Neil, one of our team, was delighted to experience the fabulous Cairngorms in Scotland recently, on the first UKInbound familiarisation tour in almost two years. Here is his blog about the visit.

The Cairngorms is a mountain range in the Scottish Highlands, situated between Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness, and the UK’s largest National Park. Covering over 1,700 square miles (4,500 square kilometres), the region is a magnet for walkers, climbers, skiers, watersports enthusiasts and nature lovers. With wonderful hotels, great castles and plenty of attractions, both indoors and out, the Cairngorms is an ideal holiday destination in its own right, and a must-see on any tour of Scotland.

The first destination on our tour was majestic Blair Castle, near Pitlochry, on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park. Blair Castle has been the home of the Atholl family for seven generations and has been expanded and adapted over 750 years to become one of Scotland’s finest stately homes. 

Discovering 750 years of Scottish history at majestic Blair Castle

We started the next day with a Hairy Coo Safari – a first for Janet Redler Travel & Tourism! Based at the Rothiemurchus Estate in the heart of the Cairngorms, this fascinating activity gave us the chance to get up close and personal with some of Scotland’s famous Highland cattle! 

Hairy ‘heilan coos’ on our safari 

The journey to Rothiemurchus was sensational as we made our way along the Snow Roads Scenic Route enjoying the beautiful scenery and learning about the Dark Skies status of the Tomintoul and Glenlivet area – one of the best places in the UK to enjoy the night sky. We stopped at pretty Loch an Eilean in the Rothiemurchus Forest to take in the views. This picture-postcard loch with its island castle, surrounded by stunning woodland, is perfect for a photo op!

Picture-postcard Loch an Eilean in the Cairngorms

The second afternoon of the trip was spent sampling our way through the best local produce and learning about the processes behind them, from cheese and gin to famous Scottish whisky. I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the history behind Dalwhinnie Distillery. (Find out more about our Food and Drink Tours.)

Enjoying a ‘wee dram’ at Dalwhinnie Distillery! 

In summary, it was wonderful for us to have this opportunity to improve our product knowledge of this fantastic part of Scotland, which offers so much for travellers to enjoy no matter what their interests, and to share these new experiences with other industry colleagues.

If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor-made tour of Scotland, taking in the spectacular sights of the Cairngorms National Park, please do contact our friendly team.

All photos © Neil Redler