Cairn Gorm by Railway, then the Sands of Loch Morlich
A day.
The route
The Cairngorm Mountain Railway carries you high up Cairn Gorm in a few minutes, to a station with lifts, sandboxes for small hands and a restaurant with Strathspey laid out below.
Back down in Glenmore, the pink sand and pinewoods of Loch Morlich make a gentle afternoon at the foot of the same hills. It's a big mountain day made easy, for a baby in a buggy and for children of every age.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book Cairngorm Mountain Railway
Book Cairngorm Mountain Railway tickets online the day before to save £2 a head (£17.95 an adult, £9.95 for 6 to 17s, at the time of writing); the railway runs every day but Christmas Day, weather permitting, and is shut from 2 to 9 November 2026.
The day
Glenmore
Up the mountain in the morning and lunch at the top, then down to the loch for sand, pinewoods and a gentle walk by the water.
About five hours
Cairngorm Mountain
An attraction
Park in the Coire Cas car park at the top of the ski road, outside the Base Station. The first 45 minutes are free, then it's £3.50 for up to eight hours, paid by QR code or at the machine outside the Base Station before you leave. The Cairngorm Mountain Railway runs every day except Christmas Day, weather permitting, with the first train up at 10am and the last up at 3.30pm. It climbs 2 km to the Ptarmigan Top Station, 1,097 metres up. It's shut for maintenance from Monday 2 to Monday 9 November 2026. A ride is £19.95 for an adult on the day or £17.95 booked online, and £11.95 for 6 to 17s, at the time of writing. Under-6s go free but still need a ticket. The railway says it is fully accessible and pram and buggy friendly, with lifts at both stations. At the top are the Cairngorm Learning Zone with its interactive sandboxes, the 270-degree Cairngorm Story film and a viewing terrace, weather permitting. Outside the ski season everyone stays inside the building. High wind or severe weather can stop the trains, so check the Mountain Report that morning. Only assistance dogs may ride.
The Ptarmigan Restaurant
Lunch
Lunch is up at the Top Station in the Ptarmigan Restaurant, open from 10am to 4.30pm with hot food until 3.30pm, and it has children's meals. The terrace outside looks down to Loch Morlich and Strathspey, weather permitting, and lifts reach every level of the building. There's no booking. If you'd rather eat back down, the Cairngorm Café in the Base Station keeps the same hours.
10 min by car
Loch Morlich
An attraction
It's 10 minutes' drive back down the ski road to Loch Morlich's Beach car park at the east end of the loch, signed for Loch Morlich Watersports. The council charges £2 for up to an hour, £3 for up to three hours and £5 all day, at the time of writing. The coarse pink sand, ground from Cairngorm granite, looks back across the water to the hills. Forestry and Land Scotland's Beach Trail, 2.4 km and about an hour, loops through pine, birch and alder woods by the Allt Mor burn, a hill stream, and along the shore. It's mostly wide, smooth gravel, with a stretch of roadside pavement and some short moderate slopes. The water is cold and open, so keep small children close at the edge. The car park's toilets open from April to October; after that, there are toilets in Glenmore village. Harvesting around Badaguish, at the loch's west end, has closed some routes there, so follow the signs.
If it rains
The railway, the Top Station and the restaurant are all under cover; on a wet afternoon, keep Loch Morlich to a short look at the beach from the car park.
Allt Mor Café, a café in Glenmore.
Make it a weekend
More days out in Aviemore.
Photograph by D3tour via Google