Scotland’s adventure capital is the perfect family escape with quad bikes, lochs and Highland feasts
With ski slopes in winter and beautiful lochs to swim in during summer, the town of Aviemore in Scotland is like Britain’s very own alpine resort – albeit on a smaller scale.
We arrive at Aviemore Holiday Park, where our wooden lodge overlooks the River Spey in the stunning Cairngorms National Park, to be greeted by several ducks who seem keen to pop through the sliding French doors for a visit.
I count my lucky stars that we’ve left our dog Daisy at home, as the ducks would be toast.
Work your quads
There’s so much to do in the Scottish Highlands that it’s hard to know where to begin, but a sightseeing tour on quad bikes is a great start.
Whizzing through the Rothiemurchus Estate, we stop to see Highland cows and have a great view of the snow-topped Cairngorms in the distance. One-hour tours cost £59 per person (Rothiemurchus.net).
My daughter Riley, 15, and I are speed demons, but my son Harris, also 15, finds it nerve-wracking.
He does love another activity on the estate, though – clay pigeon shooting.
During our 90-minute session, £59 per person, we learn how to load, hold and carry our guns before shooting at various targets – some flying through the air, others crossing in front of us.
I’m embarrassingly bad, whereas Harris’ hours on Call Of Duty pay off and he trounces all of us.
Water view
There are around 60 major lochs in Cairngorms National Park.
Loch an Eilein, a 15-minute stroll from our lodge, is particularly scenic and takes less than an hour to walk around.
Loch Insh, meanwhile, is a 15-minute drive and offers tons of watersports, including paddleboarding and canoeing, as well as dry-slope skiing and mountain biking.
The rain starts as we cycle, so by the time we return we’re soaked, but also feeling exhilarated – and delicious hot chocolates from the cafe soon warm us all up.
A family day ticket to Loch Insh, which includes most activities, costs £175 (Lochinsh.com).
It’s summit else
Hiking up Cairngorm Mountain is also well worth it. It’s a good two hours to the top, but the view from the 1,245m summit is incredible.
We celebrate our achievement that evening at the friendly and buzzy Old Bridge Inn.
Sitting by the river, we dig into Loch Bloom oysters, £10 for three, steamed Ling cod with ginger and soy broth and pak choi, £24, and lamb curry pie, £24, while burgers with twice-cooked chips are a winner with the kids.
The white chocolate and lemongrass mousse, £9, is also a must (Oldbridgeinn.co.uk).
Further afield, The Penny Bun, tucked away in Glenmore Forest, is a local secret. It serves up seasonal dishes inspired by the landscape, with a constantly changing menu.
We feast on cured halibut, £11, and hot mackerel pâté, £10, before Peterhead goujons with fries and masala sauce, £21, go down a treat, as do braised pigs cheeks, £23 (Thepennybun.co.uk).
And for a cheap night in, the Happy Haggis cooks up unrivalled fish and chips, £13.80, though you can also channel your inner Scot with battered haggis and chips, £9.60, washed down with an Irn Bru (Harkai.co.uk).
After a week in the fresh Scottish air and falling asleep to the sounds of the rippling river, we return to London feeling refreshed and vowing to go back for ’More.