Activity Detail | Visit Cairngorms

CairnGorm Mountain - Mountain Garden

The Wild Mountain Garden at CairnGorm Mountain

The original mountain garden was created by Ben Humble MBE back in the 1960's. In his latter years Ben was a volunteer instructor at Glenmore Lodge and tended the garden himself until the mid 1970's. Sadly, the garden suffered from his absence. However, in 2001 the old chairlifts were replaced by the mountain railway and with support from Scottish Natural Heritage and the Cairngorms Partnership the original garden was given a new lease of life and the area enlarged. The new garden was opened by Andrew Thin - the Convenor for the Cairngorms National Park Authority - on the 26th June 2003.

The garden sits at 650m above sea level and is, we believe, one of the highest tended gardens in the UK. Located just above the Base Station at the Coire Cas car park it is home to some of the rarest plant species in the UK. Much of the original planting work was undertaken by local school children and overseen by the Cairngorm Rangers and since 2006 the garden has benefited greatly by the work of resident gardeners - Slavka and this year, Johnny. The garden showcases the plants found in the surrounding mountains and to see similar habitats you would have to travel over two thousand miles north to Arctic Norway.

Special Features:
Features in the garden change weekly, monthly and through the seasons. Worth a visit at any time of the year.

Camera Obscura can be found at the top of the Garden.

Other Awards:
Green Tourism Gold

Wifi Restaurant Children Welcome Parking Credit Cards Accepted