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 Aviemore Railway Station |
 The Cairngorms |
 Carrbridge |
Aviemore is a year-round tourist destination, now bypassed by the A9 on its way north to Inverness. It first developed with the coming of the railways in the later 1800s, and then as a ski resort in the 1960s. In recent years Aviemore has done much to overcome the concrete image given it by the 1960s architects.
The Cairn Gorm Ski Centre is Britain's biggest ski area with 28 runs and over 35km of pistes. The season runs between December and April. Access is by road and the centre is just eight miles from Aviemore. The CairnGorm Mountain Railway opened at the end of 2001 to replace the old ski lifts and in 2002 CairnGorm Mountain won the Good Ski & Snowboarding Guide's "Golden Ski Award" for the most improved ski resort.
Summer visitors who used to use the chairlfts to flock to the summit of Cairn Gorm now choose between walking to the summit from the base station car parks at a height of 630m, or using the funicular to access the range of facilities and viewing terrace at the Ptarmigan top station.
Aviemore is popular with walkers. For the truly adventurous, a spectacular walk starts from near Aviemore, takes in the Lairig Ghru Pass through the Cairngorms and finishes in Braemar. This is not, however, for the faint-hearted, the inexperienced, or the ill-equipped as the whole walk is 24-miles long and runs through some very remote country. Aviemore also lies at the start, or end, of the Speyside Way, the 65 mile long distance path to the coast at Buckie.
On the other side of the A9 from Aviemore is the Craigellachie National Nature Reserve. The area offers some good day walks over hills and through forests, and birds and wildlife abound.
Eight miles north-east of Aviemore is Boat of Garten. Nearby is the Loch Garten Osprey Centre managed by the RSPB. The hide is open to visitors daily between April and August. The Strathspey Railway runs from Boat of Garten to Aviemore on a regular daily service throughout the summer months. East from Boat of Garten, and also on the Speyside Way, is Nethy Bridge, an attractive settlement on the old road on the south east side of the River Spey from Grantown on Spey to Aviemore.
At Carrbridge, nine miles to the north of Aviemore, is the Landmark Visitor Centre telling the history of Scotland using innovative multimedia displays. A range of outdoor activities complements the indoor facilities here. The Centre is open all year though some attractions may be weather dependent. Carrbridge itself is well worth visiting, and comes complete with the remains of an old arched bridge over the river.
South-east of Aviemore is the Rothiemurchus Estate, a working Highland estate which offers an insight into land management. Land Rover and tractor tours are available all year and visitors can fish for trout in the River Spey.
