Things to Do in the Cairngorms For First-Timers
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Mountains, beaches, and pyramids—there are many surprising things to do in the Cairngorms, Scotland’s second national park. Whether you are stopping by on a road trip (like I did) or staying overnight in one of the charming towns in Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Angus, Perth, or Kinross, this guide shares ideas for first-time visitors.
You may also find our guide to Inverness useful.
What to Do in the Cairngorms During Your First Visit
Old Pack Horse Bridge, Carrbridge
Step into the pages of a storybook at Old Pack Horse Bridge, the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands.
It’s the kind of bridge you expect trolls to live under and giants to demolish with their big feet.
Imagine horses crossing over the natural rock formation when it was built in 1717!
Unsurprisingly, this is one of the most photographed bridges in Scotland.
Catch it in autumn (fall), if you can, for the gorgeous surrounding foliage.
Carrbridge is a small village with a couple of cafes.
There’s parking and a bus stop less than a five-minute walk from the bridge.
Tip: If you visit the Cairngorms upper region in August, there is a good chance you will see the moorlands blooming with heather.
Check out our guide on the best time to visit Scotland for more seasonal advice.
Glenlivet For Whisky Fans
Whisky drinkers can visit the oldest legal distillery in Scotland, which started in 1822.
You can tour the facilities and try a dram of their single malt, which was once illegal yet requested by King George IV.
Other celebrity fans included the author Charles Dickens.
Loch Vaa
Located between the Boat of Garten and Aviemore, Loch Vaa is a 39-acre spring-fed freshwater loch.
If you are familiar with the lochs in the Cairngorms, this is the one with the wooden red-roofed hut, popular with photographers, wild swimmers, and fly fishers.
Loch Vaa has a piece of history hidden below its waters – a crannog, which is a timber building built in a body of water often used for homes.
It is thought to date back to the 13th century or even further.
Hikers can enjoy an hour-long trail to the loch, starting at Laggantrygown Cemetery car park leading to pinewoods.
I made it to the cemetery car park, but it was getting too dark to explore the trail to the loch.
However, my accommodation said that it is a popular spot for paddleboarders.
An Lochan Uaine, Badenoch & Strathspey
An Lochan Uaine, the Green Loch, is Scotland’s answer to the Canadian Rockies Lake Louise, albeit a tad less turquoise.
This freshwater loch isn’t green because of glacial melt and rock flour; the Glenmore Forest faires are responsible for the unusual tinge!
Some stairs lead down to the water, and to the left is a massive tree with sturdy roots.
A beautiful bench to the right of the loch gives clear views over the water.
To get to the Green Loch, join the out-and-back trail among the Caledonian pine, willow, rowan and birch trees of Glenmore Forest for about 20-30 minutes.
Parking is available at the Allt Mor Car Park (fee); you can join the trail here.
Note: While outdoors in the Cairngorms, keep your eyes peeled for endangered species such as pine marten (on tree branches), osprey (sea hawk), Scottish wildcat, golden eagle, red squirrel, snow bunting (bird), lapwing (round wing bird), crested tit, dotterel (bird), capercaillie (grouse), and black grouse; the area is home to a quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species.
Loch Morlich Beach, Glenmore
Loch Morlich Beach is less than a 15-minute drive from An Lochan Uaine, and it is Britain’s highest beach and Scotland’s only freshwater.
The golden sands and water pop against the trees while families swim and do watersports.
Beach facilities include parking (fee) and toilets by the Glenmore Visitor Centre.
You can hire kit at the watersports business on the beach, which also sells ice-creams.
I went for a wee dook during golden hour, which you can see in the image below.
The quirky Pine Marten Bar is also on the beach’s doorstep.
Loch Morlich is part of the Glenmore Nature Reserve, which includes Uath Lochans pronounced wah lochans with a Scottish back of the upper throat “ch”, not loch-ans.
There are nine nature reserves in the Cairngorms.
Cairngorm Reindeer Herd, Glenmore
The Cairngorms is home to yet another “only”.
This time, it is Britain’s only free-ranging herd of reindeer.
The herd has around 150 members, and people come to see the friendly reindeer all year round.
Daily guided Hill Trips on the mountain take around 30 minutes of trekking off-path and sometimes in boggy conditions, so plan your outfit!
While doing the tour, two people fell in reindeer poo, so be careful.
Check out our packing list for advice on what to wear in Scotland.
Visitors pay for the tour at The Reindeer Centre and then drive five minutes to a car park where the walking tour begins.
The guide discusses some facts about the beasts, and then the group walks in a single line along the boardwalk; this is where the reindeer appear and start joining the line, and they barge in – it’s really incredible!
Next, the guide dumps food around the field for the reindeer to fight over.
