The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland dominated by Cairn Gorm.
Much of the area is embraced within the Cairngorms National Park, thelargest of the UK network of national parks .
It offers landscapes that range from the high windswept mountains and heather moorlands and peatlands to forests, wetlands and rivers.
Having Scotland's most natural habitats, the Cairngorms is home to some 25% of the UK's rare and endangered species and is seeing some of the UK's most ambitious conservation projects.
The Cairngorms also play host to many of Scotland's Highland Games during the spring and summer.
Taking the Snowroads through the Cairngorms
By Ashley Gibbins
Taking the A93 Snowroads Scenic Route through the Cairngorms National Park really should be included on any road trip to Scotland.
It will provide lasting memories of this spectacular area of the Highlands.
The route itself officially stretches for some 90 miles from Blairgowrie to Grantown-on-Spey, or visa-versa, and takes you along the highest public road in Britain.
Our day started at Dunkeld, a village of genuine history and character, before picking up the Snowroads and driving all but the last part of the route, as were headed to Craigellachie for a couple of nights.
Although there was no snow in evidence when we drove the route (late September), the six-foot high guiding poles that line either side of the road provide a reminder of the possibly perilous nature of the route during the deep winter months.
No need to rush
This is also not a way to get from A to B quickly.
The Snow Roads are slow roads and, while our sat nav predicted two and a half hours we were in no rush.
Which was just as well as the trip ended up taking some six hours.
Firstly, because the route has narrow sections with a number of steep hills and blind summits, many tight bends and some single-track sections.
One really appreciates driving an automatic.
It is also necessary to drive at a leisurely pace to take in the stunning views that envelopes you, with frequent stops to gasp at the views.
Make sure you look out for the three scenic route installations placed along the route that will entice you to discover new perspectives - they also make for a great photo opportunity.
For those with the time there is the chance to park up and take one or more of the hundreds of walking routes, trails and paths that criss-cross the Cairngorms National Park.
Of the picturesque villages along the way we made stops at Braemar and Ballater.
www.visitcairngorms.com/inspire-me/snowroads
Wildlife in the Cairngorms
With its diverse landscapes, the Cairngorms National Park has particularly rich habitats for a wide range of animals and birds.
The Park authorities are proud to have some 25% of all the UK's endangered species that include ospreys, the Scottish wildcat, golden eagle, red squirrel, snow bunting, lapwing, crested tit and black grouse.
Nine National Nature Reserves across the Cairngorms provide a focus for the conservation of the wildlife, and also provides the best chance to see the animals and birds in their natural habits.
www.cairngormsnature.co.uk/natural-nature-reserves
Animal and bird spotting
Among those visitors can spot :
Red Squirrels
The Cairngorms National Park is a stronghold for the red squirrel with the ancient Caledonian Pine Forests a prime habitat for these timid little creatures.
They can be spotted throughout the park.
Red squirrels remain in danger from the greys that were first introduce into the UK by the Victorians, and have largely replaced red squirrels in much of England.
The greys are gradually moving into Scotland, although the Highlands currently has no grey squirrels!
Visitors who might spot a grey in are urged to report this to Red Squirrels of the Highlands.
www.redsquirrelsofthehighlands.co.uk
Red Deer
The Red Deer, the UK's largest land mammal, is one of our most impressive animals in the Cairngorms National Park where it grazes on grasses, sedges, heather and woody plants over a large swathe of the park from woodlands to moorland up to the mountain tops.
Hill deer can live in large groups, sometimes consisting of hundreds of individuals, and with their dark russet brown coats with a paler buff rump they can be easily spotted on open ground.
The spectacular annual rut takes place each autumn between September and November when braver newcomers will challenge the current dominant stag for the control of the hinds.
This involves noisy clashes of antlers and roaring which can be heard from quite some distance.
Roe Deer
Roe deer often come out of the woodland fringes to feed in the fields in the morning and late evening. Smaller than red deer, they have a strong ginger-red coat in summer and a darker grey-brown one in winter.
Osprey
Osprey are not often seen far from water. From below they have white or mottled underparts and long narrow wings.
They arrive back in the Cairngorms from West Africa in late March and April and stay until August and September.
The best spotting is at the RSPB Osprey Centre at Loch Garten.
Scottish Crossbill
Scottish crossbills are confined to the Scots pine forests of the Scottish Highlands, where they use their unusual, twisted bill to force open pine cones to get to the seeds inside.
Black Grouse
Black Grouse are found on open moorland near forestry.
Ptarmigan
The ptarmigan is a plump game bird.
In summer, it has a mixture of grey, brown and black feathers, while in winter, it becomes totally white except for its tail and eye-patch, which remain black.
Snow Bunting
Normally resident in the arctic circle and a winter visitor to the UK, there is a small year-round population on Cairngorm Mountain.
