On a bit of a grey day, we took the train from Inverness to Aviemore. [Angus kindly offered to drive us to the train station, and wouldn't take no for an answer; he & Margaret are so nice, and made us feel so welcome!] Turns out that Aviemore is the country's main ski village (I think), thanks to nearby mountain runs; between winters it's a hub for hill walkers. A nice little village, and relatively flat along the main street so no uphill walk to our guest house, Eriskay Guesthouse. After dropping off our bags, and warming up with coffee & tea, we were off to check out the village and get in our daily walk. Found the pub recommended by our guest house owner, The Old Bridge Inn. Perfect country inn, restaurant, and pub. Great cider on tap, lovely warm fire in the pub section. They allow dogs in the pub, as long as they're quiet and well-behaved; seemed strange at first but then just felt right. After we left, stopped at The Ski-ing Doo for supper; not great.
Next day, woke to a sparkling world—everything covered in frost! Hopped on a local bus, which took us to the base station for Cairngorm Mountain, and from there we took the funicular train to the Ptarmigan Top Station. Because of the snow that day, we couldn't take the guided hike from there to the top. We'd have been at over 3,000ft above sea level, on Scotland's sixth-highest mountain. We did walk around the base station a bit when we returned, and as clouds/fog/mist cleared we had great views; saw some heather too! It was fun seeing the kids playing with snow.
Back in Aviemore, we went for a walk and ended up at the Old Bridge Inn. We managed to get a table for dinner, after relaxing in the pub by the fire again, and so happy we did. An absolutely deeelicious meal of melt-in-your-mouth venison for me!
Next day was grey and damp, but we set off early for Newtonmore to check out the Highland Folk Museum. Arriving early, we made the short (but felt long) walk into that village in search of something hot. Found that at Betty's Pantry and Tearoom, and after we warmed up left for the walk back to the museum. An outdoor museum, it has a section dedicated to 18th Highland rural life (amazing that people survived it). We chatted with one of the knowledgeable costumed guides, and checked out the various huts and such. As we then made our way to newer sections (representing the early 20th century), snow started falling! Luckily not heavy, but it did add to the general cold damp feeling for the day. It's a good outdoor museum, well worth the time for a visit.
Return to Aviemore, relax in the afternoon, then supper at PapaRock; fairly good, definitely American-themed restaurant.
