Page 266 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

from CycleHighlands (637m) where there’s a small ry, with reconstructions
(%01339-755864; www. skiing area (it’s usually the first of a crofter’s kitchen and
cyclehighlands.com; The road in Scotland to be blocked a blacksmith’s forge.
Pavilion, Victoria Rd; bicycle by snow when winter closes in). There’s excellent
hire per half-day/day £12/18; mountain biking at the
h9am-6pm) and Bike BikeGlenlivet (www.glen-
Station (%01339-754004; 4 Tomintoul livetestate.co.uk; trails free,
www.bikestationballater.co.uk; Tomintoul (tom-in-towel) parking £3) trail centre, 4.5
Station Sq; bicycle hire per 3hr/ is a pretty, stone-built miles north of Tomintoul,
day £12/18; h9am-6pm), village with a grassy, off the B9136 road.
which also offer guided tree-lined main square. It
bike rides and advice on was built by the Duke of 54 p269
local trails. Gordon in 1775 on the old The Drive » Continue
military road that leads northwest from Tomintoul on
4 p269 over the Lecht pass from the A939 for 8.5 miles before
The Drive » The A939 strikes Corgarff, a route now fol- turning left on a minor road to
north through the mountains lowed by the A939. The the village of Nethy Bridge. In
from Ballater to Tomintoul (25 village’s recently refur- the village, turn left towards
miles). The section beyond bished and extended Aviemore on the B970 then,
Cock Bridge is a magnificent museum (%01807-580285; after 600m, turn left again on a
rollercoaster of a road, much The Square; h10am-5pm Apr- minor road to Loch Garten (total
loved by motorcyclists, Oct) celebrates local histo- 17 miles).
summiting at the Lecht pass

DETOUR:
CAIRNGORM MOUNTAIN
GREAT BRITAIN 19 ROYAL HIGHLANDS & CAIRNGORMS
Start: 6 Aviemore
Cairngorm Mountain (1245m), 10 miles southeast of Aviemore, is the sixth-highest
summit in the UK and home to Scotland’s biggest ski area. A funicular railway ferries
skiers almost to the top of the mountain, and continues to operate throughout the
summer so that visitors can get a taste of the high mountain plateau.
The Cairngorm Mountain Railway (%01479-861261; www.cairngormmountain.org;
adult/child return £11.50/7.50; hevery 20min 10am-4pm May-Nov, 9am-4.30pm Dec-Apr; p)
is the national park’s most popular attraction, whisking you to the edge of the
Cairngorm plateau (altitude 1085m) in just eight minutes. The bottom station is at
the Coire Cas car park at the end of Ski Rd; at the top is an exhibition, a shop (of
course) and a restaurant. For environmental and safety reasons, you’re not allowed
out of the top station in summer unless you book a guided walk or mountain-bike
descent; check the website for details.
Six miles east of Aviemore, on the road to Cairngorm Mountain, Loch Morlich
is surrounded by some 8 sq miles of pine and spruce forest that make up the
Glenmore Forest Park. Its attractions include a sandy beach (at the east end) and a
watersports centre.
Nearby, the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre (www.cairngormreindeer.co.uk; Glenmore;
adult/child £14/8; hclosed early Jan–mid-Feb; c) runs guided walks to see and feed
Britain’s only herd of reindeer, who are very tame and will even eat out of your hand.
Walks take place at 11am daily (weather-dependent), plus another at 2.30pm from
May to September, and a third at 3.30pm Monday to Friday in July and August.

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