Mountain Hare
The transition from summer to winter coat is the easiest way to tell the difference from a brown hare, although the mountain hare does have smaller ears.
They are most active in the evening and at night, mountain hares will rest in forms and scrapes during the day with their backs to the wind, sheltered by rocks and heather.
Crested Tit
The crested tit is largely confined to ancient Caledonian pine forests and Scots pine plantations. Identification is easy because there's no mistaking the distinctive crest.
Reindeer
The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd is Britain's only free-ranging herd of reindeer
www.visitcairngorms.com/things-to-do/nature-wildlife/wildlife-in-the-cairngorms
The Cairngorms Capercaillie Project
The team running the Capercaillie Project are at the vanguard of the conservation efforts within the Cairngorms National Park.
The name comes from the Gaelic capull coille, meaning horse of the woods, and is fitting for the largest member of the grouse family.
The largest capercaillie ever recorded in captivity weighed 7.2 kg. (15.9 lbs).
The UK capercaillie population is reckoned to be less than 1,000 capercaillie with half of these living in the Cairngorms National Park.
With the constant commitment of conservation organisations, the bird is starting to make a modest recovery, especially in the Cairngorms National Park.
It's Capercaillie Project is working with communities to raise awareness of the tenuous hold the capercaillie has on survival and how people can help
It is also researching the genetic diversity of capercaillie in the National Park and improving existing habitat and creating and more habitat for capercaillie, while protecting the birds from predators.
www.cairngormscapercaillie.scot/the-project/
The Highland Games
Scottish strength and stamina meeting traditional music and dance
Scotland's annual Highland games, or gatherings, are said to stretch back to the 11th century, when King Malcolm III called a foot race to the summit of Craig Choinnich, near Braemar.
It was held to find the fastest runner in the realm who would then become the king's courier.
Over the centuries the concept of the games grew to include a range of tests of strength and stamina while embracing Scottish music and dance.
The strength and stamina of competitors is tested with caber tossing, tug o' war, the shot put and hammer throw.
Haggis hurling, which started as a light-hearted aside in the 1970s is now an incorporated event at many Highland games.
Many gatherings have livestock events, parades and pet competitions with live music and dancing in the evenings.
When the Scots emigrated to other lands they took the tradition with them, and Highland games now take place in the USA and Canada along with Norway, New Zealand and Brazil.
www.visitscotland.com/see-do/events/highland-games/#events
One time frontier town in big tree country
Before taking our drive through the Cairngorms, by way of the Snowroads Scenic Route, we stopped at Dunkeld.
This delightful village is located on the north bank of the River Tay and links with Birnam, on the other bank, via the Dunkeld Bridge built by Thomas Telford 1809.
Dunkeld was, at one time a 'frontier town' as here the road ended and beyond was the wild Scottish Highlands.
A settlement for centuries, Dunkeld saw fierce fighting in its streets following the Battle of Killiecrankie in August 1689.
Jacobites and government soldiers clashed in fierce had-to-hand combat and many of the villages buildings were burnt to the ground.
Dunkeld was largely rebuilt in the 18th century although, in the centre of the village, stands the
old market cross and 20 of the pastel-coloured houses, some of which date back to the 1600s.
Dunkeld Cathedral
Dunkeld Cathedral, which today is part ruin and part parish church, stands in grounds sloping gently down to the Tay.
The cathedral has the tomb of Alexander Stewart, the Earl of Buchan the so-called Wolf of Badenoch.
Stewart (1343 -1405) was the third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland who held large swathes of land in the north of Scotland.
He has responsible for the destruction of the royal burgh of Elgin and its cathedral and got his wolf nickname due to notorious cruelty and greed, though not during his lifetime.
To cater for the many visitors that come her, the village has a range of quality specialist stores along with a number of inviting coffee shops and restaurants and pubs.
Perthshire Big Tree Country
For those with longer to stay in the village, it lies at the heart of Perthshire Big Tree Country and 200,000 acres of Scotland's most spectacular trees and woodlands.
We took in the Hermitage, which was created by the Dukes of Atholl 250 years ago as an extension of the gardens of Dunkeld House.
It's a chance to walk alongside the cascading waterfalls, thundering rapids and swirling pools of the River Braan.
It offers the chance to visit the Birnam Oak, the one surviving tree from Birnam Wood where, in Shakespeare's Scottish play, Malcolm's soldiers cut branches to disguise their attack on Macbeth at Dunsinane Hill.
The Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust have compiled details of 18 of the best tree and woodland sights around seven locations.
www.pkct.org/pages/category/perthshire-big-tree-country
www.scottishhistory.org/articles/battle-dunkeld/
A day on the Banff and Buchan coast
Following our spectacular day trip through the Cairngorms to Craigellachie, it's a day on the Banff and Buchan North Sea coast.
Cullen
First stop was the seaside fishing village of Cullen with its harbour and a long stretch of sandy beach.
