Aviemore

Aviemore is a town in the Highlands of Scotland, in the area of Badenoch and Strathspey. It's the main base for skiing and other outdoor activities in Cairngorms National Park. The town mushroomed in the 1960s / 70s as winter sports became popular: initial developments were ugly, but these have been replaced by buildings more in keeping with the surroundings. The main part of town is along the loop of old road (now bypassed by the A9) near the railway station. There's another straggle of places to stay for a couple of miles along the B-road towards Cairngorm, as far as the village of Coylumbridge.

In October 2018, the Cairngorm mountain railway suffered weather damage and closed, so access to the ski areas was lost. The company subsequently went bust - see Cairngorms National Park for the latest on this saga. There may be limited re-opening in Feb 2019, but already the town has lost a large part of its 2018-19 season. In the short term this means lots of availability for accommodation and other facilities. Longer term you may want to check if facilities, venues or accommodation are still operating.

The TIC is at 🌍 Aviemore iCentre, 7 The Parade, Grampian Road, PH22 1RH, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 09:00-17:00, Su 10:00-16:00. Open year round, has info on local amenities and accommodation booking service. (updated Nov 2018)

Get in

By plane

Inverness is the closest airport, with connections across Europe and the UK. Edinburgh is a longer drive but has far more flights, and the airport is west of the city so you drive straight out onto M90 then A9 north.

By train

Rail station

Aviemore is on the main railway line from Edinburgh and Glasgow via Perth, then north to Inverness, with Scotrail trains every hour or two.

Reaching Aviemore from England usually involves changing in Edinburgh, but there is one direct daytime train from London Kings Cross, via York, Newcastle and Edinburgh, taking 7 hours 30 min.

Nightly except Saturday, the Caledonian Sleeper leaves London Euston around 21:00 to reach Aviemore by 07:45, continuing to Inverness; return timings are similar.

Occasional "Heritage Trains" run up the line through Aviemore, often switching onto the steam-hauled branch line to Boat of Garten.

By bus

Buses run every hour or so from Edinburgh and Glasgow via Perth, continuing north to Inverness. The main operators are Citylink, Parks of Hamilton and Megabus.

Travel from England usually involves changing in Edinburgh, but National Express and Megabus have a few through-services.

Change in Inverness for Citylink buses to Ullapool and Skye, thence to the Hebrides.

By car

• Aviemore is just off the A9, the main road north to Inverness.

By bicycle

• The National Route 7 passes through Aviemore.

Get around

By taxi

• There are two main taxi companies in Aviemore - Weirs of Aviemore and Geordies.
• Gerry's Aviemore Taxis, ☎ [phone] (landline), [phone] (mobile). 

By bus

Useful local bus routes run by Stagecoach Highland are:

• Bus 31 from Aviemore via Coylumbridge and Glenmore to Cairngorm ski area: daily, hourly 07:30-17:30.
• Bus 32 from Carrbridge via Aviemore and Kingussie to Newtonmore: every two hours M-Sa.
• Only one bus a day to Inverness, take the train.

By foot

• There are many official paths around Aviemore including the Aviemore Orbital and walks around the Lochs and the Cairngorm Mountain.

See

• 🌍 Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, Glenmore, ☎ [phone]. See reindeer. 
• 🌍 Loch an Eilein and Castle. A lake in the Rothiemurchus Forest with a ruined castle on an island. A 7km walk around the lake is described on Walkhighlands. (updated Apr 2016)

Loch Morlich

• 🌍 Loch Morlich, Glenmore. Sandy beaches. A 6km roundtrip is described on Walkhighlands. (updated Apr 2016)
• 🌍 Aviemore Ring Cairn and Stone Circle. (updated Jan 2017)

Do

White-water rafting at Aviemore

• The Strathspey Railway operates a 10 mile preserved railway and has its southern terminus at the Railway Station at Aviemore. Bikes can be taken for free on the train.
• Hillwalking. Many mountains nearby, the Cairngorms includes 4 out of 5 of Scotland's highest mountains.
• Mountain biking & Quad Biking. Numerous forests nearby, with tracks and paths suitable for off-road cycling and riding, e.g. Rothiemurchus, Glenmore, Glenfeshie.
• Golfing. There are several golf courses in Aviemore and the Cairngorm area. 
• 🌍 Cairngorm Brewery Company, Dalfaber Industrial Estate, PH22 1ST, ☎ [phone]. Brewery established in 2001. Offers tours. £5 for tour. (updated Apr 2016)
• Skiing and mountaineering at 🌍 Cairngorm Mountain, ten miles east of Aviemore (currently closed for repairs to the funicular railway, and the managing company has gone bust). See Cairngorms National Park for details.
• 🌍 Glenmore Lodge, PH22 1QZ, ☎ [phone]. Outdoor training centre. (updated Apr 2017)
• Whisky distilleries: there are lots of these along the Spey valley towards Grantown-on-Spey. Two that are open to visitors and within a 15 min drive from Aviemore are Speyside at Kingussie, and 🌍 Tomatin, IV13 7YT (between Aviemore and Inverness), ☎ [phone]. Tours from £7. (updated Apr 2016)
• Laggan Wolftrax. A network of purpose built mountain bike trails, as well as a cafe and shop / bike hire. About 35km south west from Aviemore on the A86. See Cairngorms National Park for details.

