Winter holidays in the Cairngorms are fun and refreshing! We spent Hogmanay in the Highlands this year and it was wonderful. We arrived to light snow on the lower ground and great powder in the mountains, with fresh mountain air to blow the Christmas cobwebs away. 7 days in the Highlands is my family’s idea of fabulousness, a week of the outdoors surrounded by beautiful scenery, eating fabulous food and spending the all important quality family time together. Our winter holidays in the Cairngorms was kick-started by sledging at Muckrach. The children absolutely love the thrill of the lack of control as you thunder down a hill, so we got the plastic wedge out and dragged them along the snow and pushed them down the hills for hours.
The melt began that evening, so we had to go higher for the snow and to continue the snow fun the following day. We arrived at the Cairngorm mountain which was brimming with snow sport enthusiasts eager to get on the slopes for the day. “The CairnGorm Mountain is home to Scotland’s only funicular railway. This is a unique visitor experience that allows people of all abilities to reach the Top Station where the Ptarmigan Restaurant is located with panoramic views from over 3,500ft. CairnGorm Mountain is the most popular snowsports destination in Scotland and has been offering snowsports for over 50 years. It has 30km of ski runs, 11 lifts, a fully maintained freestyle park and an onsite ski school that caters for everyone, from beginners to experts. The snowsports season typically runs from December through until April, but this varies from year to year depending on weather.” (Taken from cairngormmountain.org)
The perfect winter holiday in the Cairngorms; snow, sledging, snowman building and human-tobogganing! (Put my 5 year old son in a snow suit and he slides down anything like a human toboggan!) The snowman building as a little less successful as his head fell off shortly after this and holding a two year’s old attention in reconstruction proved difficult! All of this was topped off by a hot chocolate indulgence, with the extras; cream and marshmallows from the coffee shop at the base station. As we re-fuelled with the warm sweetness, what more could your children ask for, what more could the adults ask for? Blissful family entertainment in a beautiful setting.
Muckrach Country House Hotel is approximately half an hour from the Cairngorm mountain, where you can enjoy so many different activities on your winter holiday in the Cairngorms. Muckrach is a fully renovated 11 bedroom Victorian shooting lodge, re-developed as a 4 star luxury hotel with nods to Victoriana. Each room has been individually designed with your comfort in mind; the beds are Hypnos a company referred to as ‘the God of sleep’, the bar is well stocked with over 100 whiskies and a wide range of gins, the public rooms are filled with comfortable sofas & chairs, the walls are adorned with fabric wallpaper, floors with Axminster carpets and ceilings with chandeliers. The team will offer you a Highland welcome and the menu will be filled with chef-prepare, fresh delicious food. Non-residents will be welcomed too enjoy public rooms, whether you decide to have lunch in the Coffee Shop, afternoon tea in the Drawing Room or drinks & nibbles in the Bar will be entirely your choice.
Muckrach opens in May 2015, bookings are now being taken for your winter holidays in the Cairngorms season 2015/2016, should you wish to enjoy the thrill of the snow on the mountain, the views of the snow-capped mountain or to drag the youngest family members around in a sledge! www.muckrach.com
