According to the Ramblers Association, walking has numerous benefits, namely health, social and community, economic and environmental. So, get your walking boots on and, in the next five days we will be discovering 5 fabulous walks in UK National Parks, all with an inviting Aga Cottage nearby.
The Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms National Park is as packed with riveting history as it is walking trails. Nearly all the villages in the park have their own community paths leaflets available which show the local trails and detail points of interest. There are also a number of longer routes including the Speyside and Deeside Ways. The park is laced with trails used by cut throat cattle rustlers and whisky smugglers and coffin carriers, transporting bodies from isolated homes in the hills for burial in villages like Chapeltown.
Beagle Cottage is a bright and welcoming home in the popular Badenoch and Strathspey village of Newtonmore, near Aviemore. There are an abundance of walks from the doorstop, including the Wild Cat Trail, among mature woodlands, open hills or beside the Spey River.
A little further afield is the enchanting Loch an Eilein, or ‘Loch of the Island’, hidden in the forest of Rothiemurchus, this beautiful spot was once voted Britain’s best picnic spot and remains one of the most loved places in the UK. Here you can step back in time and retrace the steps of the Highland Cattle rustlers whilst taking in the views of the hauntingly beautiful Highland Castle. There are many opportunities for spotting rare wildlife such as the Red Squirrel and Scottish Crossbill. There are three self-guided walks around the estate which take between one and a half and three hours. The path around the loch is suitable for motorised wheelchairs and off road buggies and is part of a wider network of paths that constitute the 50km Rothiemurchus Way. And don’t worry if you haven’t had time to prepare a picnic, the Druie Café restaurant provides a varied menu of local produce from 9.30am to 5pm.
For more information regarding the Cairngorms visit:
Walking Trails in the Cairngorms
or
Look out tomorrow for Day 2 of our walking adventures in UK National Parks
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