Craggan Outdoors News

A team of volunteers from Fife Air Cadets Conservation Group recently visited Craggan Outdoors to undertake a weekend of conservation work around the centre. In exchange for accommodation & high ropes activity sessions provided by Craggan Outdoors, an impressively industrious team of young people & their adult leaders beavered away on the latest in a long line of projects across Scotland, & from time to time also overseas, to which they voluntarily give their time on most weekends.

Time was spent cutting back trees & undergrowth, with the foliage that was removed being used to create a number of wildlife habitat piles. A number of bird, bat & insect boxes were also installed, as was living bench made of logs & turf, & a living willow screen. A new bridge was put in place to permit a circular walk around the fishing ponds, & a number of ‘Nature Trail’ signs erected in order to guide visitors in their enjoyment of the new trail. A new rope rail was also installed in order to aid access to a hide from where it is hoped that the fruits of the group’s labours will be enjoyed by many across the coming spring & summer. Come along & see for yourself!

Please visit http://www.fifeaircadetsconservationgroup.co.uk/index.html if you would like to find out more about this fantastic group of people, & the superb work that they do.

With the 2009 season fast approaching, it is getting round to time to start thinking about arranging accommodation if you plan to attend any of the wide range of events that take place across Strathspey from spring through to late summer & autumn. So whether you’re looking at the Aviemore & Cairngorms Walking Festival or Spirit of Speyside in May, the Outsider Festival at Rothiemurchus in June, Abernethy Highland Games or Thunder in the Glens in August, Motor Mania in September, or any of a host of further events across the Cairngorms & the wider Highlands, Craggan Bunkhouse & Bothy could be just the place that you’re seeking. Click on the ‘Accommodation’ menu above to see what we offer, & then get in touch! We look forward to hearing from you.

Four months after taking over Craggan Outdoors, owners Keith & Jill Ballam are pleased to announce that the renovation & redecoration of the 27-bed bunkhouse & 6-bed bothy accommodation is now complete.

The bunkhouse, originally converted from its former life as a farmhouse in 2007, has benefited from a top-to-bottom paint job, along with an upgrade of lighting, & the addition of storage units in the bedrooms, a drying area, & finishing touches such as curtains & blinds & an increased range of appliances & utensils in the kitchen. A growing library of magazines, books & games is also available.

The bothy, previously a typical bare stone walled building throughout, has quite literally been transformed inside. Now dry-lined & fully insulated throughout, a luxury bathroom fitted, lighting upgraded, & a finished off with light, bright paint-job like the bunkhouse, the bothy is now a fantastic little bolt-hole for small groups, or an extension of the bunkhouse for larger groups. Take a look at the accommodation pages of the website to check out the photo galleries of both properties.

Commenting on the achievement Keith said: “We are really pleased to be able to add what is effectively a new bunkhouse & a superb little bothy to the choice of accommodation in the Aviemore-Grantown area of the National Park.” He continued: “We’ve already been pleasantly surprised at the levels of enquiries & bookings that we’ve had since New Year, so now that we’ve officially ‘launched’ the accommodation as open, we are looking forward to an ever increasing quantity of enquiries. Sitting atop the Glenbeg Estate, yet only 5 minutes outside Grantown, & with golf, fishing & outdoor activities ‘on tap’, there really can’t be many better places to stay in Speyside, or indeed the whole Highlands!”

Love your whisky? The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival (http://www.spiritofspeyside.com) takes place from 1st-10th May 2009. Located beside the River Spey, just minutes outside Grantown-on-Spey, Craggan Outdoors is the perfect spot at which to come & soak up the whisky-related atmosphere.

The newly renovated Craggan Bothy provides a lovely little bolt-hole for a few days of relaxation. The golf course, fishery & activity centre offer plenty of opportunity for things to do to complement the whisky. Just across the road from the centre is The Craggan Mill Restaurant (http://www.cragganmill.co.uk), home of the award-winning ‘Whisky Kitchen’ cookbook. Plus of course all the distilleries & festival events that are all within easy reach.

So if you fancy a whisky-centric break, get in touch & we’ll sort out the perfect package!

Following the recent addition of indoor climbing, massage and yoga - all available now! - Craggan Outdoors is pleased to announce that pony trekking will be a new activity for summer 2009. The pony trekking season begins at the start of May and runs through to October. Bookings are now being taken for a choice of 1 and 2-hour treks. For more details, click on the pony trekking page under the ‘Activities’ drop-down menu.

Why not make a day of it, and combine pony trekking with one or more other activities, along with a nice freshly prepared lunch in our Clubhouse Cafe?! Or even a ’stay and play’ break - overnight, for the weekend, or longer - that combines a stay in our recently renovated bunkhouse and bothy accommodation with your choice of activities. Tell us what you fancy and we’ll tailor a break specifically to meet your requirements.

Watch this space for further additions to Craggan Outdoors’ already wide range of exciting activities, with mini-quads (for 6-11 year olds) and grass sledging expected to follow in the spring.