The Scottish Highlands is all about getting away from the hustle and bustle. This beautiful region of Scotland lets you get in touch with nature, connect with your inner peace, and breath clean air. It’s the perfect place to get cozy and relax by a fire, take the time to read a book or play a board game, light candles with friends and family, and enjoy a hot mug while wrapped in a blanket. It’s where you can hike, bike, fish, zip-line, swim or ski, and it’s the ultimate destination: right in the U.K.’s backyard.
As an American visitor in this area, I’m loving the open spaces, mountain terrain, winding rivers, small villages, and welcoming people. I’ve taken hundreds of pictures of Highland sheep and cows, chickens, farm houses, and sunsets. I’ve fallen in love with the Scottish accent, the tartan scarves, and the comfort food served in pubs (especially the haggis).
Soon after my arrival here, I worked on getting my bearings: small villages with Gaelic names, farms (crofts), lakes (lochs)- all on a circular connection of roadways that make up a region called Strathspey. We are in the Cairngorms, an old mountain range in the Highlands, one of 3 ranges in the Cairngorm National Park. Just on the edge of Strathspey is CairnGorm Mountain which has a Ski Area, Funicular, Christmas markets, and hiking trails; then there’s the Glenmore Forest Park with a mountaineering center, zip lining options, and plenty of rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and water sports on a lake (Loch Morlich).
Aviemore is the largest town in the area with fancy outdoor gear shops, an old steam train, bakeries, gift shops, galleries, a movie theater, a mom-and-pop butcher, and large grocery stores. Most of the other villages, like Carrbridge (where I am living), are made up of a pub, cafés, art shops, and a tiny corner store, just a few miles from the main hub of Aviemore.
The company I’m helping is called Highland Hideouts and they offer 6 different luxury holiday lodges for multi-family outings, all on different properties around Strathspey. The homes are gorgeous, massive old Scottish country houses remodeled to include bathrooms with every bedroom (a HUGE feat in this area of the world where buildings from the 17-1800’s often only had 1 bathroom for an entire house), hot tubs and fire pits, large kitchens, flat-screen tv’s in every room, hideaway bunkbeds for children, and multiple fireplaces inside.
As a traveler, I was lucky enough to spend some time in Strathspey in several of Highland Hideouts’ Scottish country homes. I was driven all over the area by locals and guided on a biking tour from Mike’s Bikes in Aviemore, hiked to the top of Cairngorm Mountain with a friend, enjoyed a hot chocolate in the ski area’s cafe at the bottom, wandered around Loch Morlich while watching sailboats and windsurfers cruise by, and photographed the eroding castle on an island in Loch Eilein in the sunshine. I wandered amongst Hebridean sheep in the meadows and picked fresh eggs in the crisp morning air. I enjoyed coffee in tiny village cafes and read books by warm fires after browsing through outdoor gear and gift shops. I’ve discovered it’s the perfect get-away for anyone who needs a break from a hectic lifestyle and wants to enjoy one of Europe’s last great wildernesses… it’s a step back into an older time and it’s more beautiful than you can imagine.
Over the following articles, I provide suggestions for things to do and see in the area- sort of a guide I wish I had when I arrived. I hope it helps, and I hope you too can experience all of it for yourself.