The Valley of Strathspey
The Cairngorms National Park is a national park in north east Scotland, established in 2003. It covers the Cairngorms range of mountains, and some surrounding hills. It is the largest national park in the British Isles, with an area of 3,800 km² (1,467 sq miles). It was the second of two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament; the first was the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, set up in 2002. At the time there was some controversy; a large area of Highland Perth and Kinross that many groups felt should form part of the park was in fact left outside its boundary. There was also controversy surrounding the construction of a funicular railway on Cairn Gorm, a scheme supported by the new National Park Authority. Supporters of the scheme claimed that it would bring valuable tourist income into the area, whilst opponents argued that such a development was unsuitable for a supposedly protected area. The name "Kingussie" comes from the Gaelic, "Ceann a' Ghiuthsaich" which means "Head of the Pine Forest". The ruins of the early 18th century Ruthven Barracks (Historic Scotland; open to visitors at all times) lie near the original site of the village which was moved to avoid the flood plain of the Spey River. The Hanoverian Barracks were built on the site of Ruthven Castle, the seat of the Comyns, Lords of Badenoch in the Middle Ages.
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Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: activities, birdwatching, boating, botany, cairngorms, countryside, education, enjoyment, fauna, fishing, flora, forests, freedom, fun, guided, highlands, inverness-shire, leisure, mountains, national, native, open, park, peace, pleasure, recreation, relaxation, scotland, scottish, solitude, study, tourism, towns, villages, visitors, walking, walks, wildlife, woodland
