Aviemore hotels

Hotels in Aviemore

Best known for skiing and snow sports, Aviemore is a popular holiday destination worth visiting for its beautiful scenery alone. In the north-west corner of the spectacular Cairngorms National Park, the largest national park in the British Isles, the town is surrounded by mountains, valleys, rivers and lochs. Book one of our Aviemore hotels and explore a part of Britain whose peaceful, natural beauty is unrivalled.

Outdoor Aviemore

Aviemore is a destination for people who love the outdoors, with plenty of routes through the national park and the mountains for walkers, climbers and mountain bikers. The River Spey is a popular spot for canoeing and river tubing, and there are opportunities to do archery, horse riding, quad biking, Segway riding, fishing and clay pigeon shooting. If you fancy a more sedentary way of enjoying the scenery, the Strathspey Steam Railway runs from Aviemore to Broomhill, 10 miles away. Some trains stop at the village of Boat of Garten, known as the osprey village for its large population of ospreys.

The 18-hole Spey Valley Golf Course has hosted the European Challenge Tour's Scottish Hydro Challenge since 2009 and features the longest hole in Scotland at 635 yards. The course is a stunning place to play, with excellent views of the mountains – it runs alongside the river and through heather, Scots pines and silver birches. You might catch a glimpse of deer, red squirrels or ospreys while you're playing.

Aviemore even has countryside rangers who welcome visitors and help them discover everything the area has to offer. They also organise events throughout the year, such as guided walks and wildlife watching. Just pop into one of the ranger bases for more information.

Cairngorm

Cairngorm mountain – the sixth-highest in the United Kingdom – is Scotland's most popular ski resort and has a reputation as one of the UK's most beautiful places to ski. There are a range of ski and snowboard routes, with the longest at 3.3km. If you're not a skier, there's a much easier way to go up and down the mountain – on Scotland's only funicular railway. The railway will whisk you up to the Top Station at 3,500 feet above sea level, where there is a restaurant, gift shop, viewing terrace and exhibition centre. Here you'll also find the highest postbox in the British Isles. Conservation restrictions mean walkers aren't allowed onto the mountain from here, although you can climb up on foot and come back down on the railway.

Reindeer

The Cairngorm Mountains are also home to one third of Britain's only herd of reindeer, which were reintroduced into Scotland in 1952. You can visit them daily at the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre – a herder will take you up onto the mountainside where they live, and you can feed and stroke them. You can also join a half-day trek with the animals when you'll have the opportunity to lead your own reindeer.

Rothiemurchus forest

The Rothiemurchus forest is believed to contain more than 10 million trees, including some Scots pines more than 300 years old. It's a great place to go wildlife watching – pine martens, badgers, capercaillie, red squirrels, ospreys and Scottish crossbills are all found here, along with many varieties of trees and plants.