Then, visitors can let the reindeer eat a muesli-style out of their cupped hands, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.
I can’t wait to go back in winter.
Loch an Eilein
In Gaelic, Loch an Eilein means Loch of the island, and that’s exactly what you get at this scenic spot.
A 14th-century castle floats on an island in the freshwater loch while visitors can canoe and paddleboard.
The loch is a 3m/5k walk through Rothiemurchus Forest.
I never made it to this loch; a reason to return!
Afternoon Tea on a Vintage Locomotive, Aviemore
Take a ride on a heritage steam locomotive, dining on an afternoon tea platter as the Cairngorms chug by out the window.
The Strathspey Railway Company train departs Aviemore and stops at Boat of Garten and Broomhill before returning to its starting point.
The nostalgic journey takes around 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore
Continue the journey back in time at the Highland Folk Museum, where 35 replica buildings explore how Highlanders lived from the 1700s to the 1960s.
Most buildings have been moved from other parts of the Highlands to the open-air museum, where you can visit scenes such as a farm, a vintage shop with sweets for sale, and a school.
Depending on when you visit, a teacher in class might be testing visitors on their penmanship!
The Township area was also an Outlander filming location in season one.
If you are an Outlander fan, you can read this guide about locations at Hiya Scotland’s sister site, Two Scots Abroad.
My visit lasted around two hours, with lots of photo stops, a school lesson, and a wee chat with the actors in the Township.
Highly recommend.
Looking for more tips? Sign up for my free Welcome to Scotland Mini-Course!
Ben Macdui Hike
Ben Macdui is the second-largest mountain in the UK, second to Ben Nevis in Fort William, and the highest peak in the national park!
There are 55 Munros, a mountain taller than 3,000 fy (914 m).
The hike covers 17.5km / 11 miles and takes 6-8 hours, including part of the Cairngorm plateau.
While it is unlikely that first-time visitors will include this in their bucket list of Cairngorm activities, I wanted to include it as it is an important feature of the landscape!
Linn of Dee Walk, Braemar
The Linn of Dee is an excellent option for a gentle 1.5-hour circular walk with parking and bathroom facilities.
The route takes you through woodlands with a slight incline with steps at the start, bypassing gorge water and a waterfall.
I did this walk with friends in mid-April, and it was dry underfoot and above!
Mar Lodge Punch Bowl
The Earl of Mar Lodge Punch Bowl (Linn of Quoich) is a historic scenic spot about 25 minutes from the Linn of Dee car park.
However, the road is a little tricky to drive.
There is a car park close to the unique attraction.
Take the short five-minute walk through the woodlands to the picnic area of Queen Victoria’s choice.
This area has a bridge that looks down on the powerful River Quoich and a granite building called Queen Victoria’s Picnic Lodge.
Keep your eyes peeled for the perfectly carved shape in the rocks, where it is said that the Earl of Lodge poured spirits to toast to the Jacobites in 1715.
Set aside 20 minutes for a visit.
The Fife Arms, Braemar
The Fife Arms is a 5-star accommodation with dining options for non-staying guests.
We reserved an afternoon tea in the Drawing Room, a mesmerising gothic room coated in The Fife Arms tartan.
Braemar, located on the Royal Deeside, is also home to a castle that looks upside down.
The Balmoral Cairns, Balmoral, Crathie
Did you know that Scotland has pyramids?
And I don’t mean a pyramid-shaped mountain like Buachaille Etive Mór in Glencoe.
A relatively easy trail starts from Lochnagar Distillery and follows a woodland path with cairns of differing shapes and sizes.
There are 11 of these manmade structures, the most photographed being the perfect Toblerone-shaped Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, commissioned by his wife, Queen Victoria.
Other cairns celebrate royal engagements such as marriages.
A tear-shaped cairn is dedicated to the marriage of Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein in 1866.
The Leopold cairn was built in 1882 for Prince Leopold of Albany and his Princess Helen of Waldeck, and this one has views of Balmoral Castle!
Even if you are not interested in the unusual cairns, the woodlands walk is lush and took me around 3 hours with a lunch stop.
Walking shoes are required.
Muir of Dinnet
A lesser-known attraction in the Cairngorms is Muir of Dinnet, tucked behind the Burn O’ Vat Visitor Centre.
Wear waterproof boots as this short trail takes you by overflowing water and through a natural doorway formed out of stones to reveal a waterfall!
There are toilets at the visitor centre car park.
Taramachan Cafe is a stylish snack bar selling pastries, cakes, and coffee close to this landmark.
Final Words
The Cairngorms is a treasure trove of hidden lochs tucked away in dreamy forests surrounded by towering mountains—a real gem for outdoor enthusiasts.
Where do you hope to visit? Tell us in the comments.
If you need any help planning your trip, don’t hesitate to contact me.
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