Scottish Highlands Towns and Villages

Aviemore, Lying at the foot of the Cairngorms, Aviemore is an all-year holiday resort. Its success is seen in the bustle of activity as tourists take advantage of the wide range of facilities provided. At one time Aviemore had its status further enhanced when it was made a railway junction to provide a direct line to Inverness via Carrbridge Cairngorms National Nature Reserve, High­land and Grampian.

The Cairngorms are the highest mountain mass in Britain and form a ridge running from the southern reaches of the river Spey to Deeside in Aberdeenshire. Six peaks are over 4000 ft.

The bedrock is mostly granite, a material so resistant to climatic erosion that the peaks are almost as nature formed them millions of years ago. The Cairngorms high plateau forms a wide undulating range dominated by broad summits, the highest of which is Ben MacDui (4296 ft).

The mountains form an impressive back­cloth to the broad sweep of the Spey valley. The Nature Reserve was established between 1954 and 1966 and is the largest of its kind in Britain. Covering some 100 square miles, it offers a wide range of habitats for both flora and fauna. Many of the plants are alpines.

Public use of these high places has always been in contention, as the thin vegetation cover is often eroded by large numbers of visitors. The Cairn­gorms offer one of Britain's prime skiing areas, an attraction that contributes to the all-year tourist influx.