Guided Winter Walking Holiday - Cairngorms, Scotland

Meeting Time: This will depend on whether you’re taking advantage of our Pickup service (see below), or making your own way to Aviemore.
If you’re travelling independently to Aviemore, you can arrive at the accommodation any time from 4pm - when the Large Outdoors host will be at the accommodation to welcome you. Alternatively, your host can pop along to the Train Station to collect you from there if you’re arriving via train/bus after 4pm. Dinner will be booked around 7-8pm, so if you intend to arrive later than this please ensure you have something to eat on the way.

Accommodation Address - if making your own way to Aviemore:
Aviemore Youth Hostel (SYHA)
25 Grampian Road
Aviemore
PH22 1PR

Pickups (Day 1): when booking you can let us know which of the two Pickup locations below you’d like to be collected from.

Glasgow City Centre (Hotel) 10am at the ibis Styles Glasgow Central, 116 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 7DN. Please note: a discount code for this hotel is available if you plan to stay in Glasgow the night before/after the trip - details will be shown on your booking confirmation email.

Glasgow International Airport 10:15am at the Pick-up & Drop-off area located outside the main terminal building in Car Park 2.

Returning to Glasgow (Day 6): If you are taking advantage of our Pickup service, we will also return you to Glasgow on the final day. We aim to be back in Glasgow between 3-5pm and can drop you back in the city centre or at the airport. Please book onward travel accordingly, to allow for flexibility with the return time to the city centre or airport - we (sadly!) can’t control the traffic.

We will stay at the SYHA’s Aviemore Youth Hostel for this winter walking adventure. It’s just a short stroll into town and to Aviemore Train Station and right next door to Craigellachie National Nature Reserve. We’ll be sharing the social spaces with other outdoor enthusiasts - there’s a spacious lounge area with woodland and mountain views, large self-catering kitchen (where we’ll grab breakfast and make up our packed lunches) and a handy a drying room.

Bedding and a towel is provided - but don’t forget your own toiletries.

Accommodation Address:
Aviemore Youth Hostel (SYHA)
25 Grampian Road
Aviemore
PH22 1PR

Room Types:
You can book one of the following options, subject to availability:
Bed in a Shared Female Room
Bed in a Shared Male Room
Twin Room (bunk beds, shared bathroom)
Single Room (shared bathroom)

Rooms at Aviemore Youth Hostel include Shared Rooms, where you’ll be sharing a dorm room - usually with bunk beds - with other participants (room sizes of up to three per room and bathrooms are shared). There are also some Twin Rooms - with bunk beds - which sleep up to two participants booking together (bathrooms are shared). Single Rooms are for one participant and have a single bed (bathrooms are shared).

Please see our Winter Walking Kit List.

The compulsory items are selected for your safety, which is of paramount importance to us at Large Outdoors. Each participant should have the items listed.

A helmet, snow goggles, crampons and ice axe are provided for the duration of the experience but we DO NOT provide or lend you suitable winter and crampon-compatible - known as B-rated - walking boots.

You must bring your own B-rated boots or pre-arrange hire of them, which is available from a number of outdoor kit specialists.
We suggest hiring from Tiso Aviemore Outdoor Experience as we can pop over there with you when we arrive in Aviemore. Please ensure you book any hire items for collection on Day 1 of the trip and return on Day 6 of the trip!

You can also hire B-rated boots online from OutdoorHire for delivery to your home ahead of the trip. You’ll receive a 10% discount code for boot hire from OutdoorHire when booking on this trip.

See John’s video below for more information about B-rated boots.

Included:

• Pickup from and return back to Glasgow - see the Meeting Location & Time section above.

• Travel from the accommodation to activity start points and back, where they don’t start from the door.

• 5 nights’ hostel accommodation.

• A Large Outdoors host/guide to welcome you, deal with meal preparation and logistics for your experience.

• Guided walks on 5 days (Days 2-6).

• Training in the use of crampons and ice axe, and skills for walking safely and confidently in mountain environments in the winter.

• Helmet, snow goggles, crampons and ice axe for the duration of the experience.

