United Kingdom / Scottish Highlands & Skye / The Cairngorms (Aviemore)The Cairngorms (Aviemore)
Britain's Biggest National Park: Pine Forest, Reindeer and an Arctic Plateau
The largest national park in Britain, a high granite plateau of near-Arctic tundra above old Caledonian pine forest, with Aviemore as its base: the CairnGorm funicular climbs to the Ptarmigan station at 1,097 m (back in service since February 2025, with short closures for maintenance), Britain's only free-ranging reindeer herd grazes the hills above Glenmore, Loch Morlich has a sandy beach under the mountains, and Rothiemurchus and Loch an Eilein are easy forest walks. The Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig has snow leopards and polar bears, and the Strathspey steam railway runs from Aviemore. Skiing at CairnGorm Mountain when the snow comes. On the Highland main line: about 2 h 45 from Edinburgh with up to 11 direct trains a day, and 35-40 minutes from Inverness. The plateau's weather is arctic in any season.
Highlights
- CairnGorm funicular to the Ptarmigan station
- Britain's only free-ranging reindeer herd
- Loch Morlich's beach
- Loch an Eilein and its island castle
- Highland Wildlife Park
- Strathspey steam railway
- Skiing in a snowy winter
Things to do
- CairnGorm funicular up the mountain to the Ptarmigan stationMorning · 2h 30m
- Visit the free-ranging reindeer herd above GlenmoreAfternoon · 2h
- Loch Morlich beach and the Glenmore Forest trailsAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Rothiemurchus Forest and the Loch an Eilein walkMorning · 2h 30m
- Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig (snow leopards and polar bears)Morning · 3h
- Strathspey steam railway from AviemoreApr–OctAfternoon · 2h 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: May – September
Heads up
Highland Midges
From early summer to September, clouds of tiny biting midges come out on still, damp days, especially at dawn and dusk near water and in the glens. Wind and sun keep them away. Carry a repellent sold locally (Smidge and others) and a head net for evening walks, and keep car windows shut at lochside stops.
Heads up
Rail Works: Buses Between Perth and Inverness
On 31 October-1 November and 7-8 November 2026 buses replace trains between Perth and Inverness via Aviemore, adding time to the Edinburgh and Glasgow trains. Check ScotRail before travelling on those weekends.
Heads up
CairnGorm Funicular Closed 2-8 November 2026
The CairnGorm Mountain funicular closes for maintenance and safety checks from 2 to 8 November 2026 and reopens on 9 November; the base station stays open. The funicular has had long closures before (August 2023 to February 2025): check its status before you plan a day around it.
Heads up
Winter on the Cairngorm Plateau
From late autumn to spring the high plateau above Aviemore is Arctic: snow, ice, whiteouts and gales, with avalanche risk on the steep slopes. Go above the forest only with winter gear and the skills to use it, or stay with the funicular, the ski area when it opens and the forest walks below. Snow can close the A9 and the ski road for hours; check Traffic Scotland.