Aviemore

城市概覽

The River Spey arises in the mountains near Fort Augustus and flows east, then its valley broadens and trends northeast. This more fertile area has been settled since prehistory, as shown by its Bronze Age stone circles. It became the main north-south route through Scotland, as you can follow the Tay / Tummel / Garry valley before crossing the moor to descend into the Spey valley, and in modern times the highway A9 and railway adopted this route. Speyside is higher and colder than the south - Aviemore itself is at 214 m (702 ft) elevation. Spring comes late, snow lingers on the summits, and the crags and birch woods feel Nordic in contrast to the douce banks of Tay. Beyond Aviemore the valley narrows again, to thread through forests towards the Moray coast. Highland scenery became popular in the 19th century, and Queen Victoria was one of many visitors. However the big lift in tourist numbers came in the 1960s when ski lifts were built on the slopes of Ben Macdui 12 miles east, and a resort village within Aviemore. The ski area was small and unreliable and the resort was a brutalist monstrosity, but together they gave thousands of visitors their start in winter sports. Eventually more congenial buildings replaced the resort, and from 2001 a funicular railway supported the ski area. This suffered a serious breakdown in 2018, and repair was impractical during the covid years, but it re-opened (thanks to a hefty taxpayer bail-out) in 2023. The ski area remains small, and cannot be extended without unacceptable damage to the Cairngorm mountain habitat. Its snow cover is becoming less reliable as climate change impacts, and it has long been recognised that Aviemore cannot make a living from winter sports alone. There is therefore a broader year-round offering of hill-walking, off-road biking, kayaking and rafting, orienteering, pony-trekking, wildlife-spotting and the like.

Visitor information Visit Aviemore website Aviemore iCentre is the tourist office, 100 yards

如何抵達

By plane Inverness (INV IATA) is the closest airport, with connections across Europe and the UK. Edinburgh (EDI IATA) is a longer drive but has far more flights, and that airport is west of the city so you drive straight out onto M90 then A9 north.

By train Aviemore is on the main railway from Edinburgh and Glasgow, with trains every hour or two. These take 3 hours via Stirling, Perth, Dunkeld & Birnam, Pitlochry and Kingussie, and continue north to Carrbridge and Inverness. Reaching Aviemore from England usually involves changing in Edinburgh, but one direct daytime train runs from London Kings Cross via York, Newcastle and Edinburgh, taking 7 hr 30 min. Nightly F-Su the Caledonian Sleeper leaves London Euston around 9PM to reach Aviemore by 7:45AM, continuing to Inverness; return timings are similar. See below for the heritage Strathspey Railway, which starts here. Other heritage trains sometimes run from the south through Aviemore to join the branch line to Boat of Garten. 1 Aviemore railway station is central in the village. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, a waiting room, cafe and toilets. There is step-free access to Platform 1 (for Inverness), and by level crossing to Platform 2 (southbound) and 3 (Strathspey Railway — buy tickets for this on the platform, not the mainline ticket office).

By bus Buses run every hour or so from Edinburgh and Glasgow taking 3 hours via Perth, and continue north to Inverness. The main operators are Citylink, Parks of Hamilton (booked via Citylink) and Megabus. In 2023 a single adult fare is £15-20. The bus stop is outside the Cairngorm Hotel by the railway station. Travel from England involves changing in Edinburgh, and National Express don't venture this far north. Change in Inverness for Citylink buses to Portree and Uig on Skye, and to Ullapool, for ferries to the Outer Hebrides.

By road Aviemore is just off the A9, which runs north to Inverness and Thurso, and south to Perth, Stirling and Edinburgh.

當地交通

Walk: Aviemore village straggles but is walkable. Rothiemurcus and Coylumbridge are within walking range (B970 has a sidewalk) but you need wheels to go further up to Loch Morlich and the Cairngorm. See "Do" for nearby walking trails. Buses hereabouts are run by Stagecoach Highland. Some you might use are:

Bus 30 from Aviemore via Coylumbridge and Glenmore to Cairngorm ski area: daily, hourly 7AM-5:30PM. Bus 39 from Carrbridge via Aviemore and Kingussie to Newtonmore: every two hours M-Sa. A couple continue to Dalwhinnie. Bus 37 from Aviemore via Boat of Garten and Nethy Bridge to Grantown-on-Spey: every two hours M-Sa with four on Sunday. Bus X37 from Inverness via Tomatin, Carrbridge, Dulnain Bridge, Grantown, Nethy Bridge and Boat of Garten; five buses M-F and three on Saturday. Taxi firms in town are Aviemore Taxis (☏ +44 1479 811111), Gerry's (☏ +44 1479 812000), Weirs (☏ +44 1479 810141) and Doc's (+44 7971 736599). Highland Yaks (+44 7704 987325) specialise in activity transfers, for instance to put kayaks on the river at one point and uplift them at another.

必看景點

1 Aviemore Stone Circle sits incongruously amidst a housing estate: it's from the Bronze Age so it's about 5000 years old. The cairn within the stone circle has been grassed over for protection. This was a Clava-type annular burial chamber: cairns of this type were used once then sealed, without later burials or re-entry for ceremonies. 2 Grenish Stone Circle is two miles north in the forest next to the main railway line and is best reached from the path by the Strathspey Railway. It's similar to the Aviemore circle but the ruins of its annular cairn have been left uncovered. 3 Loch an Eilein is fringed by a path, a gentle 5-mile (8-km) circuit. In the woods are remains of old lime kilns and logging operations. However the main attraction is views of the ruined 14th-century castle on an islet; it could be reached by causeway until the loch water level was raised in the 18th century. In 1690 it saw the last action in Scotland of the original Jacobites, the forces of the ousted King James II / VII. Fleeing from a double drubbing at Cromdale, they tried to seize the castle but were repulsed by the stout widow who held it. The Hanoverians were hard on their heels so they scarpered, and it would fall to James' son the "Old Pretender" and grandson the "Young Pretender" (Bonnie Prince Charlie) to continue the cause. That was finally vanquished in 1746 at Culloden, to live on only in romanticising songs. The loch is reachable by a trail from Rothiemurchus. Bring a map or download an OpenStreetMap-based app like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz to help you navigate. Turn left just before Lochan Mor (the turn is slightly hard to spot, but if you miss it the other trail will also go to Loch An Eilein). You may see deer on the way, especially if you set off early before the other walkers have scared them away. It takes about an hour to walk to Loch An Eilein from Aviemore, and the loch is also reachable by ca