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Winter activities
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Scottish
skiing
on a commercial level first really took off in Aviemore. By continental European and North American standards it's all on a tiny scale, but occasionally snow, sun and lack of crowds coincide and you can have a great day. February and March are usually the best times, but there's a chance of decent snow at any time between mid-November and April. Lots of places - not just in Aviemore itself - sell or rent equipment; for a rundown of ski schools and rental facilities in the area, check out the tourist office's
Ski Scotland
brochure or
.
The Cairngorm Ski Area , about eight miles southeast of Aviemore, above Loch Morlich in Glen More Forest Park, is well served during winter by buses from Aviemore. You can rent skis, boards and other equipment from the Day Lodge at the foot of the ski area (tel 01479/861261, ), which also has a shop, a bar and restaurant, and the base station for the funicular railway , the principal means of getting to the top of the ski slopes. Various types of ski pass are available from here - in person, by phone or online. If there's lots of snow, the area around Loch Morlich and into the Rothiemurchus Estate provides enjoyable cross-country skiing through lovely woods, beside rushing burns and even over frozen lochs.
For a crash-course in surviving Scottish winters, you could do worse than try a week at the National Outdoor Training Centre at
Glenmore Lodge
in the heart of the Glenmore Forest Park at the east end of Loch Morlich. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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United Kingdom,
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