Unique Things To Do In Cairngorms National Park

An Overview of the Cairngorms

Aside from being one of the most scenic places on Earth, Cairngorms National Park provides a wonderful drive through the Scottish highlands. Cairngorms National Park contains four of the five tallest mountains in Scotland.  It is the largest National Park in the UK and holds a diverse landscape, courtesy of ancient, retreating glaciers.  Skiing, trekking and fishing are popular attractions in this area  There is also a lot of unique native wildlife, including ptarmigans (grouse), dotterels, golden eagles, ospreys, pine martens, deer, crested tits, mountain hares, capercaillie, red squirrels, wildcats and otters.  The biodiversity is partially due to the unique landscape; an alpine semi-tundra moorland.  Due to it’s dramatic nature, there are many unique things to do in Cairngorms National Park.

Transportation Notes:

The Cairngorms can only be reasonably reached via car.  The mountain ranges are huge and decent public transportation to this empty part of the country simply doesn’t exist.  Simply driving through the national park takes a significant amount of time.

Unique Things To Do In Cairngorms National Park

Burn O’ Vat

This is a unique glacial pothole which was once a hideout for notorious Scottish outlaws.  Waterfalls surround every side of the dramatic feature.  This waterfall, though associated with the national park, is also technically a part of Aberdeenshire.

Corgarff Castle

This Scottish castle has witnessed clan rivalries, Jacobite uprisings, whisky smuggling enterprises, and more.  It’s a uniquely isolated castle, a thin star-shaped defense structure in an otherwise barren highland. The white walls of the castle against the backdrop of rolling plains and sheep fields is dramatic and lovely.

Cairngorm Reindeer Centre

The Reindeer Centre is marked on numerous road maps, located in Glenmore Village. The Centre offers daily guided tours into the mountains, where guests can feed, watch and walk alongside the UK’s only wild reindeer herd. The free ranging herd can take some time to find on certain days, but their dramatic horned-profiles against the highlands makes this an entertaining visit. Ticket prices vary somewhat throuhgout the year.

Frank Bruce Sculpture Trail

These skillfully executed, poignant works of art dot a verdant Scottish dell.  Frank Bruce created an extrodinary series of cultures by carving various trees, stumps and deadwood areas. The sculptures are all in a state of intentional decay, eventually allowing them to return to Earth.

Ruthven Barracks

These ruins witnessed the final gathering of the failed Jacobite Rebellion. The Barracks, located near Ruthven, are the best-preserved Jacobite Uprising military structures, formed on an old castle mound. The complex is at a beautiful, if somewhat empty, part of the Highlands.

Stargazing in the National Park

Due to the blockage of light pollution in the mountain range, the mountains are superb areas for night-gazing. While virtually every part of the park offers impressive views on clear nights, the Glenlivet and Tomintoul areas are considered the best within the park boundaries. This is the northernmost Dark Sky Park in the World and the darkest sky-viewing point in the United Kingdom. Be sure to be aware of cloudy weather or overly-bright full moons blocking out starlight.

Rothiemurchus Forest

While Cairngorms National Park is heavily forested, Rothiemurches is a special case. This is a grand forested area hosting special alpine cattle among dense woods and lakes. The woods are the last remanent of the Caledonian Forest of antiquity. Visitors can also castles and structures of the Rothiemurchus Estate in the area.

The Highland Folk Museum

This is a museum and open-air visitor attraction in Newtonmore in Badenoch and Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands.  It displays traditional methods for Scottish Highland Life and boasts many old stone huts with thatched roofs. While beautiful and compelling, the museum space displays accurate depictions of ancient Scottish lifestyles, so expect to walk a lot through the spread-out area.

Blair Castle

This castle is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray. For many generations, Blair Castle was historically the seat of the Clan Murray chief, otherwise known as the Duke of Atholl. However, the current Duke, Bruce Murray, lives in South Africa. The castles enormous wings, white walls, and historical, artful wooden interiors make this an interesting place to visit.

Balmoral Castle

Balmoral has been one of the official residences of the British royal family since 1852.  The modern castle is exceptionally beautiful. Currently, the castle remains a working estate, with grouse moors, forestry and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, and ponies.

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