Inside Scotland's stunning national park where kids can walk with dinosaurs, ride rollercoasters and meet cool cats

Scottish Sun

13 hours ago

Stunning scenery, wonderful wildlife, amazing adventures - this place has it all
GO WILD Inside Scotland's stunning national park where kids can walk with dinosaurs, ride rollercoasters and meet cool cats
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IN twenty years living in Scotland, I'd only ever driven past the Cairngorms. What a mistake, it turns out.
The signs for Aviemore - like Perth, PItlochry and Dalwinnie - were little more than a staging post on trips up the A9 for various jobs I had been dispatched on as a reporter.
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Cairn Gorm mountain and Speyside north of Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park
Credit: Alamy
But after spending 48 hours in this incredible swathe of Scotland, I'm now kicking myself that I hadn't at least stopped off in all those years.
The sprawling Cairngorms national park is perhaps best known to me for its skiing resorts. But as we found, this area is a whole lot more.
We stayed for two nights in Aviemore, the buzzing town on the north-west edge of the, just a few minutes of the trunk road and in easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh by train and bus.
It's a haven for holidaymakers, but very much a real working town as a rural regional centre.
You won't be short of shops - from outdoor stores, to gift shops, to supermarket staples - and there are restaurants, cafes and bars galore.
For those who want to get out of the city but still enjoy their creature comforts, it's an ideal destination.
We stayed in a self-catering room at Sweeney One, an apartment hotel ideally located in the middle of Aviemore, set back from the road and just two minute's walk to the shops, bars and eateries
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The village of Aviemore, Cairngorms National Park
Credit: Alamy
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A bedroom at Sweeney One in Aviemore
Credit: Visit Cairngorms
The comfortable rooms are high-end, all with kitchenettes - with fridge, microwave, kettle and sink - and stylish modern decor.
In our suite, there were two trundle beds available for kids, and loads of space for our family of three. Our ten-year-old, Anna, loved the smart TV with Netflix and iPlayer.
There was also a small balcony at the front, and keypad access so no need to worry about carting around room keys. The bathroom was spacious with a superb bucket shower.
Scottish theme park just two hours from Glasgow - there were no queues or extra costs
The rooms had the advantage of being just a few doors down from sister hotel Sweeney Two, which is linked to Delaney's restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
As a newbie on the scene in Aviemore, Delaney's is receiving rave reviews, and it's easy to see why.
We had a terrific evening meal, picking carefully from a "small plates" menu - choosing from nine awesome-looking dishes.
The atmosphere in Delaney's was relaxed, friendly, and unpretentious. But the food was out of this world. The best kind of restaurant, in my book.
Highlights were the pan-fried seabass fillet with beetroot aioli, pickled beets and orange segments (£14), which was perfectly prepared with crispy skin.
The chipotle vegetable tacos with chimichurri and pickled shallots (£12) was probably the tastiest vegan dish you can imagine. To say it packed a punch would be an understatement.
And the Charcuterie Board to share - at £19 the most expensive dish on the menu - was a plate full of Loch Rannoch smoked meats, locally smoked sea trout, cheeses including Strathdon Blue, olives, sourdough, sun blushed tomatoes, and a welcome pile of cornichons.
It felt like a banquet, not a few 'small' dishes.
Then it was off back to the room to watch Doctor Who, after a stroll along the main street where couples, families, and retired folk were enjoying the last of the evening sunshine outside the pubs of Aviemore.
We'd just about recovered in time for the breakfast at Delany's the following day, where they serve up everything from a Full Scottish to Eggs Royale, and the most amazing avocado on sourdough toast with poached eggs, served with Pico De Gallo fresh salsa.
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Fabulous breakfast at Delany's Restaurant at Sweeney Two
Credit: The Sun
No exaggeration, this was one of the best breakfasts I'd ever had, in a lovely relaxed setting with friendly staff.
Aviemore as a whole has that feel. It's a friendly, cheery place. Because of the tourist flow, you get the impression that the cafes are well honed and efficient.
On our arrival day - a Saturday - we'd rushed up from Glasgow to grab the last of the sunshine with dismal weather looming.
We were in a hurry to get to the Landmark Forest Adventure Park, about ten minutes from Aviemore.
It's one of these places you'd probably only ever go with kids, but when you get there, everyone has a great time.
There are attractions pitched at all ages. We walked through the Dinosaur Kingdom with its cool animatronic dinos, including a 20ft tall T-Rex and two 90ft long Diplodocuses (below).
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Dinosaurs Kingdom at Landmark Forest Adventure Park
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Anna loved the dinos
