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Aviemore is a busy little town in Strathspey, the valley of the River Spey, nestled at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains. Originally just a small village with a station, on the main north-south railway line, Aviemore was enlarged in the 1960s when the Aviemore centre, including a hotel, shops, an ice rink, go-karts and "Santa Claus Land" was built. This has now been rebuilt and brought up-to-date.
Popular for many different activities, Aviemore is probably best known as the first of Scotland's ski-ing centres. With the bulk of Cairngorm itself only a few miles away, from when the first snows fall to when the last disappears, there are skiers thronging the town from dusk to dawn. During daylight hours, they are away up the mountain facing the challenges of The White Lady, The Fiachaill or The Coire na Ciste or relaxing in the Shieling or Ptarmigan restaurants.
All year, weather permitting, the slopes are popular with hikers making their way along paths through the hills or up to the pass of the Lairig Ghru, which goes many miles through the mountains to Deeside. The ski road from Aviemore winds up the mountain through the Queens Forest of Scots pines, past beautiful Loch Morlich, with spectacular views as the road climbs. At the top, the less energetic can take the chairlifts or the newly built funicular railway to reach even higher and see, on a clear day, far-reaching vistas of forests and hills, swathed in bright purple heather in August. Britain's only herd of reindeer is free to roam the slopes up here and there are guided walks to see them.
Not far from Aviemore, is pretty Loch an Eilein, which has a pleasant circular walk around it of just a couple of miles. For the wildlife enthusiasts, a visit to the Wildlife Park seven miles south of Aviemore at Kincraig, is fun. Cars drive through the park, safari style, to view deer, bison, rare breeds of horses and others and there are large enclosures where other animals and birds may be seen including wildcat, otters, lynx and wolves.
South from Aviemore beyond Kincraig is Kingussie, where there is an interesting folk museum. A back road, B970, leads back north to Aviemore passing through Inshriach, home of an alpine plant nursery where gardeners will find a treasure trove of delights including azure gentians, turquoise meconopsis and a host of multi-coloured lewisias. At Loch Insh, is a water sports centre where the adventurous can try their hand at windsurfing.
The River Spey is one of the great salmon rivers of Scotland but the only ones to fish for free are the ospreys, which are occasionally seen swooping down to capture a meal. North of Aviemore off the same back road, B970, is the Loch Garten reserve where ospreys have nested for many years. There is cause for celebration every spring when the pair of birds return after spending the winter in warmer climes. Visitors can watch them from a safe distance from a hide, managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. There are binoculars and telescopes for visitors' use and closed circuit TV relays close-up pictures of the nest and its occupants. Nearby is the quaintly named village of Boat of Garten.