experience £60/person; 3hr sleddog safaris £175/person • T 07767 270526, W sled-dogs.co.uk
Between Loch Morlich and Inverdruie lies the Cairngorm Sleddog Adventure Centre ,
the UK's only sleddog centre. On a pre-booked tour of the centre's museum you can
meet the centre's dogs and learn more about the history of sledding. More exhilarating
are the centre's thirty-minute trips through the forest on a wheeled or ski-based sled,
pulled by around ten dogs.

Cairngorm Reindeer Centre
6.5 miles southeast of Aviemore, on the road to Glenmore Lodge • Daily 10am-5pm • Guided excursions 11am & 2.30pm; July & Aug also
3.30pm • £12 • T 01479 861228, W cairngormreindeer.co.uk
One of the more unusual attractions in the area, the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre by
Loch Morlich is home to around 140 animals, some of them free-roaming. Although
the reindeer here today were all born in Scotland, they are descended from a small
group brought to the area from Sweden and Norway in the 1950s and 1960s. Visitors
can feed and pet the group of reindeer kept by the centre or, during summer, embark
on a four-hour reindeer trek in the surrounding hills (£50).

Cairngorm Ski Area
9 miles southeast of Aviemore • Ski season Dec-April, but varies depending on snowfall • T 01479 861319, W cairngormmountain.org •
Buses from Aviemore wind past Inverdruie, stopping at the Coire Cas car park, near the funicular railway's base station
By continental European and North American standards it's all on a tiny scale, but
occasionally snow and sun coincide at the Cairngorm Ski Area high above Loch Morlich
in Glenmore Forest Park to offer beginner and expert alike a great day on the pistes.
The ski area is well served by public transport; from the car park at Coire Cas (2150ft),
the year-round funicular railway (see opposite) is the principal means of getting to the
top of the ski slopes.

Base station
Accessed via the Coire Cas car park • Ranger o ce daily: April-Oct 8.30am-5pm; Nov-March 8.30am-4.30pm • Free
At the Cairngorm Ski Area base station there's a ranger o ce where you can find out
about various trails, check the latest weather report and - on fine days between
May and October - join guided walks. The “Guided Walk @ The Top” (£15.95; allow