Mountain Activities in the Cairngorms National Park

Whatever the season, whatever the weather, the mountains that make up the Cairngorms National Park offer exhilirating sporting opportunities. With some of the best snow holding records in Scotland, it's no wonder that three out of the five Scottish Ski Centres are within the Park! CairnGorm Mountain near Aviemore, Glenshee near Braemar and the Lecht 2090 near Tomintoul all have all you would expect from modern ski areas including lessons, uplift, catering and equipment hire.

In warmer weathers, you can take part in mountain biking, walking, maybe 'bagging' some munros and watching the unique wildlife on offer. Be your own guide or use one of the many highly skilled activity providers in the area to get the best out of your visit.

One word of caution though! The mountains of the Cairngorms National Park offer great fun, but they should be respected at all times! Always make sure you leave word of where you're going, be prepared for EVERY weather eventuality (even if you've checked the forecast) and make sure you have the right tools for the job - suitable footwear, clothing and 'accessories' (never forget that ice axe and helmet in the winter!), a proper OS map, a compass and most importantly, knowledge of how to use them! Don't always rely on your mobile phone in an emergency either - there are many places in the mountains where there's no coverage at all.

If you're planning to go out walking between 1st July and 20th October, remember to check if there's any deer stalking taking place near your proposed route. The Hillphones service provides information to help hillwalkers and climbers to find out where red deer stalking is taking place and to plan routes avoiding stalking operations. Click here to find out more. Another useful tool is the 'Heading for the Scottish Hills' web service that highlights where deer stalking is taking place over the busy stag stalking season, click here to visit the website.

If you want to learn more about mountain skills there are lots of courses on offer from independent activity providers and also Scotland's national outdoor education centre, Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore.