Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Funicular track descending through heather moorland towards a distant loch
Cairngorms

Cairngorm Mountain

Scotland's only mountain railway, climbing to the Ptarmigan Top Station at 1,097 metres, home of the UK's highest restaurant, above Glenmore.

Welcome

Cairngorm Mountain, above Glenmore and Loch Morlich, is home to Scotland's only mountain railway, and the highest in the United Kingdom.

The funicular climbs two kilometres from the Base Station at 635 metres to the Ptarmigan Top Station at 1,097 metres in around five to eight minutes. Outside the snowsports season it runs slower, so you have longer to look over the Rothiemurchus pinewoods, Loch Morlich and the Grampian mountains.

At the top are the Ptarmigan Restaurant, the highest in the UK, and the Cairngorm Gin Bar, with a viewing terrace looking down to Loch Morlich, a shop and the 270-degree Cairngorm Story exhibition. The railway is fully accessible and runs daily, weather permitting, and in winter it carries skiers and snowboarders up to the slopes. Outside the snowsports season a conservation plan protects the plateau, so passengers stay inside the top station unless booked on a guided walk, and walkers who climb up can buy a ticket down. Tickets booked online the day before cost less.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 29 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view from a garden staircase looks down a formal garden's central path, statues and cherub urns lining the balustrade in the foreground.
A short drive awayAllt Mor CaféThe community-owned café in the Glenmore Visitor Centre by Loch Morlich, for coffee, soup and cake before or after the hill.8 min by roadSee itInside the café, wooden tables down a long room.
Before you go

The railway runs seven days a week except Christmas Day, weather permitting, and is closed for planned maintenance from 2 to 9 November 2026.

You do not have to book, though tickets bought online the day before cost less.

Where
Cairngorm Mountain Base Station, Cairngorm ski road, Aviemore PH22 1RB; the Coire Cas car park is at the foot of the building.
Open
Every day except Christmas Day, weather permitting: first train up 10am, last train up 3.30pm, last train down 4.30pm (the times from September). In the snowsports season trains run on demand and times may vary. The railway is closed from 2 to 9 November 2026 for planned maintenance and reopens on 10 November.
Price
Day pass: adult £17.95 booked online the day before, £19.95 on the day; junior (6 to 17) £9.95 or £11.95; student or senior £14.50 or £16.50. Children 0 to 5 travel free with a ticket. A downward trip from the Top Station is £11.50 for an adult (read 21 October 2026).
Booking
Not essential; booking online the day before saves money.
Parking
Coire Cas car park, over 400 spaces. Outside the snowsports season: free for up to 45 minutes, then £3.50 for up to eight hours (2026 tariff). Parking charges are lifted through the snowsports season. Blue Badge holders park free.
Getting there
The Aviemore Adventurer (service 30) runs up to every hour from Aviemore rail station to Cairngorm Mountain, seven days a week. By car it is 10 miles from Aviemore.
Dogs
Not on the railway up, except assistance dogs. Dogs are welcome in the Base Station facilities and the Mountain Garden, on a lead; walkers who have climbed up with a dog may take the railway down.
Access
Fully accessible, including wheelchair access: a lift from the Base Station to the platform and lifts to each level at the Top Station. Six Blue Badge bays at the top of the car park, about 50 metres from the Day Lodge entrance; accessible toilets at the Base Station.
Food
The Ptarmigan Restaurant and Cairngorm Gin Bar at the top (hot food until 3.30pm); the Cairngorm Café at the Base Station.

Opening hours

Monday
10am–4.30pm
Tuesday
10am–4.30pm
Wednesday
10am–4.30pm
Thursday
10am–4.30pm
Friday
10am–4.30pm
Saturday
10am–4.30pm
Sunday
10am–4.30pm

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review
Where it is

At the top of the Cairngorm ski road, 10 miles from Aviemore, above Glenmore and Loch Morlich.

Close byIn Glenmore.
  1. A walker resting on granite boulders above the corries.BraeriachBritain's third highest mountain, 1,296 metres, in the western Cairngorms: a long day on exposed ground above the Lairig Ghru.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Skier in a green jacket jumps mid-air as another checks his phoneSkiing and Snowboarding in the CairngormsUnder a mile 2 min by road
  3. Cairngorm Reindeer CentreCairngorm Reindeer CentreBritain's only free-ranging reindeer, on the Cairngorm slopes above Glenmore, brought back in 1952, with guided Hill Trips most days.3 miles 7 min by road
  4. An Lochan UaineAn Lochan UaineThe green lochan of the Ryvoan Pass above Glenmore, its water a startling green among the pines, said to be the fairies' washing place.3 miles 8 min by road
  5. Loch MorlichLoch MorlichThe highest beach in Britain, golden sand on a loch of the Glenmore pinewoods, with watersports and the Cairngorms beyond.4 miles 9 min by road
Directions
Reindeer with antlers walking along a wooden boardwalk through moorlandAttractionsCairngorm Reindeer Centre3.2 miles
Inside the café, wooden tables down a long room.CafeAllt Mor Café3.3 miles
Glenmore Lodge among the pines from above, the hills behind.AttractionsGlenmore Lodge3.9 miles
Ryvoan Bothy, Nethy BridgeAttractionsRyvoan Bothy3.9 miles
Sunlight slanting across the tables and wooden chairs in the Old Bridge Inn's dining room.BarsThe Old Bridge Inn6.9 miles
Floured hands shaping dough on a dark, flour-dusted worktopRestaurantsLa Taverna7.0 miles
The dining room at Delaneys', with dark tables laid by tall windows on Grampian Road.RestaurantsDelaneys'7.3 miles
The Rowan Tree Country Hotel, with its sign on the gable and a terrace of pot plants and tables in front.RestaurantsThe Rowan Tree Country Hotel7.6 miles
Coylumbridge Aviemore Hotel entrance lit up at dusk, surrounded by pine treesActivityThe Fun House at the Coylumbridge Hotel8.0 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the mountain, and when each is next free.

East Dell in spring sunshine, a low stone cottage with a red door and a mossy roof beside its garden and an old oak.East Dell
  • Sleeps 5
  • In Nethy Bridge
  • 9 miles from Cairngorm Mountain
Check datesDell Cottage's sitting room, a fire lit in the open hearth, with teal sofas and sheepskins on an oak parquet floor.Dell Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Nethy Bridge
  • 9 miles from Cairngorm Mountain
Check datesDell Lodge under snow, its pale stone front and dormers seen through red autumn leaves across the white lawn.Dell Lodge
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Nethy Bridge
  • 9 miles from Cairngorm Mountain
Check datesSouth Dell, a white cottage with a stone gable and a slate roof, its sunny lawn edged by big trees.South Dell
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Nethy Bridge
  • 9 miles from Cairngorm Mountain
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in the CairngormsAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

What we have written about it and more in the Cairngorms.

ArticleScotland in Winter
More in the Cairngorms
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .