Aviemore

Aviemore Europe > Britain and Ireland > United Kingdom > Scotland > Scottish Highlands > The Great Glen and Strathspey > Aviemore Aviemore (Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr ) is a town in the Spey Valley of Highland Scotland. It's the main base for skiing and other outdoor activities in Cairngorms National Park . It's the largest of a straggle of villages including Rothiemurcus and Coylumbridge, also described here, and in 2020 had a population of 3230. Understand The River Spey arises in the mountains near Fort Augustus and flows east, then its valley broadens and trends northeast. This more fertile area has been settled since prehistory, as shown by its Bronze Age stone circles. It became the main north-south route through Scotland, as you can follow the Tay / Tummel / Garry valley before crossing the moor to descend into the Spey valley, and in modern times the highway A9 and railway adopted this route. Speyside is higher and colder than the south - Aviemore itself is at 214 m (702 ft) elevation. Spring comes late, snow lingers on the summits, and the crags and birch woods feel Nordic in contrast to the douce banks of Tay. Beyond Aviemore the valley narrows again, to thread through forests towards the Moray coast. Highland scenery became popular in the 19th century, and Queen Victoria was one of many visitors. However the big lift in tourist numbers came in the 1960s when ski lifts were built on the slopes of Ben Macdui 12 miles east, and a resort village within Aviemore. The ski area was small and unreliable and the resort was a brutalist monstrosity, but together they gave thousands of visitors their start in winter sports. Eventually more congenial buildings replaced the resort, and from 2001 a funicular railway supported the ski area. This suffered a serious breakdown in 2018, and repair was impractical during the covid years, but it re-opened (thanks to a hefty taxpayer bail-out) in 2023. The ski area remains small, and cannot be extended without unacceptable damage to the Cairngorm mountain habitat. Its snow cover is becoming less reliable as climate change impacts, and it has long been recognised that Aviemore cannot make a living from winter sports alone. There is therefore a broader year-round offering of hill-walking, off-road biking, kayaking and rafting, orienteering, pony-trekking, wildlife-spotting and the like. Visitor information Visit Aviemore website Aviemore iCentre is the tourist office, 100 yards north of the railway station, open April-Oct Tu-Sa 9:30AM-5PM. Staff are friendly and informative. Get in By plane Inverness ( INV IATA ) is the closest airport, with connections across Europe and the UK. Edinburgh ( EDI IATA ) is a longer drive but has far more flights, and that airport is west of the city so you drive straight out onto M90 then A9 north. By train Aviemore is on the main railway from Edinburgh and Glasgow, with trains every hour or two. These take 3 hours via Stirling , Perth , Dunkeld & Birnam , Pitlochry and Kingussie , and continue north to Carrbridge and Inverness . Reaching Aviemore from England usually involves changing in Edinburgh, but one direct daytime train runs from London Kings Cross via York, Newcastle and Edinburgh, taking 7 hr 30 min. Nightly F-Su the Caledonian Sleeper leaves London Euston around 9PM to reach Aviemore by 7:45AM, continuing to Inverness; return timings are similar. See below for the heritage Strathspey Railway, which starts here. Other heritage trains sometimes run from the south through Aviemore to join the branch line to Boat of Garten. 🌍 Aviemore railway station is central in the village. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, a waiting room, cafe and toilets. There is step-free access to Platform 1 (for Inverness), and by level crossing to Platform 2 (southbound) and 3 (Strathspey Railway — buy tickets for this on the platform, not the mainline ticket office). By bus Buses run every hour or so from Edinburgh and Glasgow taking 3 hours via Perth, and continue north to Inverness. The main operators are Citylink , Parks of Hamilton (booked via Citylink) and Megabus . In 2023 a single adult fare is £15-20. The bus stop is outside the Cairngorm Hotel by the railway station. Travel from England involves changing in Edinburgh, and National Express don't venture this far north. Change in Inverness for Citylink buses to Portree and Uig on Skye, and to Ullapool, for ferries to the Outer Hebrides. By road Aviemore is just off the A9, which runs north to Inverness and Thurso, and south to Perth, Stirling and Edinburgh. It's mostly undivided, with long sweeping blind bends, and impatient traffic building up behind slow drivers; overtaking accidents are common, with cries for full highway dualling renewed after each fatality. Cyclists may use A9 throughout but will prefer to follow de-trunked loops of the former highway wherever possible. Aviemore is on one such loop, badged B9152. National Cycle Route 7 passes through Aviemore, running from Sunderland in England north to Inverness. That's nice to know but doesn't help over Drumochter Pass, where you have to share A9 (sometimes in poor visibility) with fast motor traffic. Get around Walk: Aviemore village straggles but is walkable. Rothiemurcus and Coylumbridge are within walking range (B970 has a sidewalk) but you need wheels to go further up to Loch Morlich and the Cairngorm. See "Do" for nearby walking trails. Buses hereabouts are run by Stagecoach Highland . Some you might use are: Bus 30 from Aviemore via Coylumbridge and Glenmore to Cairngorm ski area: daily, hourly 7AM-5:30PM. Bus 39 from Carrbridge via Aviemore and Kingussie to Newtonmore: every two hours M-Sa. A couple continue to Dalwhinnie. Bus 37 from Aviemore via Boat of Garten and Nethy Bridge to Grantown-on-Spey : every two hours M-Sa with four on Sunday. Bus X37 from Inverness via Tomatin, Carrbridge, Dulnain Bridge, Grantown, Nethy Bridge and Boat of Garten; five buses M-F and three on Saturday. Taxi firms in town are Aviemore Taxis ( ☏ +44 1479 811111 ), Gerry's ( ☏ +44 1479 812000 ), Weirs ( ☏ +44 1479 810141 ) and Doc's (+44 7971 736599). Highland Yaks (+44 7704 987325) specialise in activity transfers, for instance to put kayaks on the river at one point and uplift them at another. See 🌍 Aviemore Stone Circle sits incongruously amidst a housing estate: it's from the Bronze Age so it's about 5000 years old. The cairn within the stone circle has been grassed over for protection. This was a Clava-type annular burial chamber: cairns of this type were used once then sealed, without later burials or re-entry for ceremonies. 