Rothiemurchus and Glenmore – Lochs, Reindeer and Cairn Gorm
A day by car, from Aviemore and back.
The route
East of Aviemore the road crosses the Spey and is at once among the old Scots pines of Rothiemurchus, where a ruined castle stands on an island in Loch an Eilein.
Beyond Inverdruie and Coylumbridge the forest runs on to Glenmore, a small village at the east end of Loch Morlich. Its beach of coarse pink sand looks across the water to the Cairngorms. Britain's only free-ranging reindeer have roamed the hills above the village since 1952. At the top of the ski road the highest railway in the United Kingdom climbs Cairn Gorm to 1,097 metres. This is a day among all of it, from the pinewoods to the mountain and back.
Before you go
Book the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre
Book the 11am hill trip: tickets go on sale 30 days ahead, to the hour, and sell out.
Book a bed near Aviemore
The day starts early and ends in Aviemore, and beds round the town go early in the school holidays and the ski season: book once your dates are set.
The nearest of ours is Park Cottage in Kincraig, 5 miles away. Sleeps 6; next free Fri 23 Oct to Sun 25 Oct.
The day
Glenmore
A day in the pinewoods and on the hill, built round the reindeer's 11am trip above Glenmore. Set off from Aviemore by 8am for the walk round Loch an Eilein, with coffee at the Barn on the way out. The afternoon rides the mountain railway up Cairn Gorm and ends on the sand at Loch Morlich.
1 hr 5 min at the wheelAbout 24 miles
Loch an Eilein
An attraction
It's 8 minutes' drive from Aviemore, south on the B970, then down a narrow lane to the estate's car park, where there's a charge. Loch an Eilein lies a short stroll beyond, ringed by Scots pines, with a ruined castle on its island, thought to date from the late 1300s. An easy path of 5 km circles the loch in up to two hours. Be back at the car by 9.45: at a slow pace, turn back at 9. Red squirrels and crested tits live in these woods.
5 min by car
The Barn at Rothiemurchus
A café
Drive 5 minutes back up the lane and the B970 to the Rothiemurchus Centre at Inverdruie, where the Barn is the estate's own café, warmed by a woodburning stove. It opens at 9.30am, with breakfast rolls, soup and Cullen skink with a cheese scone. The farm shop opposite sells the estate's beef and venison. Be on the road by 10.20 for the 11am hill trip, boots in the car. The Reindeer Centre has no toilets: the public ones are by the bus stop in Glenmore, on the way in.
14 min by car
The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre
An attraction
It's 14 minutes' drive through Coylumbridge and along Loch Morlich to the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre in Glenmore. The 11am hill trip must be booked. Collect tickets a quarter of an hour before, then drive on up the road to the meeting point the Centre gives you, a short hop not counted in the day's drive. A herder leads the walk, 20 to 40 minutes each way over rough ground, to feed the reindeer by hand. Wear boots or wellies with a good tread. No dogs, assistance dogs included.
2 min on foot
Allt Mor Café
A café
After the trip, come back down to Glenmore and leave the car at Glenmore Visitor Centre, where the car park charges. The Allt Mor Café is inside the Visitor Centre, owned by the community since 2024, and serves coffee, cakes, breakfast rolls and lunches every day of the week. The reindeer paddocks are back at the Reindeer Centre, 2 minutes' walk along the road, and are on the hill trip's ticket if there's time after lunch.
11 min by car
The Cairngorm Mountain Railway
An attraction
The Coire Cas car park is 11 minutes' drive up the ski road, through the snow gates. From the Base Station the funicular climbs 2 km in about 8 minutes to the Ptarmigan station. It doesn't go to the summit, and outside the ski season passengers can't leave the building, so the visit is the viewing terrace, the exhibition and the restaurant. Dogs can't ride up, assistance dogs apart. Look at the mountain's webcams before you buy a ticket. The last train up is at 3.30pm.
10 min by car
Loch Morlich
An attraction
It's 10 minutes' drive down through Glenmore to the Beach car park: look for the Loch Morlich Watersports sign. A broad strand of coarse pink sand, worn from Cairngorm granite, looks across the water to the hills, and it's known as the highest beach in Britain. Walk the sand, or follow the Beach Trail through the pines, 2.4 km and about an hour. For supper, the Pine Marten Bar + Scran is a short walk along the road in Glenmore. From here it's 17 minutes' drive back to Aviemore.
If it rains
The reindeer trip goes out in the rain, so dress for it: waterproofs, a warm layer, and a hat and gloves from autumn. Loch an Eilein's path is firm and sheltered by the pines, but on a wet morning the short stroll to the castle view is enough, leaving longer by the stove at the Barn. In low cloud the funicular's terrace shows nothing, though the Ptarmigan's exhibition and restaurant are indoors at the top. When wind stops the railway, the Cairngorm Café at the Base Station serves hot food until 3.30pm. Loch Morlich is still worth the stop in a shower: the Beach Trail keeps to the trees for much of its length.
Worth a detour
- The Pine Knoll Trail, Hayfield
Half a mile beyond Glenmore Visitor Centre a grassy field opens on the right of the ski road, with the Hayfield car park at its far end, short of the snow gates. If the first car park you come to, Allt Ban, is still closed after the wildfire of 2026, carry on: Hayfield is 200 metres beyond it. From there the Pine Knoll Trail loops for 2.2 km under old Scots pines, where wood ants build their nests, on firm paths with one short flight of steps. Allow three quarters of an hour, and pay at the machine. It adds no driving, but the railway's last train up is at 3.30pm.
- The trail round Loch Morlich
From the Beach car park a waymarked trail goes right round the loch, 5.8 km through the pines with the hills across the water. It's mostly wide, flat gravel, with some muddy stretches, one steep ramp and two crossings of the road. Allow two hours, and all day on the parking ticket. Goldeneye and red-throated divers are sometimes on the water. It adds no driving. With bikes, come from Aviemore by the Old Logging Way, a 6-mile bike route to Glenmore Visitor Centre.
Cairngorm Café, café at the ski centre.
Andersons Restaurant, a restaurant in Boat of Garten.
Make it a weekend
