Aviemore
| Aviemore | |
| Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr | |
 |
|
  Aviemore |
|
| Population | 2,397 [1] (2001 census) est. 2,440 (2006) |
|---|---|
| Language | Highland English Scottish Gaelic |
| OS grid reference | NH898129 |
| – Edinburgh | 90 mi (145 km) |
| – London | 420 mi (725 km) |
| Council area | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | AVIEMORE |
| Postcode district | PH22 |
| Dialling code | 01479 |
| Police | Scottish |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey |
| Scottish Parliament | Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch |
Coordinates: 57°11′38″N 3°49′23″W / 57.194°N 3.823°W
Aviemore (
i/ˌæviˈmɔər/; Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr "The big [mountain] face") is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm Mountains. There are excellent views of the Cairngorms from various places within the town, especially from the railway station. The Aviemore stone circle is located within a residential neighbourhood of the town.
History
Prior to 1790 it was in an exclave of the county of Moray and from 1890 to 1975 it was in the county of Inverness-shire, until the later date being within the Civil Parish of Duthil and Rothiemurchus. The village began to grow as a result of it becoming a railway junction in 1898,[2] following which the Highland Railway became a major employer constructing housing for its staff and the Aviemore Hotel. Aviemore became one of the first skiing resorts to be established in Scotland with the opening of the chairlift in 1961[3] and is also notable for being near the freely grazing reindeer herd at Glen More, the only one in the United Kingdom.[4] The resort has since grown into Britain's most visited ski resort during the winter months.[5]
The Aviemore Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1950, and its site and that of its golf course were used in the 1960s for the construction of the Aviemore Centre. It was opened by Lady Fraser of Allander in 1966, (wife of Sir Hugh Fraser 2nd Baronet- House of Fraser).[6]"The Centre", as it became affectionately known, quickly developed into a major Scottish tourist destination, and in its heyday royalty were regular visitors, including Prince Charles and Princess Anne who attended Royal Hunt Balls hosted in the Aviemore Centre's Osprey Rooms. The very popular BBC TV show "It's A Christmas Knockout" was held in the complex twice in the 1970s.
Rothiemurchus Golf Club, Aviemore (now defunct) was founded in 1906. The club and course closed at the time of WW2.[7]
In around 1998 many of the original John Poulson buildings were demolished as part of a promised £50 million overhaul. Although the visitor buildings were replaced, many of the other leisure facilities were not. In 2006 a privately led tourist organisation began a programme of attracting tourists to the area.[8]
Geography
Aviemore lies on the B9152 (the "old" A9 road since the main road from Inverness to Perth was rebuilt further west in 1980). Aviemore railway station is on the Highland Main Line and Aviemore is also the southern terminus of the Strathspey Railway, a heritage railway.
Climate
Aviemore features an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb), with cool temperatures and rainfall throughout the year.
| Climate data for Aviemore (228m asl, averages 1981-2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5.0 (41) |
5.5 (41.9) |
7.8 (46) |
10.9 (51.6) |
14.3 (57.7) |
16.5 (61.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.1 (64.6) |
15.3 (59.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
7.7 (45.9) |
5.1 (41.2) |
11.36 (52.44) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
0.3 (32.5) |
1.9 (35.4) |
4.2 (39.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
9.5 (49.1) |
9.1 (48.4) |
6.8 (44.2) |
4.1 (39.4) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
3.44 (38.19) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 123.5 (4.862) |
90.5 (3.563) |
85.9 (3.382) |
55.9 (2.201) |
58.8 (2.315) |
63.8 (2.512) |
59.7 (2.35) |
69.8 (2.748) |
78.7 (3.098) |
102.2 (4.024) |
99.1 (3.902) |
89.3 (3.516) |
977.2 (38.473) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 16.3 | 13.4 | 15.4 | 11.4 | 12.8 | 12.0 | 11.7 | 12.3 | 13.4 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 13.4 | 162.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 33.3 | 63.5 | 98.3 | 135.0 | 178.4 | 148.5 | 149.7 | 136.5 | 110.6 | 77.4 | 43.3 | 30.7 | 1,205.2 |
| Source: [9] | |||||||||||||
Gallery
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Aviemore railway station
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Old Bridge Inn, south Aviemore
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The Inner Man, one of the sculptures in the Frank Bruce Sculpture Park, near Aviemore
References
- ↑ "Comparative Population Profile: Aviemore Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
- ↑ Edinburgh Geological Society (1899). Transactions. p. 416. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ Huxley, Michael (1979). The Geographical magazine. IPC Magazines. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ "Cairngorm Reindeer". Cairngorm Reindeer. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ Andrews, Robert; Teller, Matthew (August 2004). The Rough Guide to Britain. Rough Guides. p. 1213. ISBN 978-1-84353-301-6. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
- ↑ "Welcome one and all to "Auld Aviemore"". Auldaviemore.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ↑ “Rothiemurchus Golf Club”, “Golf’s Missing Links”.
- ↑ "Private tourism firm begins work". BBC News. 5 September 2006. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ↑ "Aviemore climate". Met Office. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aviemore. |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Aviemore. |
- The official website for accommodation and activities in Aviemore and the Cairngorms National Park
- Aviemore and Cairngorms National Park Info
- Local services in Aviemore
- Aviemore Golf portal Aviemore Panoramic Images