Where to base yourself
Aviemore and Glenmore
The main resort: hotels, hostels, lodges, outdoor shops, pubs and the station, with the forest and lochs minutes away. Lively with families in summer and skiers in winter. Glenmore, by Loch Morlich, is quieter and closer to the hills.
Craigellachie, Aberlour and Dufftown
The whisky heartland. Traditional inns and small hotels, several with celebrated whisky bars holding hundreds of bottles. Staying here means no one has to drive after a tasting.
Grantown-on-Spey
A handsome Georgian planned town on the Spey between Aviemore and the distilleries, with good-value hotels and guesthouses and woodland walks from the square.
Braemar and Ballater
The two villages of upper Deeside, for Balmoral, the Braemar Gathering and walking in the southern Cairngorms. Braemar is the higher and wilder; Ballater has more shops and places to eat.
Food & drink
The Spey is one of the great salmon rivers and the hills supply venison and grouse, so menus lean to game, salmon and Aberdeen Angus beef. Speyside’s other products are shortbread — baked on a large scale in Aberlour — ice cream, and beer from Cairngorm Brewery in Aviemore. And then there is whisky: classic Speyside malts are smooth, fruity and often matured in sherry casks. A good hotel bar will pour you a “flight” of three or four to compare. Ask for a little water with it — nobody will be offended.
Tips: saving money and staying safe
- Never drink and drive. Scotland’s limit is lower than in England and many other countries; even one dram may put you over it.
- Book distillery tours, the reindeer hill trip and taxis ahead in summer.
- The Cairngorm plateau has the most severe weather in Britain. Snow can fall in any month, and navigation in cloud is difficult. Day walkers should be fully equipped or stick to the forests and lochs.
- High roads — the Lecht (A939) and Glenshee (A93) — can close in winter. Check traffic information before setting out.
- Much is free: forest trails, Loch Morlich beach, the Highland Folk Museum, Craigellachie Bridge.
- Midges are less troublesome here than in the west, but bring repellent for still evenings by the lochs. Check for ticks after forest walks.
Sample plans
One day: the national park
- Morning walk round Loch an Eilein.
- Reindeer hill trip or the Highland Wildlife Park.
- Afternoon at Loch Morlich; a drink at a brewery or whisky bar in Aviemore.
Two days: add whisky
- Day 1 as above.
- Day 2: drive or take a tour to Speyside — a distillery in the morning, lunch in Aberlour, the Speyside Cooperage and Craigellachie Bridge, a second distillery in Dufftown.
- Stay the night in a whisky village if you can.
Three days: over to Deeside
- Cross the Lecht on the Snow Roads to Ballater and Balmoral (when open).
- Continue to Braemar and the Linn of Dee,
- then south over Glenshee towards Perth and Edinburgh, or east to Aberdeen.
Where to stay: Speyside & the Cairngorms
Cairngorm Hotel
A traditional Highland hotel directly opposite Aviemore railway station, with a lively bar and restaurant.
Craigellachie Hotel of Speyside
A classic Speyside country hotel above the river in Craigellachie, famous for a whisky bar stocked with hundreds of malts.
The Fife Arms
A Victorian coaching inn in Braemar transformed into an art-filled luxury hotel, a short drive from Balmoral.
