Cairngorm Discovery

Day of Arrival
You arrive to a warm welcome at Fraoch Lodge on evening before walking begins; try to aim for between 5 & 7pm so that you have time to settle in and meet the other members of the group before a lovely home cooked evening meal at 8.00 pm.

Day 1: (Guided)
Morning: A small, guided hike up Ben Rinnes, near Aberlour

10km (6 miles) with 600m of ascent on good tracks and mountain paths with a little rough ground. 4 hrs of walking excluding breaks

Afternoon: We visit a historic Woollen Mill. Cited as ‘internationally significant’. Here you learn how to make your own tweed!

For adults with an interest in malt whisky, there is the alternative option of doing a tour and tasting at a nearby whisky distillery (though 1 adult/legal guardian must remain with any children).

Evening: Wildlife Hide Dusk watch – this is you chance to see Britain’s second rarest mammal, the Pine Martin at very close quarters, along with Badgers, Red Deer and Wood Mice.

Day 2:
Self-guided: After the previous late night you have the opportunity for a bit of a lie-in and a late Breakfast. It’s then just a short trip down the road to catch the Strathspey Steam Train with your Mountain Bikes for the short but beautiful train ride to Broomhill station and bike back.

The route is a little undulating but relatively flat.

Day 3:
Morning: Guided hike up to the top of Cairngorm

6.5km (4 miles) with 600m of ascent on good mountain paths with some descents over relatively steep gradients. 3 hrs of walking excluding breaks.

Afternoon: The afternoon activity provides a chance to sit down and rest the weary legs at a potters wheel! Learn how to hand throw your own pot at a beautifully situated local pottery.

Day of departure: after your breakfast we’ll drop you off for your return transport. We’ll be sorry to see you go but hope you’ll consider returning to Scotland and perhaps joining us again.

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.