Craggan Outdoors News

New for the 2010 season, Craggan Outdoors is pleased to announce that the centre is now offering bushcraft sessions. Half-day and full-day sessions for between 4 and 12 people are available, with prices starting at £29 per person. Further details are available on the ‘Bushcraft’ page under the ‘Activities’ drop-down menu.

Bushcraft is the eighth new activity added since Keith and Jill Ballam took over the business in October 2008, bringing to more than twenty the total number of activities now available, one of the widest ranges in the Highlands, and offering something for everyone!

Needing to get your archery qualification? Then you’ve come to the right place! Craggan Outdoors, Scotland’s TripAdvisor.com top-rated outdoor activity centre, will be running a GNAS Archery Leader course from Monday 26th-Thursday 29th April 2010.

Course cost will be £249, with this to include GNAS registration, along with course fee, materials, equipment, & tuition from the man that wrote the text book…..GNAS Senior Coach Philip van Buren (www.archeryleaders.co.uk).

A residential option is also available. The course plus four nights self-catering bunkhouse accommodation costs £299. Additional nights are also available at £15.

Craggan Outdoors is located at Grantown-on-Spey in the central Highlands, & is easily accessible from anywhere in the UK. We are minutes off the main north-south A9, 3 hours from Glasgow & Edinburgh, & 30 minutes from Inverness, as well as being on the main road from Aberdeen across the Highlands. Mainline rail services come to nearby Aviemore, & Inverness Airport - offering services to many UK airports - is just 45 minutes away.

Interested? Then don’t delay as these courses always book up quickly. Call 01479 873283 or email info@cragganoutdoors.co.uk to find out more &/or to book your place.

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.

Needing to get your archery qualification? Then you’ve come to the right place! Craggan Outdoors will be running a GNAS Archery Leader course from 4th-7th May 2009. Course cost will be £285, with this to include GNAS registration, along with course fee, materials, equipment, & tuition from the man that wrote the text book…..GNAS Senior Coach Philip van Buren (www.archeryleaders.co.uk). Lunch on each day of the course is also included in the price.

Self-catering accommodation is available in Craggan Outdoors’ recently renovated & redecorated bunkhouse or bothy, with cost being a very reasonable £15 per person per night.

The course is already booking up, so don’t wait any longer….call (01479 873283) or email (info@cragganoutdoors.co.uk) Keith now to book your place.

Preparations for the 2009 season continue apace! As part of those preparations Craggan Outdoors is pleased to announce the addition of three new activities - indoor climbing, yoga and massage - that are all now available to book.

Indoor climbing now complements the outdoor rock climbing that the centre has long offered. The wall offers a great opportunity for those that are new to climbing to learn the basic techniques whilst away from the vagaries of the Scottish weather, and with the comfort of being just a few feet off the ground, with a padded floor for extra reassurance. Prices start at £25 per person for a 1 hour instructor-led session.

Yoga is renowned for promoting health & well-being, so we think that it’s a great fit (excuse the pun) with our more energetic activities.  Great for improving energy levels, muscle tone, joint mobility, suppleness and core body strength, yoga can be a perfect start or finish to a day, weekend or week of activities. Over the course of an hour, morning or afternoon, our qualified instructor will guide you through elements of a range of yoga styles, including Ashtanga, Iyengar and Shadow. Prices start at £20 for a 1-hour instructor-led session.

There can’t be a better way to recover from a day or weekend of outdoor exertion than with a massage. Our qualified masseuse can offer either a remedial and sports massage to aid recovery from the aches, pains and strains of activity, or a relaxing Swedish Ling massage to end your day in style. Indian head massage is also available. Prices start at £29 for a half-hour session.

Commenting on the new activities, owner and Managing Director Keith Ballam said: “We are really excited to have added these three new options to our already wide range of activities. We feel that they are an extremely complementary fit with what the centre already had on offer, and give enhanced quality and choice for new customers, whilst offering something new to try for repeat clients.” He concluded: “We expect to add another two or three activities by the start of the season at Easter, so watch this space for further announcements!”