Aviemore
Coordinates: 57°11′38″N 3°49′23″W / 57.194°N 3.823°W
| Aviemore | |
| Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr | |
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|
 Aviemore
Aviemore shown within the Badenoch and Strathspey area |
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| Population | 2,397 [1] (2001 census) est. 2,440 (2006) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NH898129 |
| - Edinburgh | 90 mi (145 km) |
| - London | 420 mi (725 km) |
| Council area | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | AVIEMORE |
| Postcode district | PH22 |
| Dialling code | 01479 |
| Police | Northern |
| Fire | Highlands and Islands |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey |
| Scottish Parliament | Inverness and Nairn |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Aviemore (
listen (help·info); from the Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr) 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 neighbourhood of the town.
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[edit] Geography
Aviemore lies on the B9152 (the "old" A9 road since the main road from Inverness 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.
[edit] History
Prior to 1890 it was in an exclave of the county 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,[2] 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[3] and is also notable for being near the freely grazing reindeer herd at Glen More, the only one in the United Kingdom.[4]The resort has since grown into the UK's most visited ski resort during the winter months.[5]
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). [6]"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.[7]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.
[edit] Clubs and pubs
Aviemore contains a wide selection of pubs and clubs. With the Cairngorm Brewery[8] 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.
[edit] Notable people
- Alain Baxter -skier, lived in Aviemore much of his life, having been born in Edinburgh.
[edit] References
- ^ "Comparative Population Profile: Aviemore Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 29 April 2011. http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainArea=aviemore&mainLevel=Locality. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
- ^ Edinburgh Geological Society (1899). Transactions. p. 416. http://books.google.com/books?id=HjHyAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ Huxley, Michael (1979). The Geographical magazine. IPC Magazines. http://books.google.com/books?id=91gNAQAAMAAJ. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Cairngorm Reindeer". Cairngorm Reindeer. http://www.cairngormreindeer.co.uk/. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ Andrews, Robert; Teller, Matthew (August 2004). The Rough Guide to Britain. Rough Guides. p. 1213. ISBN 9781843533016. http://books.google.com/books?id=AOt1Hb8MOQUC&pg=PA1213. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ^ "Welcome one and all to "Auld Aviemore"". Auldaviemore.co.uk. http://www.auldaviemore.co.uk/welcome.htm. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Private tourism firm begins work". BBC News. 5 September 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5314502.stm. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ "Cairngorm Brewery". Cairngorm Brewery. http://www.cairngormbrewery.com/. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
