At the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, this valley of the River Spey with its ancient pinewoods, boasts some of Scotland’s finest attractions and a great range of outdoor activities.
Find accommodation around the mountain resort of Aviemore by the River Spey. Select your accommodation type below.
Wildlife park, waterslides, preserved steam railway, Britain’s highest funicular railway and lots more – all set against a backdrop of mountains and pinewoods.
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Learn to windsurf or dinghy-sail, take a canoe on the Spey, go pony-trekking (the sport was invented here), shoot clays, fish, golf – or go walking. There’s a huge choice in the Cairngorms National Park.
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With crested tits and crossbills in the pinewoods, and ospreys now common, this is great country for birdwatchers. Among the mammals, reintroduced reindeer are a local speciality.
This valley of the River Spey has some of the best heathland golf in Britain. Golfers who have discovered the Cairngorms came back time and time again.
With such spectacular terrain, there are plenty of adventure and activity operators in the Cairngorms National Park, offering courses and organised experiences in everything from extreme winter survival to watersports.
Adventure Activities in Aviemore and the Cairngorms
The communities and little towns of the Cairngorms National Park have a variety of origins – but all welcome visitors and make excellent bases for further exploring.
The Strathspey Railway captures the atmosphere of an old Scottish branch line and has fine views of the Cairngorms, the setting for Britain's highest funicular railway.
Family attractions are a feature of this area, with the ever-popular Landmark Centre at Carrbridge a great day out - as is the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig.
Leault Working Sheepdogs
Cairngorm Reindeer Centre
Wooden water pipes for London, milled at Rothiemurchus and Abernethy, were once rafted down the River Spey to the sea. Most timber went down river, unmilled, in great floats of round logs. At the river mouth shipbuilding yards flourished. Today at Loch Morlich and Loch an Eilean you can still see the remains of dams that were used in these log floating days.
No where else in-land has such great sandy beaches. Loch Morlich, with a wide stretch of fine sand beside the pine trees, is the place to be on a hot sunny day. Loch Laggan in the west has an equally large beach accessed from the A86, at the east end of the loch.
Loch Morlich Watersports
