Saturday, April 01, 2017

A is for Aviemore

It's here, the month of April when the craziness of the A to Z blogging challenge takes place - a post for every letter of the alphabet on every day in April except Sundays. I've chosen the Scottish Highlands as my theme so I hope you'll come with me on this month long exploration of the area we've called home for 15 months.


Aviemore is 33 miles away from where we live in Nairn, sits in the Cairngorms national park and isn't a very big town, but it's very popular with tourists and has lots of events throughout the year and is a great base for exploring the national park.


The actual town is really only one main street of shops, and everywhere you look you can see that it's an outdoor sports area, with lots of shops that cater for walkers, climbers, skiers, cyclists, etc.


A unique thing about Aviemore is that it has produced 15 Olympians which is more than any other area of the UK per head of population. The majority of these are unsurprisingly in Winter Olympic sports.


A must do activity is a trip on the strathspey railway - stepping back in time in vintage carriages pulled by a steam engine. The journey takes 1 hour & 40 minutes and takes you past some amazing scenery and stops at some really pretty stations.



You can even book to have afternoon tea in a carriage which is a great way to celebrate a special occasion, though we just did it for the fun of it.


If you go at the right time of the year you get to see fields of heather spread out beyond the window of your carriage - quintessentially Scottish.


One of the big events held in Aviemore which is fabulous is Thunder in the Glens - basically thousands of Harley Davidsons in one place for a weekend. The population of Aviemore is just under 3,000, but on the weekend of the thunder they have up to 5,000 bikes at the event and more people that just come for the amazing spectacle.


The rumble of the engines is constant and the variety of styles and paintjobs on the bikes is incredible.




If you're lucky a nice man in leather will even let you sit on his bike for a photo.


Take the road out of Aviemore and you get to the Cairngorm Mountain Railway - a funicular railway that takes you up the mountain. At the base of the railway is the highest working phone box in the UK, which the telecom company keep threatening to take away but each time they do it hits the news.


This is the little train that takes you up the mountain where there is a restaurant and giftshop and usually a great view but typically the day we went up there were clouds everywhere.


The clouds did clear briefly and yes the view was well worth it.


There you have it, the town of Aviemore - make sure you visit if you're ever in the area. One down, twentyfive to go - next we have B is for Battlefields.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and do something nice for yourself this week.

Pamela & Ken
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23 comments:

  1. Very interesting and yes, a nice view. Beautiful country. And I'm surprised the "nice man in leather" let you sit on his bike!

    Dena
    https://denapawling.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-is-for-arizona.html

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    1. Thanks Dena. I didn't even ask the guy with the bike, he saw me admiring it and told me to sit on it.

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  2. Oh this looks lovely! I visited Scotland about 5 years ago for a holiday and I absolutely fell in love. Looking forward to all your posts this month!

    Giggling Fattie: No Love For Fatties

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    1. It has that affect on a lot of people - there's just something about the land here that captures you. Glad you enjoyed it.

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  3. Glad to know you're back for another round of A to Z. The fields of Heather was my favorite image from this trip! :-)

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    1. Thanks Stephanie - I love it when the heather is out, my favourite colour everywhere.

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  4. Scotland is breathtakingly beautiful. I think we passed through Aviemore on our way to Inverness. Have lovely memories of that trip - your post revived them. Thanks.
    All the best for the challenge,
    Nilanjana.
    Madly-in-Verse
    Theme : Arabiana

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, and you may be seeing Inverness later in the month. Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. Sounds like a beautiful place to visit. And oh my goodness, I'd love to ride that vintage train!!!!

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - 1940s Film Noir

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Sarah, and you would love the train journey - it's really peaceful and beautiful.

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  6. OK, I definitely have to visit Aviemore because cream tea on the train sounds a delight. The mountain railway looks like a similar setup to Snowdon, which is also great. We're located in South Lanarkshire, so not too far to go! Battlefields should be interesting - my wife and I have visited the Culloden battlesite, which was very moving.

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    1. The railway in Aviemore is a must do Nick - make sure you book if you want to do cream tea. It's a really lovely area so make a weekend of it. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. What a lovely town and great pictures too. I love walking/hiking/running, so sounds like it would be a good place for me to visit. Would love to someday. :)

    Magical and Medicinal Herbs: Ash

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    1. If you're into outdoor activities then this is definitely the town for you - they even have outdoor sports festivals during the year. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. That sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

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    1. It really is. Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. I love that you've chosen Scotland! I've only visited cities there but have been feeling the call of the countryside and the Highlands for a long while now!

    On my Journey To Courageous Living A is for Achievements and Aspirations featuring the famous 'I'm a bitch, I'm a lover' - come, check out!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and I hope my posts this month encourage you to visit the Highlands - there's so much to explore.

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  10. What a fabulous town! Especially love the steam engine, the phone booth and the Harley Meeting - how exciting!

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    1. It is lovely, and there's always something to do and see.

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  11. Fields of heather and 15 Olympians...Aviemore is going on my bucket list.

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