The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Walking in a Scottish winter wonderland
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as Nora McElhone and family strike it lucky on a winter break in Aviemore.
Driving up the A9 on a Friday evening isn’t usually my idea of a fun time, but as we leave Fife behind and get closer to the Cairngorms, the excitement in the back of the car is palpable; there is snow on the ground – and it looks like there might be lots of it!
It’s the last weekend in November and we have been studying the weather forecast for over a week now, the promise of snow got us excited but with the sight of the white stuff on the ground as we drive through the town and past the twinkling lights of the entrance to Macdonald Aviemore Resort, the kids are thrilled.
After a quick check in, we drive to our home for the weekend, one of the resort’s 19 Woodland Lodges. The kids leap out into the snow for the first of many snowball fights of the stay.
There’s no hanging around though, and we tear our hungry tribe away for the short drive to the Steakhouse at the nearby Spey Valley Golf and Country Club. I’m slightly on edge as we enter the relatively quiet restaurant with four travel-weary and overexcited children but the friendly staff are great with the kids and the great grub puts paid to any worries.
After dinner, the lodge looks particularly inviting as we arrive back to tuck the kids into bed. Each of the Woodland Lodges has three double or twin rooms with ensuite facilities set behind a spacious double height living and dining area. There is also a small kitchen and wood-burning stove. A welcome package provides a few treats to enjoy during the stay.
The next morning, it’s off to join lots of other families for breakfast at Aspects Restaurant in the resort’s Highland Hotel. There is a stunning tall tree in the reception area, which leaves the kids wide-eyed and there is a happy buzz in the restaurant as families breakfast ahead of the day’s adventures.
Many people have clearly decided this is the first weekend of the festive period as there are Christmas jumpers aplenty and talk of trips to see Santa on the Speyside Railway’s steam train.
We head off on a different adventure though, a hill trek with the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre to meet some of their herd. We bundle the kids up in as many layers as we can muster and head to the Reindeer Centre at Glenmore to get our tickets then drive up to the Sugarbowl car park, which is certainly living up to its name this weekend, to meet the trek leaders.
Once there, Sheena gives us a rundown of what to expect during the walk and a few tips on keeping warm, especially when we get to the exposed terrain above the treeline. She is great with the kids, challenging them to carry some of the heavy bags of food that we will feed the reindeer with. We then set off on a beautiful snowy walk thorough a valley and up onto the “tundra” type landscape the reindeer thrive in.
Reindeer were reintroduced to the Cairngorms by Swedish herder Mikel Utsi, who recognised that the subarctic qualities of the Cairngorms were the perfect home for them, and Britain’s only free-ranging reindeer herd has thrived there since it arrived in 1952. Now, the Reindeer Centre offers the chance to meet these beautiful creatures at the centre or up on the hill. The trek takes around 20-30 minutes over steep but well-maintained paths.
Our four-year-old loved the snowy walk and we carried the two-year-old in a back carrier. The children were enchanted to meet the reindeer at such close quarters. The beautiful animals were tame enough to nudge us and ask for food as Sheena gave out handfuls
of feed and answered our eldest boy’s queries about their ability to eat poisonous mushrooms (reindeer have four stomachs and so can digest things most other creatures can’t).
The deep snow added to the magic of the experience and it was easy to imagine we had been transported to Lapland for the morning.
Despite our best efforts, the littlest one did get cold and grumpy and Sheena advised us to head back to the car before she got too miserable. For very young children, or anyone who wouldn’t manage the trek to see the reindeer, there is also the option of meeting the animals at the paddock at the Cairngorm Reindeer centre, along with activities to keep the children busy.
We had lunch back at the lodge, making use of the dinky kitchen, and then the younger members of the clan took the opportunity to play in the snow, while we were able to supervise from the comfort of the indoors. The lodge set up with the combination of private space and hotel dining worked really well for us as a family.
On Saturday evening it’s time to check out the dinner options at Macdonald Aviemore Resort’s flagship Aspects restaurant. We book an early table and again, the waiting staff couldn’t be more accommodating to four junior diners. The children’s meals are plated up restaurant style so the kids really feel special. I try dishes from that evening’s set menu while my husband opts for the a la carte selection, with his starter of blue cheese panna cotta one of the stand out dishes of the meal.
On the final day of our stay, we choose a more relaxed pace and mosey over to breakfast before getting the car packed up and checking out. With so much to do in and around Aviemore it would be easy to pack in a few more activities, but instead we decide to make the most of the snow and the rest of the morning is whiled away sledging at the popular Glenmore Hayfield, where the slope is perfect for beginners and more intrepid sledgers, with the added bonus that you won’t end up in a burn at the end of the run!
Tired and a bit chilly, we head back into town to round our weekend off with a trip to the excellent Mountain Café, where we hit it lucky with a short wait for a table and enjoy the cosy atmosphere and amazing food.
Then, as the light starts to fade, it’s time to head home. We all pile in the car and, as we drive away from the snowy town and pretty festive lights, daughter number one is not impressed. “Turn round!” She demands, “I want to stay in Aviemore!” She isn’t the only one and something tells me that it won’t be long before we are back in this neck of the woods for some more winter adventures.