Craggan Outdoors News

Corkscrew rapid on the Findhorn

Craggan Outdoors, the TripAdvisor.com top-rated activity centre in the Scottish Highlands, is pleased to announce three new additions - paintball, white water rafting and a selection of art and creativity-based activities - to its existing range of activities. This follows on from the addition of indoor climbing/bouldering, massage, pony trekking, yoga and zip wire earlier in the year.

Speaking about the new activities, owner and Managing Director Keith Ballam, who along with his wife Jill took over at Craggan Outdoors last October, said: “We are hugely excited to be able to offer activities of the attractiveness and calibre of paintball and white water rafting. It is also good to be able to offer the art and creativity-based activities, something that we feel gives corporate clients something a little different to consider when looking at team-building, as well as new options for hen parties, school trips and other youth groups.” He continued: “It is our intention to carry on developing the range of activities that we offer at the centre, with the aim of creating a ‘one stop shop’ for potential clients so as they won’t feel the need to look elsewhere when choosing the activities that they wish to do during their time in Aviemore and the Cairngorms.”

The next addition is expected to be mini-quads for 6-11 year olds. The new 50cc quads are already at the centre, and work is currently ongoing to set up the new track and establish and test operating procedures. All being well the mini-quads will be in operation by the end of July.

Craggan Outdoors is the internationally renowned review website TripAdvisor.com’s top-rated ‘thing to do’ in Aviemore and the Cairngorms, and is ranked second across the wider Highlands, and also second across Scotland as a whole from almost 1,200 attractions that are listed. The centre is the top-rated outdoor activity provider in Scotland, with rankings based on the experiences of people that have visited. Craggan Outdoors is proud to currently have received nothing but 5-star ratings!

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.

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!”