All the best outdoor adventures are coffee-fuelled! We know our guests value a quality brew, whether it’s a quick takeout coffee to start the day, a cycle or walk planned around a coffee stop or a wander around the local shops punctuated with a caffeine fix. The good news is that all of our lodges have great coffee within easy reach, and the hardest thing you’ll have to do after reading our round-up of the best places to sup a flat white, down an espresso or savour a cappuccino, is decide which one to try first.
Ralia is the perfect place to pull in when you’re approaching or leaving the Cairngorms National Park, and it also makes a great goal for road cyclists who enjoy the surrounding network of quiet B-roads. They serve delicious sandwiches, cakes and snacks, and the owners’ son – founder of Cairngorm Coffee Roastery – provides the coffee beans, so you’re guaranteed a high-quality brew.
Owned by a family with hospitality in their blood, ex-La Taverna owners Toni and Ann Vastano and their team always ensure you get a friendly welcome at the Old Post Office. The coffee is Italian, the sandwiches are massive, and the beautiful building is full of art by Ann and other local artists. As it’s located right next to Loch Insh, you may even be lucky enough to spot an osprey from the outdoor seating area.
A recent addition to the Aviemore coffee scene, a trip to Ryvoan Cafe is always a joy. The stunning views over the mountains and light-filled, contemporary space provide the perfect backdrop for your favourite coffee, with beans supplied by Cairngorm Coffee Roastery. The cakes are exquisite, too. If tea is more your thing, you’ll be delighted by the eclectic choice on offer from Edinburgh-based PekoeTea.
Nethy House Cafe has become a local institution since it opened its doors in 2016, and it’s a bustling, reviving place to spend time. The simple menu focuses on allowing the quality of the ingredients shine through, and the excellent Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters provide the coffee beans. If you’ve not tried a dirty chai latte yet, this is the place to give one a go.
New Zealander Dave McKinney runs the Croft Cafe, and you know you’re in safe hands when a Kiwi is making your coffee. Beans are sourced from the award-winning Vandyke Brothers, another Highland business based a little further north in the seaside village of Cromarty. The breakfast rolls are hard to beat: get your day off to a flying start by dropping in for a bacon roll and a flat white.
We hesitated whether to put Fiona’s Wholefoods and Refills into the takeaway or sit-in section, as this is a cross between a cafe and a treasure trove of a refillery shop. What’s most important to know is the coffee and cakes are out of this world. Another stockist of Vandyke Brothers beans, Fiona’s baristas have every dairy-free milk you could dream up (try the macadamia latte) and they make the most beautiful hot chocolates, too.
While Aviemore’s Mountain Cafe may no longer be open, you can still get your baked goods and coffee fix from owner Kirsten Gilmour at her current venture, KJ’s Bothy Bakery. Run from an industrial estate on the outskirts of Grantown, the quality is as high and the cakes as big as you would expect. The coffee is a bespoke roast from artisan producer Cairngorm Leaf & Bean, developed in collaboration with KJ herself.
Set up by a coffee aficionado, Cabin Coffee serves up hot drinks from a stunning converted horsebox nestled in woodlands between Aviemore and Kincraig. The talented owner and his partner brew excellent coffee as well as selling handmade crafts, such as wooden coffee scoops and handwoven bookmarks. The small-batch, speciality coffee beans are supplied by Birch Coffee on Skye.