🌍 Grenish Stone Circle is two miles north in the forest next to the main railway line and is best reached from the path by the Strathspey Railway. It's similar to the Aviemore circle but the ruins of its annular cairn have been left uncovered. 🌍 Loch an Eilein is fringed by a path, a gentle 5-mile (8-km) circuit. In the woods are remains of old lime kilns and logging operations. However the main attraction is views of the ruined 14th-century castle on an islet; it could be reached by causeway until the loch water level was raised in the 18th century. In 1690 it saw the last action in Scotland of the original Jacobites, the forces of the ousted King James II / VII. Fleeing from a double drubbing at Cromdale, they tried to seize the castle but were repulsed by the stout widow who held it. The Hanoverians were hard on their heels so they scarpered, and it would fall to James' son the "Old Pretender" and grandson the "Young Pretender" (Bonnie Prince Charlie) to continue the cause. That was finally vanquished in 1746 at Culloden , to live on only in romanticising songs. The loch is reachable by a trail from Rothiemurchus. Bring a map or download an OpenStreetMap-based app like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz to help you navigate. Turn left just before Lochan Mor (the turn is slightly hard to spot, but if you miss it the other trail will also go to Loch An Eilein). You may see deer on the way, especially if you set off early before the other walkers have scared them away. It takes about an hour to walk to Loch An Eilein from Aviemore, and the loch is also reachable by car if you prefer. The circuit around the loch is popular with dog walkers and mountain bikers. Loch Gamhna is 200 yards (190 meters) south of Loch an Eilein and is somehow even more peaceful. You'll probably have it to yourself. Reach it by one of the side trails from Loch an Eilein that say "Path not maintained". In spring and summer, keep an eye out for ducks with ducklings. Ord Ban is a 400-m hill on the northwest flank of Loch An Eilein, another quieter (but muddy) trail. Compared to the path around the loch, this trail is much quieter, somewhat more challenging, and less maintained. The vegetation changes dramatically near the top of the hill, and the peak has views of the nearby landscape. If desired, this walk can be done in a loop that goes back to the loch. Wear long trousers because bare legs will attract ticks and midges. 🌍 Loch Morlich is a freshwater lake just before the road begins its long climb to Cairngorm. It has a sandy beach and is used for watersports, see below, and there's an easy 4 mile walking trail around it. 🌍 Cairngorm Reindeer Centre , Glenmore PH22 1QU , ☏ +44 1479 861228 . Daily 10AM-5PM . Reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ) roam free on the mountain tops, and may approach hikers for hand-outs, their great schnozzles searching like sticky hoover attachments. They especially expect to be fed on the hills around this Centre, which has guided walks two or three times a day. You need your own car to drive from the Centre to wherever the herd happens to be grazing. These walks are over rough boggy terrain: wellies or similar footwear is essential, and children should only join May-Dec when conditions are milder. A few reindeer stand in a paddock if you can't manage the walk or the weather's foul. Hill walk adult £22, conc £18.50, child £15 . ( updated Jul 2023 ) 🌍 Duke of Gordon's Monument is a tower in the woods commemorating George Gordon (1770-1836), Colonel-in-Chief of the Gordon Highlanders. His children were all illegitimate so the Dukedom died out with him. The tower was erected in 1840, as was his better-known commemorative tower at Elgin . 🌍 Delfour Stone Circle four miles southwest of town is of similar date and "Clava" design to the Aviemore ring but is a bit of a mess. Farmers have used it as a dumping ground for unwanted stones from the fields, so it's difficult to tell what's original circle or ring-cairn, and what's debris. It's on private land but you see enough from the lane. 🌍 Frank Bruce Sculpture Park is in the woods at Feshiebridge eight miles southwest of Aviemore. A free trail takes you past gnarly sculptures, now in decay — it was always the intention to let them rot. Do Strathspey Railway is a 10-mile heritage standard-gauge railway, often steam-hauled, with its south terminus at Aviemore Station Platform 3. The main collection of locomotives and rolling stock is at Boat of Garten, where you can also start your trip, but excursions from Aviemore make a long stop there. The train then chuffs on to Broomhill, where the line ends in the fields, so it reverses. Extension to Grantown is thwarted by the A85, which the council promised to re-align then baulked at the cost. Trains run Apr-Oct W-Su, with three round trips taking 1 hr 45 min. Return fares in 2023 are adult £19.50, conc £17.50, child £9.75, dog £3, meals extra. Speyside Way is a hiking and cycling trail alongside the heritage railway from Aviemore to Boat of Garten and Broomhill. Thereafter it follows the old trackbed northeast via Nethy Bridge and Grantown-on-Spey to the coast at Buckie. Lairig Ghru is a 19-mile (31-km) route through the Cairngorms from Coylumbridge to [... truncated ...]

