A climb onto a genuinely sub-arctic plateau above Aviemore, past Lairig Ghru toward Ben Macdui, in some of the windiest conditions recorded anywhere in the UK. Snow can sit in the gullies year-round, so this rewards proper mountain preparation whatever the valley forecast says.
Popular Munro accessible via funicular/path from ski centre; robust but genuinely exposed arctic-like plateau.
Cairngorm Mountain car park (Coire Cas), Ski Road from Aviemore.
Path from car park or funicular (funicular does not permit summit access due to conservation restrictions on some seasons — verify at publish).
Glenmore, Cairngorms, near Aviemore
A sandy loch beach in Glenmore forest with the Cairngorm massif reflected on a still day and a watersports centre right there f…
Rothiemurchus, Cairngorms
A level loop around a loch with a ruined castle on its island, set among some of the oldest Caledonian pines in Rothiemurchus. …
Kincraig, Cairngorms
A gentle Cairngorms loch run by a watersports centre, with ospreys often working the water and the mountains as backdrop. An ea…