• A DIY breakfast each morning (toast, cereals, fruit and yoghurt provided).

• A DIY packed lunch (sandwich and snacks) for Days 2-5. Please ensure you bring a lunch box or dry bag - to reduce waste, we do not supply cling film or sandwich bags.

• Tea (including decaf and herbal options), coffee (including decaf option), and squash at the accommodation.

• Bedding and a towel - but don’t forget your own toiletries.

• The chance to make new friends and meet like-minded people - Large Outdoors is all about making outdoor adventures sociable.

• Pre-event support from the Large Outdoors team - give us a shout if there’s any advice or information you need and check out our Blog for useful articles too.

Not Included:

• Travel to and from the meeting location.

• B-rated boots - you must bring your own or pre-arrange hire - see the Compulsory Kit List section above.

• Dinner each evening - we’ll have a table booked at the accommodation to enjoy dinner as a group and you can purchase whatever you fancy from the menu available. Alternatively, you can always make use of the hostel’s self-catering kitchen, purchasing food from Aviemore’s supermarkets/shops.

• Any extra (i.e. not mentioned above in ‘Included’) excursions or activities that you may partake in which incur a cost.

• Bottled water - tap water and squash are available at the accommodation, so please ensure you bring sufficient water bottles or carriers to fill up and take out with you.

• Alcoholic drinks - there’ll be opportunities to pick up some local tipples during the trip and the hostel usually sells a small selection.

• Any food, drinks or goods you choose to purchase at any shops, restaurant, pubs or cafés visited.

• Travel/activity insurance - we recommend having insurance to cover, at a minimum: cancellation and curtailment; medical and emergency expenses (including repatriation); personal accident; injury and death.

• What level of fitness is needed?
This experience is rated as Tough (Winter Walking). You don’t need any previous winter walking experience for this trip, but you will need a good level of hill-walking fitness and to be comfortable spending up to 8 hours per day out in the mountains, potentially in freezing conditions. Click here to see Large Outdoors’ Experience Levels.

• Can I attend on my own?
Absolutely. The majority of our participants are solo travellers and adventurers. Plenty of fun, laughter and numerous long-term friendships (and a few marriages!) have begun on Large Outdoors experiences since 2008, so there’s no need to feel worried about your first experience, or indeed trying a new type of outdoor activity, with us.

• I am currently on a specific diet / have an allergy - can you cater for me?
Unfortunately, we are generally unable to cater for a wide variety of diets or food preferences due to the nature and cost of our catered trips and/or the use of shared kitchens. However, we can offer vegetarian meals, vegan meals, provide meals with gluten* free ingredients, and/or provide dairy* free meals - these options can be selected when booking. Please see our general FAQs for more information about dietary options.

This particular experience offers a little more flexibility catering wise, as evening meals are taken at local restaurants, so please contact us if you’d like to check whether it is suitable for your dietary needs.

• What transport is provided during this trip?
We offer transport with a Pickup and return service (see Meeting Location & Time section above) and transfers from the accommodation to the activity start points.

• Can I bring my dog?
Dogs are not allowed on this experience, except for trained assistance dogs. If you wish to bring your trained assistance dog, please let us know in advance of booking so we can discuss the itinerary and any activity/equipment/accommodation, and of course additional safety requirements or considerations that may be necessary.

The Cairngorms mountain range lies in the eastern highlands of Scotland, accessible from Aberdeen and Inverness and containing the highest continuous land in Britain. Ben MacDui is the second highest mountain in the country, and alongside the mountains are countless lakes, rivers, forested valleys and remote settlements. As well as the high peaks, there are a huge number of shorter walks, and easier summits.

The Cairngorms National Park covers all the central mountains and extends a long way around them to cover the hills of Lochnagar, over to the Drummochter Pass, and north to the Monadhliath Mountains. The central Cairngorm plateau, where the main peaks reside, is a giant dome of granite, making it popular with climbers, while the height and climate actually make the Cairngorms an Arctic ecosystem, playing host to a unique ecology of plants and animals.