Aviemore
Encyclopedia
Aviemore is a town and tourist
resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park
in the Highlands
of Scotland
. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey
committee area, within the Highland
council area
. The town is popular for skiing
and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm Mountains. The Aviemore stone circle is located within a residential neighborhood of the town.
to Perth
was rebuilt further west in the 1980s). Aviemore railway station
is on the Highland Main Line
and Aviemore is also the southern terminus of the Strathspey Railway, a heritage railway
.
of Moray and from 1890 to 1975 it was in the county of Inverness-shire
, until the latter date being within the Civil Parish of Duthil and Rothiemurchus. The village began to grow as a result of it becoming a railway junction
in 1898, following which the Highland Railway
became a major employer, constructing housing for its staff and the Aviemore Hotel. Aviemore became one of the first skiing resorts to be established in Scotland with the opening of the chairlift
in 1961 and is also notable for being near the freely grazing reindeer
herd at Glen More, the only one in the United Kingdom
.The resort has since grown into the UK's most visited ski resort during the winter months.
The Aviemore Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1950, and its site and that of its Golf course
were used in the 1960s for the construction of the Aviemore Centre. It was opened by Lady Fraser of Allander in 1966, (widow of Sir Hugh Fraser - House of Fraser). "The Centre", as it became affectionately known, quickly developed into a major Scottish tourist destination, and in its heyday royalty were regular visitors, including Prince Charles and Princess Anne who attended Royal Hunt Balls hosted in the Aviemore Centre's Osprey Rooms. The very popular BBC TV show "It's A Christmas Knockout
" was held in the complex twice in the 1970s.
In around 1998 many of the original John Poulson
buildings were demolished as part of a promised £50 million overhaul. Although the visitor buildings were replaced, many of the other leisure facilities were not. In 2006 a privately-led tourist organisation began a programme of attracting tourists to the area.Aviemore Centre now consists of a publicly accessible swimming pool with flume, health spa, 4 hotels and a 4 restaurants including Giovanni's Italian restaurant.
Tourism in Scotland
Scotland is a well-developed tourist destination, with tourism generally being responsible for sustaining 200,000 jobs mainly in the service sector, with tourist spending averaging at £4bn per year. Tourists from the United Kingdom make up the bulk of visitors to Scotland...
resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park
Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms National Park is a national park in north east Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, set up in 2002. The park covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and...
in the Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey
Badenoch and Strathspey
Badenoch and Strathspey as a local government district 1975 to 1996Badenoch and Strathspey is a local government ward of the Highland council area and a ward management area of the Highland Council in Scotland...
committee area, within the Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
council area
Council Area
A Council Area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act.-Legislation :1889...
. The town is popular for skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm Mountains. The Aviemore stone circle is located within a residential neighborhood of the town.
Geography
Aviemore lies on the B9152 (the "old" A9 road since the main road from InvernessInverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
to Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
was rebuilt further west in the 1980s). Aviemore railway station
Aviemore railway station
Aviemore railway station serves the town and tourist resort of Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland. The station, which is owned by Network Rail and managed by First ScotRail, is located on the Highland Main Line between Perth and Inverness, and is also the southern terminus of the Strathspey...
is on the Highland Main Line
Highland Main Line
The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line...
and Aviemore is also the southern terminus of the Strathspey Railway, a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
.
History
Prior to 1890 it was in an exclave of the countyCounties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of Moray and from 1890 to 1975 it was in the county of Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
, until the latter date being within the Civil Parish of Duthil and Rothiemurchus. The village began to grow as a result of it becoming a railway junction
Aviemore railway station
Aviemore railway station serves the town and tourist resort of Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland. The station, which is owned by Network Rail and managed by First ScotRail, is located on the Highland Main Line between Perth and Inverness, and is also the southern terminus of the Strathspey...
in 1898, following which the Highland Railway
Highland Railway
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
became a major employer, constructing housing for its staff and the Aviemore Hotel. Aviemore became one of the first skiing resorts to be established in Scotland with the opening of the chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
in 1961 and is also notable for being near the freely grazing reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
herd at Glen More, the only one in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.The resort has since grown into the UK's most visited ski resort during the winter months.
The Aviemore Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1950, and its site and that of its Golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
were used in the 1960s for the construction of the Aviemore Centre. It was opened by Lady Fraser of Allander in 1966, (widow of Sir Hugh Fraser - House of Fraser). "The Centre", as it became affectionately known, quickly developed into a major Scottish tourist destination, and in its heyday royalty were regular visitors, including Prince Charles and Princess Anne who attended Royal Hunt Balls hosted in the Aviemore Centre's Osprey Rooms. The very popular BBC TV show "It's A Christmas Knockout
It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout was adapted from the French show Intervilles. It ran between from 7 August 1966 to 25 December 1988 on BBC1, 28 May 1990 on ITV, 3 August 1991 to 24 December 1994 on S4C and from 3 September 1999 to 6 January 2001 on Channel 5, produced by Richard Hearsey and Ronin Entertainment...
" was held in the complex twice in the 1970s.
In around 1998 many of the original John Poulson
John Poulson
John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson was a British architect and businessman who caused a major political scandal when his use of bribery was disclosed in 1972. The highest-ranking figure to be forced out was Conservative Home Secretary Reginald Maudling...
buildings were demolished as part of a promised £50 million overhaul. Although the visitor buildings were replaced, many of the other leisure facilities were not. In 2006 a privately-led tourist organisation began a programme of attracting tourists to the area.Aviemore Centre now consists of a publicly accessible swimming pool with flume, health spa, 4 hotels and a 4 restaurants including Giovanni's Italian restaurant.
Clubs and pubs
Aviemore contains a wide selection of pubs and clubs. With the Cairngorm Brewery situated inside the town, most pubs offer the full selection of the award winning beers including the "Sheepshaggers Gold" and "Tradewinds". The Cairngorm Hotel, which sits in the centre of the town has a large selection of beers and whiskies. Aviemore now has two nightclubs, The Vault and the new "Two Hoots" nightclub recently opened as an extension from The Winking Owl Hotel.Notable people
- Alain BaxterAlain BaxterAlain Baxter is a professional skier from Scotland. He specialises in the slalom discipline.-Background:He is the son of Iain and Sue Baxter, who were both British Ski Team members, and was born in Edinburgh. He is named after the 70s French skiing star Alain Penz...
-skier, lived in Aviemore much of his life, having been born in EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.