Buy

The main shopping point in Aviemore is the local Tesco's. Apart from that the village mainly contains outdoor and sporting equipment shops located on the main street, Grampian Road (with a few exceptions):

• Fat Face. Fashionable outdoor leisure clothing and footwear. Trendy & fairly expensive. 
• Bothy Bikes (Located at Inverdruie on the Ski Road to Coylumbridge). Great stock of quality bikes, cycle clothes and accessories with local cycle trails right on the doorstep. Repairs and servicing also available. Knowledgeable & friendly staff. 
• Nevisport. Outdoor and sporting equipment and clothing. 
• Blacks. Camping and outdoor equipment and clothing. 
• 🌍 Mackinnons of Speyside, Grampian Road, ☎ [phone]. Family run butcher shop. (updated Jul 2016)
• Sue Ryder Charity Shop. Secondhand clothing charity shop. Sometimes good for bargain skiing/sporting gear. Also good for cheap books. 
• Fat Treads (Located at the rear of Myrtlefield Shopping Centre). Quality cycling gear and bikes available as well as a repairs service. Good advice to be had, if a little on the expensive side. 
• Ottakars. Book shop with a fairly good range of stock including local OS maps and games. 
• Semi-Chem. For toiletries and personal care items. 
• G2 Outdoor, Unit 3 Plot 10, Dalfaber Industrial Estate, PH22 1ST, ☎ [phone]. G2 Provide Outdoor Activities such as rafting and gorge walking through summer and a ski school through winter. 

Eat

Aviemore has lots of cheap & cheerful places to refuel cold hungry skiers and hill-walkers.

• 🌍 The Cairngorm Hotel ("The Cairn"), Grampian Road (opposite railway station), ☎ [phone]. Traditional pub/lounge and restaurant. Good range of beers, food is more expensive than normal pub fare but good quality. They also have hotel rooms (from £90 pn), but these are over the bar and can be noisy. (updated Nov 2018)
• 🌍 The Old Bridge Inn, Dalfaber Road (South end of village below main street), ☎ [phone]. Su-Th 12:00-00:00, F Sa 12:00-01:00. Traditional pub with open fire in the evenings. Has outdoor seating area facing the river during the summer. Good food & beer, but a bit expensive for your average backpacker. (updated Nov 2018)
• 🌍 The Winking Owl, 123 Grampian Road, ☎ [phone]. Su-Th 12:00-23:00, F Sa 11:00-01:00; food to 21:30. A bit drouthy, but serves yummy pub grub and has a good atmosphere. (updated Nov 2018)
• 🌍 Skiing Doo, 9 Grampian Road (near the Post Office). Su-Th 12:00-23:00, F Sa 12:00-00:00. Theme bar with old signs, posters, skis and various other items adorning every surface. Grills and burgers, the garlic burger is commended. (updated Nov 2018)
• 🌍 Happy Haggis (Harkai's), 45 Grampian Road (just south of railway station). M-Th 15:00-21:00, F-Su 12:00-21:00. Fish restaurant with connecting chip-shop take away. Good range of fish and good quality food. (updated Nov 2018)

Drink

• 🌍 The Vault, Grampian Road (north of station, down the stone steps near the public toilet/showers). Th-Sa 22:30-03:00. Night club with mainly popular chart music however also has an electronic/techno music scene, with the club having various electro nights, with acts such as Cagedbaby and DJ Fergie playing here. (updated Nov 2018)

Sleep

Aviemore is the main accommodation centre for the west side of Cairngorms National Park. Lots of small B&Bs in and around the village.

• 🌍 Aviemore Youth Hostel (SYHA), 25 Grampian Road PH22 1PR (South end of village), ☎ [phone]. Hostel with budget dorms as well as limited private/family rooms. 2 am curfew. Dorm beds from £16, rooms from £41. (updated Nov 2018)
• 🌍 Old Bridge Bunkhouse, Dalfaber Road, PH22 1PU (South end of village below main street), ☎ [phone]. Hostel, self-catering only but meals available next door at Old Bridge Inn. Dorm sleeps six. Room only, dorm bed from £23, double from £55. (updated Nov 2018)
• 🌍 Cairngorm Lodge Youth Hostel (SYHA), Glenmore PH22 1QY (8 miles east of town on road up Cairngorm), ☎ [phone]. Open Feb to mid-Oct. Beds from £17, rooms from £39. (updated Nov 2018)
• Ravenscraig Guest House, 141 Grampian Road, PH22 1RP (On main street), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Small comfy B&B, all rooms are ensuite with TV and tea and coffee making facilities. B&B double from £90. (updated Nov 2018)
• McKenzies Highland Inn, Grampian Rd PH22 1RL, ☎ [phone]. Okay 2-star for a short stay, decor is tatty. B&B doubles from £60. (updated Nov 2018)
• Macdonald Aviemore Resort, PH22 1PN, ☎ [phone]. Big boxy 4-star in centre of village. Activity centre opposite but be sceptical about what's available: their website considers "nearby" to include Blenheim in Oxfordshire. B&B doubles from £90. (updated Nov 2018)

Go next

• Inverness
• Loch Ness

Routes through Aviemore

Inverness ← Carrbridge ←

N  SW

→ Kingussie → Perth