The Surrounding Area

The Cairngorm National Park is the largest, and oldest, national park in the UK covering 4500 square kilometres. It includes one third of all land in the UK above 600 metres, boasts five of the 10 highest mountains in the UK and is home to the only area of alpine upland in the country. Getting on to the plateau with its stunning views is relatively easy from the car park at Cairngorm Mountain  

The lively town of Aviemore, just a 10 minute drive away from Boat of Garten, is the main centre for the northern side of the park. You will find a good range of shops, supermarkets, pubs and places to eat here.

Activities in the immediate area are almost too numerous to mention but include forest walks, mountain walks, mountain biking, skiing, wild swimming, kayaking and sailing. More information is available at:

Visit Cairngorms www.visitcairngorms.com

Visit Aviemore www.visitaviemore.com

The Spey valley is home to the most famous whisky producing region in the world, with Aberlour, the centre of the Malt Whisky Trail, being just 45 minutes from the cottage to the east. The area includes many famous distilleries such as Glenfiddich, Glenlivet and Macallan plus a huge number of smaller producers. Along with whisky, the area has witnessed a boom in boutique gin production, with Scottish gins now being sold worldwide. The attractive town of Grantown on Spey, the gateway to the whisky trail, is just a 15 minute drive away and well worth a visit. 

Malt Whisky Trail http://maltwhiskytrail.com

A little further away, just over an hour by car, is Royal Deeside including the towns of Braemar and Ballater and of course the Royal residence of Balmoral which is open to the public for much of the year. As well as the great walking in this beautiful area the drive alone is worth the trip as it has a truly alpine feel, including going past one of Scotlands other ski resorts, The Lecht.

Royal Deeside http://www.royal-deeside.org.uk

Just 35 minutes north of Boat of Garten is the historic city of Inverness, the gateway to the northern Highlands and west coast, with Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle another 20 minutes on from there.

The Guest Information File in the cottage is full of useful tips and recommendations to make the very most of your stay here in this wonderful area or for anything not covered, Alison & Craig will be happy to help.