We
are a husband and wife business and we live at Inveruglas, Insh.
We manage three individually-owned self-catering properties at
Insh, close to the RSPB's Insh Marshes Bird Reserve, within Cairngorm
National Park. Aviemore and the Cairngorm Mountain lie, respectively,
11 and 19 miles to the north. We are very close to Kingussie,
the capital of Badenoch and Strathspey and also Newtonmore.
This holiday area is a haven
for wildlife - in particular, birds, red squirrels and deer. It
offers a wide variety of holiday activities: skiing, water sports,
riding, cycling, golf, gliding, fishing, steam railway, wildlife/adventure
parks, the Osprey Observatory at Loch Garten and the Reindeer
Centre at Glenmore, to name just a few .
The popular holiday area of the Scottish highlands can be reached
from the south by road in comparative ease, with dual carriageway
for most of the way. Good alternatives lie with rail, with the
day train from London taking seven and a quarter hours, and air.
There are flights from London, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham and
Bristol to Inverness (48 miles from Insh), and flights from all
major UK airports to Edinburgh (125 miles from Insh) and Glasgow.
Strathspey abounds with bird
life. The holiday properties are near Insh Marshes Bird Reserve,
overlooking which are two public hides. Ospreys nest each year
at Loch Garten (where the Osprey Centre is open from May to September),
while another pair nests nearer, on Loch Insh at Kincraig. Locally
too you may see such rarities as eagles, hen and marsh harriers,
sparrowhawks, capercaillies, ptarmigan, dotterel, curlew, woodcock,
snipe, ring ouzels, crossbills, siskins, whinchats, snow buntings,
crested tits and various warblers. We are also pleased to offer
advice on the best place for perhaps spotting some of these birds.
There is a wide range of holiday
activities to be enjoyed in the area. Visit castles, distilleries,
the Wildlife Park at Kincraig, and the Landmark Adventure Park
at Carrbridge. In the summer and on certain days in the winter,
the steam railway runs between Aviemore, Boat of Garten and Broomhill
( Glenbogle in the TV series 'Monarch of the Glen', which was
filmed throughout the strath). Water sports, with tuition and
boat trips are available , at Insh Hall by Loch Insh, where there
is also a dry ski slope. Fishing permits may be bought locally.
There are riding stables at Kincraig, Feshiebridge and Rothiemurchus,
with pony trekking at Newtonmore. Mountain bikes are widely available.
Golfers have a choice of five courses: Boat of Garten, Carrbridge
and Nethybridge provide 9 -hole courses , while the 18-hole courses
at Kingussie and Newtonmore rank among the most scenic in the
country.
Aviemore gives access to the
Cairngorms and the Caledonian Forest of Rothiemurchus. You may
visit the Reindeer Centre at Glenmore, from where there are daily
outings onto the hills to feed these delightfully tame animals.
A trip to the top of Cairngorm on the funicular railway provides
a great panoramic view and here, of course, is Scotland's main
skiing centre.
Magnificent walking and cross-country
skiing country is at one's doorstep. The Kingussie area is also
excellent for orchids and other wild flowers. Pine martens and
badgers may sometimes be seen around Insh and otters by the River
Spey.
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