The Spirit of the Cairngorms
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Maximum adventurers: 12
Minimum adventurers: 1
Departure point: Inverness Airport or Aviemore Station
Drop off point: ATWS, Aviemore
Join Andy & Rebecca and experience Britain’s most diverse National Park. With over 4000 species of plant and animal and the finest collection of landforms outside arctic Canada, the Cairngorm National Park is Britain’s most outstanding natural environment.
Enjoy the huge variety of walking and help Mountain Innovations in the important work of recording rare mountain wildlife for future conservation policy. Join us in our home, sample some wonderful home cooking and experience the hospitality of an owner run and delivered mountain guiding business.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 1 – Thursday, 30th September: You arrive to a warm welcome at Fraoch Lodge, in front of a roaring open fire before settling in and a lovely home cooked evening meal.
Day 2 – Friday, 1st October: From Source to Spirit – we start the day climbing high into the hills that spawn the “water of life” (or Uisge Beatha in Gaelic). We ascent from the secretive wooded glens of what was illicit whisky country to the summit of Carn Daimh. With panoramic views across rolling hills to the high Cairngorms we descend via the Speyside Way to find ourselves in the middle of the Glenlivet Distillery After a tour we follow the River Livet to complete the circuit before dropping in at Tomintoul’s renowned and specialist whiskey shop, The Whisky Castle, for a tasting and a unique angle on Scottish whisky from the highly enthusiastic owner Mike Dury.
Day 3 – Saturday, 2nd October: Fruits of the Forest – this is one of the most colourful and fruitful times of year to be in the once great forest of Caledon. You feel little has changed since these noble pines chased back the glaciers 10 000 years ago. Our route takes us through the beautiful Abernethy Reserve where the yellows of Birch and Aspen contrast with the deep green of the native pines. We break out into open moor for spectacular panoramas to the mountains beyond. Nature’s larder provides us with gourmet delights – Chanterelles and Porchini, Cowberries, Cloudberries and Bleaberries to later be sampled in some of Rebecca’s fantastic home cookery! We plan to visit the Strathspey Badger Hide before twilight.
Day 4 – Sunday, 3rd October: High mountain wildlife and geology. We ascend from hidden glens, Cairngorm’s “Shangri-la’s”, through ancient pines to break out amongst autumnal colours of the mountain tundra and bellowing stags. It’s then on up to the Argyll Stone for tales and spectacular panoramas across Glen Einich to Braeriach. Andy, your guide, is a mine of information when it comes to natural history. Continents collided pushing up the great Caledonian mountains to only to be shattered apart by the opening Atlantic: the Appalachain’s, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia on one side, the Scottish Highlands on the other. We descend through the stunning Rothiemurchus estate to head back to base to freshen up and a wonderful meal at neighbouring Andersons Restaurant.
Trip Design, Logistics & Guiding: This PSA has been organized by Mountain Innovations who have been running mountain skills courses and small group walking holidays across the Scottish highlands and Islands for 11 years. Mountain Innovations is very much an owner run and delivered business. We offer a very high level of hospitality due to the close contact the owners (Andy & Rebecca) have with their guests throughout the delivery of the holiday. Over the years the company’s has featured on primetime BBC1 TV, radio and virtually every quality UK newspaper.
