Activities

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Activities

There are zillions of outdoor activities which you can do from Newtonmore, in the centre of the Cairngorms National Park. Walking, climbing, and cycling are described on the walking page. Other outdoor activities nearby include gliding, horse riding, golf, fishing, wildlife watching, skiing, dogsledding, fishing, orienteering quad biking and water sports (see below). Information on most of these activities is included in the cottage folders.

Skiing

Cairngorm mountain has some of the best skiing in the UK and is reached easily from Newtonmore, though the funicular is currently unavailable. Link here. Croft holidays can also be used to access Aonach Mor, and several of our guests have travelled to both resorts during their stay.

Water sports

Water sports such as kayaking, canoeing, sailing, and windsurfing are offered by Loch Insh water sports on beautiful Loch Insh, near Kincraig. Active Outdoor Pursuits in Newtonmore offer canyoning, canoe & kayak trips and white-water rafting. The river Spey is superb for canoe trips. Between Aviemore and Newtonmore it runs through Insh Marshes National Nature Reserve, one of the most important wetlands in Europe.

Golf

There are 18 hole golf courses nearby in both Newtonmore and Kingussie. Also, within easy reach are courses at Boat of Garten, Nethybridge, Carrbridge and Grantown on Spey. Many of the local courses have a discount scheme for use of multiple local courses.

Fishing

There is fishing in both the River Spey and in numerous lochs: salmon, brown, rainbow and sea trout, pike, arctic char, and grilse depending on location. Permits can be purchased from most local hotels.

Astronomy

The rural location of the cottages makes them ideal for astronomy and indeed we have had guests come specifically for this purpose. We have telescope suitable for viewing the moon, the Milky Way, and the satellites of Jupiter. We are happy to demonstrate these in good weather.

Wild cats

There are only about 400 true Scottish wild cats left in the wild and, to draw attention to this, Newtonmore have created a quiz of individually painted wildcat models round the village. There are now over 120 of them- see how many of them you can spot!

Places to visit

Newtonmore has two museums, the excellent Highland Folk museum with exhibits of buildings and demonstrations of traditional occupations, which is still free to visit. There is also the Clan Macpherson Museum. Not too far away is the Dalwhinnie whisky distillery and the Highland Wildlife park. Fort William, Inverness, Loch Ness, and Culloden battlefield are all within a car’s journey.