Glenmore Forest Park lies eight kilometres east of Aviemore on the ski road, between Rothiemurchus and the foot of the Cairngorm plateau. It was established in 1948, covers 35.7 square kilometres, and 21.1 of those are designated a national nature reserve — one of six forest parks in Scotland, managed by Forestry and Land Scotland.
Like Rothiemurchus, it is a remnant of the Caledonian pine forest. Unlike Rothiemurchus, it has a loch with a beach on it, which is why it is the busiest piece of woodland in the Cairngorms.
The centrepiece: a shallow loch at around 300 metres above sea level with a genuine sandy beach along its northern shore and the Cairngorms rising behind it. It is frequently described as the highest beach in Britain, which is roughly true and entirely beside the point — on a warm day it is the best free family afternoon in the Highlands.
Watersports operate from the loch: canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and sailing dinghies, with instruction available. The water is cold but the loch is shallow and sheltered.
The circuit of the loch is about six kilometres on flat forest tracks and takes ninety minutes.
Glenmore has a network of waymarked routes from the visitor centre, ranging from twenty-minute strolls to half-day walks. The tracks are sandy and drain fast, which makes them usable in weather that would close open ground.
The best of them:
The Ryvoan Pass — a track climbing north-east past An Lochan Uaine, the Green Loch, whose colour is genuinely startling and is attributed locally to fairies washing their clothes in it. About ten kilometres round trip from the car park.
Meall a’ Bhuachaille — the hill above the forest, 810 metres, reached by a steady climb of about 500 metres from the visitor centre. Four hours round, on a decent path, with a view over Loch Morlich to the whole northern corrie face of the Cairngorms. The best short summit in the area.
Short waymarked loops around the loch and through the pinewood for families.
The Cairngorm Reindeer Centre is at Glenmore, and Britain’s only free-ranging reindeer herd grazes the slopes above. The centre runs guided hill trips out to the herd — you walk up onto the hill, the reindeer come to you, and you can feed them by hand. There is also a paddock at the centre for anyone who cannot manage the walk.
It is the single most memorable thing most visitors do in Strathspey, and it books out in summer. The herd has its own page — see the Cairngorm reindeer herd.
Red squirrels, crested tits, Scottish crossbills and, in the pines, capercaillie — though the last are extremely sensitive to disturbance during the spring lek and should not be sought out independently.
Ospreys fish the loch in summer. Red deer come down into the forest in hard weather.
Visitor centre with a café, shop, toilets and information at the main car park.
Parking is charged.
Camping: there is a campsite by the loch and a hostel at Glenmore, both popular and both worth booking.
Season: the trails and the loch are open year-round; the watersports and some facilities are seasonal.
Midges near the water from June to September in still weather.
By bus: the Stagecoach service from outside Aviemore railway station runs up the ski road to Glenmore and on to the mountain, which makes all of this reachable without a car.
By bike: forest tracks connect Aviemore to Glenmore through Rothiemurchus, about ten kilometres.
By car: eight kilometres up the ski road, with several car parks.
Yes — a genuine sandy beach on the northern shore at around 300 metres above sea level, with watersports hire in season.
About six kilometres and ninety minutes on flat forest tracks.
An Lochan Uaine, a small loch on the Ryvoan track above Glenmore, with a startling green colour and a fairy story attached.
Yes — the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre at Glenmore runs guided hill trips to the free-ranging herd. Book ahead in summer.
Yes. The bus from outside Aviemore station runs up the ski road to Glenmore.