Aviemore, at the western foot of the Cairngorms plateau, is a haven for skiing, sledding, snowboarding, and mountaineering

Aviemore is a strong competitor for ‘Scotland’s Outdoor Capital’ (a title normally reserved for Fort William) and is a centre for both snowsports and mountaineering. For this reason it is a busy town year-round, and the streets are lined with sportswear and outdoors shops – a dream for outdoor enthusiasts!

In 20 minutes’ drive, you can be at the ski centre car park, which not only serves those arriving for snowsports but is a popular spot from which to start mountain walks. At around 550 meters, you’re already half way up the mountain – saving your energy for traversing a little further into the plateau or just taking the time to enjoy the mountains. The Northern Corries and Cairn Gorm walking route is a popular one, and many rock climbers flock to the base of the corries to climb their way up onto the plateau. Of course, appropriate skills, experience and equipment are needed for all walks from the ski centre.

Nearby Loch Inch and Loch Morlich have watersports centres on their banks, meaning that you can try your hand at kayaking, canoeing, sailing or more. Loch Morlich also has a fantastic sandy beach backed by natural pine woodland, so if relaxing in the sun is more your thing, you can bask here while the others enjoy their time on the water.

Truly special spot for walking nearby is Loch an Eilein, or ‘loch of the island’. This 4.5 mile route takes you around the loch’s banks through Caledonian pine woodland, with red squirrels leaping overhead. A small island on the loch is almost entirely taken up by a ruined castle, once inhabited by ‘the Wolf of Badenoch’. The walk takes round 2 hours, although we highly recommend taking even longer to sit by the loch, have a picnic and even an ice cream from the lochside shop!

The area is packed with wildlife including red squirrels, pine martens, eagles and even the elusive capercaillie – around 80% of the entire Scottish population are thought to live in this area. Ospreys next on the banks of Loch Garten in the summer, and the RSPB hide allows you to spot these majestic birds by telescope or – if they’re hiding down low in the nest – on one of their ‘nestcams’. Keep an eye out here too for red squirrels and crested tits.

Back in Aviemore, there are plenty of cafes for you to enjoy a cup of coffee and a slice of cake (we can highly recommend the Mountain Café’s cakes!) after a day’s exploring.

If the great outdoors are your thing, then Aviemore should be top of your list for your visit to Scotland. Endless walks, cycle tracks, lochs, mountains, crags and more will mean that you could spend many days (weeks, months, years..!) here and still have plenty to discover.