48 HOURS IN AVIEMORE

It's all downhill at this holiday town and resort in the Cairngorms, Scotland, famed as a winter sports destination. However, you'll find many other outdoor activities to enjoy year-round, including walking, climbing and cycling.

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Long established as a popular area with skiers, Aviemore's reputation as a centre for winter sports came to the fore with the opening of a chairlift in 1961. Its popularity was further enhanced when the Cairngorms National Park (at 4528 sq km, the largest national park in the UK) was established in September 2003.

The town is located halfway between Pitlochry to the south and Inverness to the north on the B9152, just off the A9, and has relatively easy road access, weather permitting. Its beautiful setting makes it well worth the journey, with the peaks of the Cairngorm Mountains sitting high above pretty lochs such as Pityoulish, Morlich, and Alvie, and the River Spey running alongside.

DAY 1

9am Coffee bothy

Breakfast at Ryvoan Café, a deli-café inspired by the traditional Ryvoan bothy near Glenmore. The café has a range of dishes and homemade cakes, all served up with views of the Strathspey Railway and the Cairngorm Mountains.

ryvoancafe.com

12am Funiculi, funicula!

Time for a trip up the mountain on a funicular railway, which takes you up to the Ptarmigan Top Station at a height of 1097 metres in just a few minutes. Enjoy the scenery over the Grampian Mountains, see the Caledonian pine forests of Rothiemurchus Estate, and Loch Morlich in Glenmore Forest Park. Once at the top, you can lunch at the Ptarmigan Restaurant. A mountain railway day pass costs £19.

cairngormmountain.co.uk/mountain-railway/

1.30pm Snow problem!