Big Mountain Weekend

Take the opportunity to refresh and rejuvenate on a mountain walking weekend staying in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. The weekend is fully catered with guiding and accommodation provided in one inclusive package. Saturday is a challenging day tackling one of Britain’s highest peaks while on the Sunday it’s an early start to do a shorter mountain route before you head back home in good time to get organised for your return to the working week.

Sat: Carn Ban Mor & Sgorr Goaith rear up from wooded slopes to form the western flank of the high Cairngorm Massif. Rising from delightful Glen Feshie, with ever expanding views you’re suddenly faced with the astonishing view of Glen Einich & its loch 2000ft directly below. Huge cliffs skirt around its edge to the massive bulk of Braeriach, creating one of the Cairngorms most impressive features.

Sun: Isolated from the main mass of Cairngorm peaks, Ben Rinnes dominates the views across to the Moray Firth coast. We climb along the spine of this bold peak to reach its airy summit and panoramic views of distant peaks. We descend pass rocky tors to complete this circuit in wild and open country. If time allows and the group wants we’ll also try to visit a distillery like The Glenlivet or make a visit to the Whisky Castle to see the World’s Largest Bottle of Whisky.
NB This will mean a late finish to the day and you may want to stay on at Fraoch Lodge for the night

We asked our guests what sets Scot Mountain Holidays apart, why they return year after year:

“the social aspect”  –  “the camaraderie, food and conversation”   –
“the company of the hosts”  –  “so warm and welcoming”  –  
 “a profound sense of belonging”  –  “the welcome of Rebecca’s home cooked meal”  –  “Andy’s skills as a guide, naturalist and leader”  –  “stewardship, sustainability and a small footprint”  –  “in harmony with the land”  –  “a slice of rural Scottish life”

Scot Mountain Holidays is the ONLY adventure tour operator in Highlands of Scotland with a combined home and guest lodge. We strive to be more than just an tour. We aim to provide you with a ‘home away from home’ on your adventures. We thought of no better way of doing this than to welcome you into our own home.

We have owned and operated Fraoch Lodge as our home base and business since 1999. In that time, we have come to embrace our guests as members of our extended Highland family.

We source our meals from locally produced and home grown ingredients to provide you with the most delicious flavours and traditions the area has to offer (while minimising our impact on the environment, too). Our dining room and lounge are shared spaces where we gather with guests and friends to share in the holiday and offer you extensive knowledge of your tour.

No matter the season, the Cairngorms and Fraoch Lodge is a place to relax and explore all its beauty and comforts, and we hope to make you feel as at home as we are.

We have achieved Gold Star Awards from the world’s most highly respected green accreditation scheme, Green Tourism, and were awarded Highly Commended in their Green Star Awards 2013 for both Scot Mountain Holidays and Fraoch Lodge. We offer a Green Travel Discount of £15 to any guests who travel to us by public transport. Our primary aim is to minimise the carbon footprint of our holidays, and to this end we donate 1% of the price of our tours to the RSPB’s Abernethy Reforestation project.

It is a holistic approach we have to the care of the environment. Andy your adventure guide has a passion for the natural world – whether it’s the flora, fauna or fungi. He has a background in geology and a lifelong interest in natural history, as well as being a keen gardener.  He knows a Golden Plover from a Dotterel, a Green Shank and a Dunlin. He also makes no apologies to being very excitable upon spying a Golden Eagle!

For further information, please don’t hesitate to check out our Environmental Responsibility page, or contact us directly at info@scotmountainholidays.com.