By Plane

The nearest major international airports serve Scotland with connections from across the UK, Europe, and beyond. Regional airports in the area provide additional domestic and European services. Airport buses and taxis connect to the town centre.

By Train

The local railway station is served by regular services on the British rail network. Train services connect to major cities across Scotland and the wider UK. National Rail Enquiries provides schedule and fare information. Advance booking typically offers better rates.

By Car / Road

Aviemore is accessible by road via the UK's motorway and A-road network. Major routes connect the town to nearby cities and regions. Bus services provide affordable connections. Parking is generally available in designated areas in and around the town centre.

Aviemore is compact and easily explored on foot. The town centre, with its shops, restaurants, and historical buildings, is pedestrian-friendly. For exploring the surrounding countryside and nearby attractions, a car is recommended. Local bus services operate within the town and to neighbouring communities. Taxis are available for shorter journeys.

• The historic town or city centre with its traditional architecture

• Local landmarks, churches, and heritage buildings

• Scenic viewpoints and natural attractions in the surrounding area

• Nearby parks, gardens, and outdoor spaces

• Walking tours exploring the town's heritage and architecture

• Outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and watersports in the surrounding area

• Visiting local museums, galleries, and cultural centres

• Exploring nearby countryside, coastline, or parks

• Sampling local food and drink at pubs, restaurants, and cafes

Dining options in Aviemore range from traditional gastropubs and cafés to fine-dining restaurants. Local specialities include fresh seafood, locally sourced meat and game, and seasonal produce. Many establishments pride themselves on using local ingredients and supporting regional producers.

Typical British pub fare (fish and chips, Sunday roasts, pies) is widely available, alongside international cuisines reflecting the area's diversity. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are increasingly common.

Traditional pubs serving local ales are found throughout the town. Craft beer has a growing presence, with local microbreweries supplying both pubs and bottle shops. Tea rooms and cafés offer a quintessentially British experience. The area is well-served by coffee shops and independent roasters.

Budget

• Budget hotels and hostel accommodation available, with dorm beds from £20/night.

Mid-range

• Bed & breakfasts and guesthouses offer doubles from £70–120 per night.
• Chain hotels (Premier Inn, Travelodge, Holiday Inn) provide consistent quality.

Upscale

• Boutique hotels, country house hotels, and historic inns offer doubles from £150.

Local shops offer a range of goods from well-known brands to local crafts and speciality foods. Markets and independent retailers provide character and authentic finds. Typical opening hours are Monday–Saturday 09:00–17:30, with some stores open on Sundays. Many towns have a weekly market day.

From Aviemore, travellers can easily continue exploring other destinations within Scotland and the wider United Kingdom. The well-connected transport network makes it straightforward to reach neighbouring towns, cities, and attractions.