Getting Here

The Cairngorms National Park, which officially opened in September 2003, is Scotland's second national park and the UK's largest at 3800 square kilometres (1400 square miles). It stretches from Grantown-on-Spey to the heads of the Angus Glens, from Ballater to Dalwhinnie and Drumochter including much of the Laggan area in the southwest and a large area of the Glen Livet estate and the Strathdon/Glen Buchat area.

Given the huge area that it covers (larger than the Lake District and twice the size of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs), it's hardly surprising that it encompasses a unique range of landscapes, wildlife, habitats, and people within its boundaries.

The Cairngorms National Park has a large mountain range at its heart with diverse communities around it. It is home to 16,000 people and 25% of Britain’s threatened species. It includes unique mountainous areas of wild land, moorlands, forests, rivers, lochs and glens. Sites designated as of importance to natural heritage take up 39% of the land area – two thirds of these are of Europe-wide importance. Many of these areas depend on the work of land managers for their special qualities. The Cairngorms rich cultural heritage is also part of what makes it exceptional.