Credit: The Sun
The NetworkX "aerial net challenge" has giant bouncy nets connected by walkways, and is, well, just brilliant fun to clamber around on.
On the Wild Water Coasters - a favorite with three water slides where you sit in inflatables (don't worry too much about getting wet.. it's just a splash) - we saw a couple of bold grannies going down with kids.
We could have spent hours going up and down the steps for more, but wanted to also get in the Ropeworx aerial rope course and "Skydive" tower.
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You'll have a splashing good time at the Wild Water Coasters
Credit: Visit Cairngorms
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Chris and his daughter Anna braved the Skydive
Credit: The Sun
Now, I don't know if you've ever climbed up a 35 foot telegraph pole and stepped off the top - with a harness attached, right enough - but that's what Skydive is.
I hadn't, but Anna wanted to try it so I had to give it go, and pretend I wasn't scared.
There are two towers facing each other and after we clambered up, I had to lead by example, but my heart was pounding.
For a moment, I thought I couldn't do it. But after giving myself a mental shake, I stepped off - and the moment you do, all is well as you feel the harness gently guiding you down.
My landing was less than graceful - let's just say I ended up on my bum.
Anna climbed back down, too scared to jump. But about 20 minutes later after a shot on the neighbouring aerial rope course with her mum, Anna returned to the tower, went straight up, and stepped off. Then she did it again.
It was a real proud dad moment, seeing her overcome her fear, and she milked this for all she could, persuading me to buy her a burger and ice cream as a reward.
Landmark had so much more to offer - we also had a walk through the magical butterfly house, complete with resident tortoise - but unfortunately it was closing time.
On the Sunday morning, we took a trip on the Strathspey Railway steam train, which chugs its way along a ten-mile heritage route branching on from Aviemore station,
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The Strathspey Railway steam train is a brilliant day out
Credit: Alamy
This is a charming round trip lasting less than two hours - along the River Spey from Aviemore to Broomhill.
On board the vintage carriages, you can pretend to be in Harry Potter or indeed The Traitors - the opening scene from the hit BBC series, where contestants step off the train, is filmed at Boat of Garten, where the train stops.
Afterwards, we took the 15 minute drive to Highland Wildlife Park via a quick wander round the shore of the picture perfect Loch an Eilien.
At the wildlife park we had a fascinating talk on the preservation of Scottish wildcats which may look like your average tabby cat, but certainly aren't.
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A Scottish wildcat at the Highland Wildlife Park
Credit: Visit Cairngorms
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The park also has tigers
Credit: Visit Cairngorms
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Anna tried to see just how big a polar bear actually is
Credit: The Sun
We also saw polar bears pacing around on the hillside, and the tiger, while Anna enjoyed another snack from the friendly folk running the food van.
The weather wasn't particularly kind to us there, but you drive around the main enclosure, safari-park style, and this is a great destination whatever the weather.
I was determined to get to the mountains, and on the Monday morning we took the 20 minute drive to the base station half way up on Cairn Gorm, with its shop and welcoming cafe with a giant log burner and breathtaking views back across the Spey Valley and its lochs.
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Cairngorm Mountain funicular, the highest railway in the United Kingdom
Credit: Alamy
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River Spey and the Cairngorm Mountains
Credit: Getty - Contributor
Now, this may sound like cheating your way up a mountain, but there's no shame in that. Especially if you haven't got the gear, which we hadn't.
The funicular which takes skiers and sightseers almost to the summit was undergoing maintenance when we were there, but next time, we'll be climbing to the summit from the base camp and maybe getting the train back down. Even if Anna doesn't like the idea.
GO:CAIRNGORMS
GO: CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK
For more information, or to plan an adventure in the Cairngorms national park, go to www.visitcairngorms.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VisitCairngorms, or Instagram at www.instagram.com/visitcairngorms.
Rooms at Sweeny Aviemore cost from £163 per night when booked directly at https://sweeneyaviemoreone.co.uk/
A trip up Cairn Gorm - the sixth-highest peak in the British Isles - was the perfect way to round off our highland fling and we got a glimpse of the amazing infrastructure in place for the ski season, when the landscape is transformed.
But the lasting impression from our two-night stay, the area around Aviemore is whatever you want it to be.
There's something to do - and fun to be had - at every turn, all against the most stunning backdrops imaginable.
Our next trip to the Cairngorm will hopefully be in less than 20 weeks - never mind 20 years.