It is known for Cullen Skink, a creamy potato and smoked haddock soup, using fish fresh from the North Sea.
From Cullen we took the coastal walk to the secluded Sunnyside Beach and Findlater Castle just beyond.
Findlater Castle
Findlater Castle, which sit precariously atop a 50-foot-high cliff overlooking the Moray Firth, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The first fortification was built by King Alexander III, in the early 1260s, when he was fearing an invasion by King Hako of Norway.
The current ruins are from a castle built by Sir John Sinclair of Findlater at the end of the 14th Century.
Bow Fiddle Rock
Next on the itinerary was a brief stop at Bow Fiddle Rock at Portknockie.
This is a natural rock formation formed, over the millennia, by the force of waves.
Findhorn
Finally, on to Findhorn, an historic fishing village located in Moray, with a grand expanse of blustery beach.
http://www.findlater.org.uk/Castle.htm
www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/findhorn
The place to stay
The Craigellachie
By Ann Mealor
Built in 1893, The Craigellachie is a beautifully refurbished manor house situated in the heart of Speyside, a wild and wonderful whisky-filled valley where the rivers of Fiddich and Spey come together.
The air is fresh and the scenery fantastic.
The 26-bedroom hotel has the feel of a homely Scottish hunting lodge, with a modern twist.
There is a very elegant, large and cosy lounge lined with books and furnished with plenty of soft sofas, cushions, throws and a number small teak side tables for placing your whisky on.
There are many fireplaces around the house which are all ablaze during the cold winter months – ideal gathering places for a warming coffee or a stiff drink after a bracing walk.
The bedroom
Our bedroom was well furnished, decorated in neutral, earthy tones with tartan check fabrics, traditional teak furniture and a large wooden four poster bed, without canopy, chicly painted a mat, avocado green.
With its luxury cashmere topped mattress and Egyptian cotton sheets the bed provided two nights of restful slumber.
There was a welcome selection of White Company Toiletries in the bathroom, and a well stocked hospitality tray, with Scottish shortbread biscuits, in the room.
I liked the simple, modern artwork of black silhouettes of dogs and flowers on a plain cream background which hung on the walls throughout the house.
Dining at the Craigellachie
We dined in The Copper Dog Restaurant which had a real country farmhouse kitchen feel.
Lots of bare brick and traditional stone walls hung with stag antlers.
There are chunky, pine tables; stripped back floorboards; padded benches with tartan cushion; copper lights and a gleaming copper topped bar where we enjoyed pre-dinner drinks.
I had an expertly made Bramble cocktail which was very much to my liking!
The menu was interesting and varied, with food locally sourced.
After much deliberation we started with the potted Lossiemouth crab with a celeriac and dill remoulade and a mixed beetroot salad with Black Chowdrie cheese and mixed seed granola crisps.
The crab was absolutely delicious and enough for two to share.
For mains I went for the Speyside Scotch sirloin steak with a creamy peppercorn sauce and Ashley the monkfish and prawn tikka masala.
My steak was cooked to perfection and the monkfish was meaty yet soft.
We just had to fit in a dessert and went for the treacle tart with clotted cream and the panna cotta with home-made shortbread.
Even though we were full, we managed to scrape our plates.Hats off to Chef Will Halsall and his team.
The Quaich Bar
After dinner, we checked out the sumptuous and atmospheric Quaich Bar.
With some 1,000 whiskies in stock, it is considered the best whisky bar in the world.
The bartenders are so knowledgeable and can give expert advice about which 'wee dram' to try.
If you aren't a whisky fan, you can always try a classic cocktail or a local craft beer.
Breakfast
Breakfast is the time to fill up for a day of walking and there was plenty on offer here.
As well as help yourself, juice, pastries, fruit, cold meats and cereals the hot choices included the full Speyside breakfast with local eggs, sausage, bacon etc; porridge; smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, scotch pancakes and a vegan burrito.
The butter was delicious too.
Breakfast
The hotel is dog friendly and five of the rooms have garden access, with dog beds available.
We saw many a sleeping dog in the bar too slumped at their owner's feet, as they enjoyed a pint or a glass of wine or two.
Local distilleries
Speyside is the home of malt whisky and the Craigellachie is ideally placed to explore the local distilleries and the beautiful countryside.
One final tip
As you go on your travels, make sure you have the hotel name written down in case you need to ask directions– we could never get the pronunciation right (and still can't), so nobody had a clue what we were talking about until we pointed to the name!
In addition to this AllWays Traveller to the Highlands and Loch Ness, you can also enjoy :
- AllWays Traveller to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city
- AllWays Traveller to the Scottish Borders
- AllWays Traveller to the Highlands and Loch Ness
- AllWays Traveller to Carnoustie
Useful links
www.visitscotland.com/see-do/landscapes-nature/national-parks-gardens/cairngorms/