Aviemore, in the heart of the Cairngorms and the Scottish Highlands, is one of our favourite places in the world to camp. It’s easy to get to by motorway, train or even plane from Inverness, breathtakingly beautiful and absolutely full of things to do – if you’re here for a weekend, the hardest thing is creating an itinerary, as there’s so much choice! It’s also a great year-round destination with snow sports and other winter activities in the colder months. A camping weekend in Aviemore is one of my favourite things in life. If you haven’t been, we hope this guide will help you plan your holiday there.
Where To Stay
We stayed at Dalraddy Holiday Park which has grass pitches, electric hook up and pitches for camper vans, as well as chalets and caravans to rent. The pitches are really generous and the site didn’t feel crowded at all when we were there. There’s a shop and a big clean shower block, plus separate smaller WC/shower blocks around the site, as well as a children’s play area. It’s well situated outside Aviemore to be within easy reach of the town.
Other places to stay are –
Glenmore Campsite – camping in the forest, with direct access to the beaches of Loch Morlich.
Badaguish Outdoor Centre with summer campsite, wigwams and lodges.
What To Do
There are so many things to do in Aviemore, it’s impossible to list them all, so here’s a selection of the activities that we’ve done ourselves.
Gorge walking. We did this with G2 Outdoor. I was quite nervous beforehand as I’m not great with heights, and I knew there were some small heights in the course. I ended up absolutely loving it though! G2 provide all the kit – a wetsuit, buoyancy aid and crash helmet, plus harness and ropes. Once you’re all kitted up you’re taken off to the river for an hour long gorge walking experience. This involves walking up the river (wear your oldest trainers that you don’t mind getting wet and dirty), scrambling and using ropes to get from one level to the next, with the opportunity to slide down waterfalls and into plunge pools. It’s cold, wet and a bit scary at times but amazing fun – I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
Zip wire. Another activity that G2 offer, it won’t surprise you to learn that I sat this one out. However, our kids (and adults) said it was the best thing they did all weekend. For anyone who isn’t scared of heights, zipping through the beautiful pine forest on the Alvie Estate is probably hard to top. There are various options depending on how high you want to go and how independent you’re feeling – there’s even a night trek. Aimed at 8 year olds and up, our group of kids and adults did the 2km course of 14 zip wires which starts off relatively gently and builds up to a 550m finale through the trees.
Tree trekking. We did this at Rothiemurchus at the Treezone. The course takes about 1.5 hours to complete with a zip slide at the end and is a bit tamer than the G2 zip slide so good for younger kids – the minimum age is eight. The course starts off at five metres, with the larger Buzzard course progressing to heights of fifteen metres as the obstacles become trickier to negotiate. Treezone costs £30 for adults and £23 for under 18s.
An Lochan Uaine. Also known as the Green Lochan, you can cycle or walk up to this breathtaking loch which gets its green colour from reflected light from the forest (though local legend says that it’s because pixies wash their clothes in it!) It’s absolutely possible to swim in the lochan – we’d been warned about the leeches, but fortunately didn’t come across any. You can also wild camp on the beach, though it does get busy during the day with tourists – just remember to leave no trace and leave this beautiful spot exactly as you found it.
Loch Morlich is a short ten minute drive from Aviemore with breathtaking views of the mountains and fringed by lush green woods. There’s a watersports centre where you can hire kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and bikes. We cycled around the loch first with our mountain bikes that we’d hired from In Your Element in Rothiemurchus, with regular stops to take in the incredible views, then took to the water for a swim and kayak. Be warned though – it gets incredibly busy on sunny days and in high season, so get there before 9am to get a spot in the car park.
Loch Insh Outdoor Centre. We spent an idyllic day on the loch here. Hire your wetsuits or bring your own, then enjoy the loch on kayaks, canoes, pedalos, windsurfing boards and rigs, and paddleboards, all of which you can hire at the centre. Or just go for a swim! There’s a cafe and seating by the loch where you can relax once you’ve had your fill of all the loch has to offer. If the sun’s shining, plan a day here – just a short drive from Aviemore.
Frank Bruce Sculpture Trail. This walk really is a hidden treasure in the heart of the Caledonian forest. Frank Bruce was a dyslexic Scottish sculptor who left school at 13 to go and work in a timber mill. He created sculptures out of the natural environment, with themes of human behaviour, relationships, and Scottish culture. The trail takes you past a number of his sculptures, some of them which are nestled amongst the leaves and bracken of the forest, others standing many feet tall in the glades. ‘Two Patriots’ depicts man’s lust for war as another face carved into a tree looks on in horror. The works are decaying though, just as the artist intended, so don’t wait too long before going to see them. Once you’ve completed the trail, it’s a short walk to the banks of the river Feshie, where you can jump from the rocks into its clear rushing waters, or just watch with a picnic from the side. To get to the trail, from Aviemore drive toward Cairngorm Mountain on the B970 and turn right just before the Rothiemurchus Centre, signposted to Coylumbridge. After Feshie Bridge there’s a car park on the right, then a short walk to the sculptures.
Hiking up Cairngorm Mountain. Cairngorm Mountain Scotland run a number of guided walks up the mountain, or you can make your own way up the various routes. We walked from the car park, a short drive from Aviemore, up to the Coire An Lochean cliffs where we were rewarded with the most incredible views. We did it in summer – and were attached by a swarm of midges, so don’t even attempt this in the summer months without some midge repellent – but it’s equally beautiful in the winter, though a little more care needs to be taken.
Where To Eat
If you’re looking to eat out while in Aviemore, and you’re vegan like us, there aren’t any vegan only places. However, you still have plenty of options.
The Old Bridge Inn and Rooms offer several vegan options, including soup, quinoa cakes, panzanella salad and sorbet. The Highland Line near the station in Aviemore also has some great vegan choices, including a T.LT (tofu, lettuce and tomato) and vegan burger. There’s a large Tesco in town which has plenty of sandwiches, salads, cakes and vegan options, as well as a Costa. And just out of town, the Rothiemurchus farm shop and deli has a wide range of delicious fresh food, including a number of fresh vegan meals, snacks and ingredients. Pizzariach does great takeaway pizzas, though unfortunately there aren’t vegan options but they do have gluten free pizzas.
More info on visiting Aviemore is here.
If you liked this, read about our camping weekend in Shieldaig in the Highlands.