Quick Find

Pets Welcome
Wifi
Luxury

Find Advanced Search >>

Cairngorms Park

Searches More accommodation in more areas throughout the Cairngorms.

Information Local information, amenities,places to go, things to do.

Last Minute Late availability deals can save you £££! We get them first.

Click on an area to view accomodation

Interactive Map

Getting to the Cairngorms National Park

Cairngorms by car Aviemore and Cairngorms National Park has excellent road links to the rest of the UK but it's wise to check weather conditions before travelling as they can dramatically affect the roads in the park. We recommend taking a few essentials with you, especially in winter when there's the likelihood of snow: mobile phone, shovel, rugs, torch, full fuel tank, water and food. Many roads are single track with passing places, which are usually a small stretch of road slightly wider than the track. Please drive with care - it's better to be late than DEAD on time.

Travel times

London to the Cairngorms & Aviemore

A41 to M1, M6 to Carlisle, A74 & M74 to M80 Stirling, A9 Perth to A82, B865 Inverness

530 miles, approx 8 hours 20 mins' drive

Glasgow / Edinburgh to the Cairngorms

M8, M8 for Stirling, M9 & A9 for Perth to A82 for Inverness & Fort William

140 miles, approx 2 hours 30 mins' drive

Inverness to the Cairngorms & Aviemore

A9 south to Aviemore and the Cairngorms

40 miles, approx 45 mins' drive

Aberdeen to the Cairngorms & Royal Deeside

Banchory, Aboyne, Ballater and Braemar are roughly, 20, 30, 40 and 60 miles respectively west of Aberdeen on the A93.

60 miles, approx 1 hour's drive

Buses from London Victoria and the rest of the country make the journey up through Scotland to Aviemore and the Cairngorms. There are bus stops at all the main Cairngorms Park villages. (Coaches from London take around 12 hours, Edinburgh 2 1/2 hrs and Glasgow 3 hours.) Several companies run local buses around the towns and villages of the Cairngorms. In some areas the Postbus, which carries passengers with the mail, may be the only public transport available. Planning is essential, especially if travelling to remote areas using public transport. Bus timetable information for all the buses and public transport services in the Highlands & Islands is available from Traveline Scotland and the Highland Council.

Inverness station is a busy hub for the Highlands & Islands. Intercity trains run to Aberdeen, Perth and Edinburgh, linking to London's King's Cross as well as the rest of Scotland and England. The Caledonian sleeper runs a popular overnight sleeping car service. Regional Scotrail runs trains to Aviemore, Dalwhinnie, Newtonmore, Kingussie, Boat of Garten, Carrbridge, Kyle of Lochalsh (for Skye) and Perth. Aviemore mainline railway station is in the centre of the Cairngorms Park with direct services from London's King's Cross, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness etc.

Inverness Airport is the main airport for the Cairngorms National Park. It deals with local flights as well as connecting with hub airports for transatlantic and worldwide destinations. It is on the Scottish mainland and has flights to London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow, plus regional services within the Highlands & Islands and Aviemore. Helicopters, charter and business flights also use the airport. This is one part of Britain where the easiest, and sometimes only, way to travel is by plane. From Inverness you can explore further afield with flights on Logan Air to Barra, Benbecula and Stornoway in the Western Isles, Sumburgh at the southern tip of the Shetland Islands, and Kirkwall in Orkney for inter-island flights.

Hitch-hiking is a great way to travel and allows you to get to know the locals. Many people prefer hitching to other forms of transport because you can get dropped off anywhere, allowing you to discover places you may never have dreamed of visiting. Scotland is classed as one of the safest places to hitch-hike in Europe. It is possibly the Cairngorms' greenest method of transport, so why not give it a go?!