Aviemore

Aviemore (/ˌæviˈmɔːr/ (listen); Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr pronounced [ən̪ˠ ˈɤː.ɪ ˈvoːɾ]) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm Mountains. There are excellent views of the Cairngorms from various places within the town, especially from the railway station. The Aviemore stone circle is located within a residential neighbourhood of the town.

Aviemore
Aviemore
Location within the Badenoch and Strathspey area
Population3,240 (mid-2016 est.)[1]
LanguageEnglish
Scottish Gaelic
OS grid referenceNH898129
• Edinburgh90 mi (145 km)
• London420 mi (725 km)
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townAVIEMORE
Postcode districtPH22
Dialling code01479
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

Etymology

Aviemore represents the Gaelic form An Aghaidh Mhòr. Aghaidh may be Pictish and involve an element equivalent to Welsh ag meaning "cleft".[2]

History

Prior to 1790 it was in an exclave of the county of Moray and from 1890 to 1975 it was in the county of Inverness-shire, until the later date being within the Civil Parish of Duthil and Rothiemurchus. The village began to grow as a result of it becoming a railway junction in 1898,[3] following which the Highland Railway became a major employer constructing housing for its staff and the Aviemore Hotel. Aviemore became one of the first skiing resorts to be established in Scotland with the opening of the chairlift in 1961[4] After the ski centre opened the population of the village grew.[5] The resort has since grown into Britain's most visited ski resort during the winter months.[6]

The Aviemore Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1950, and its site and that of its golf course were used in the 1960s for the construction of the Aviemore Centre. It was opened by Lady Fraser of Allander (wife of Sir Hugh Fraser, 2nd Baronet, House of Fraser) in 1966.[7] "The Centre", as it became affectionately known, quickly developed into a major Scottish tourist destination, and in its heyday royalty were regular visitors, including Prince Charles and Princess Anne who attended Royal Hunt Balls hosted in the Aviemore Centre's Osprey Rooms. The very popular BBC TV show "It's a Christmas Knockout" was held in the complex twice in the 1970s.

Rothiemurchus Golf Club, Aviemore (now defunct) was founded in 1906. The club and course closed at the time of WW2.[8]

Around 1998, many of the original John Poulson buildings were demolished as part of a promised £50 million overhaul. Although the visitor buildings were replaced, many of the other leisure facilities were not. In 2006 a privately led tourist organisation began a programme of attracting tourists to the area.[9]

It is also notable for being near the freely grazing reindeer herd at Glen More, the only one in the United Kingdom.[10]

The Cairngorm Mountain Railway, owned by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), was closed in October 2018 "due to health and safety concerns", or "structural problems" according to reports in summer 2019. At the time, an investigation was still underway to determine whether modifications would be "achievable and affordable".[11][12][13]

On 10 July 2019, an announcement stated that a contract had been finalised for the construction of the Badenoch & Strathspey Community Hospital and Health Care Centre in Aviemore. The 24-bed facility, to be built by Balfour Beatty, was expected to open in spring 2021.[14][15] A previous report in February 2019 had provided additional specifics as to the plan. In addition to the rooms, the hospital was expected to have 12 consultation and treatment rooms, three minor injuries and out-of-hours treatment rooms, X-ray facilities and an outpatient department; paramedics would also be based here.[16]

During summer 2019, filming of the 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die, took place in the town and in the surrounding areas of Cairngorms National Park.[17] Temporary accommodations were constructed in a car park in the town for the production crew of around 300.[12][18] Some scenes were also being shot at the Ardverikie House Estate, just outside the park, roughly 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the town.[19]

Geography
Panorama

Aviemore lies on the B9152 (the "old" A9 road since the main road from Inverness to Perth was rebuilt further west in 1980). Aviemore railway station is on the Highland Main Line and Aviemore is also the southern terminus of the Strathspey Railway, a heritage railway.

Climate

Aviemore has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), bordering on a humid continental climate (Dfb) with cool temperatures and rainfall throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded was 31.3 °C (88.3 °F) on 28 June 2018.[20] The lowest was in December 1995.[21]

Climate data for Aviemore (228 m asl, averages 1981–2010, extremes 1956–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 12.5
(54.5)		 15.8
(60.4)		 23.0
(73.4)		 24.2
(75.6)		 29.0
(84.2)		 31.3
(88.3)		 31.0
(87.8)		 30.6
(87.1)		 26.7
(80.1)		 25.5
(77.9)		 16.7
(62.1)		 14.8
(58.6)		 31.3
(88.3)
Average high °C (°F) 5.0
(41.0)		 5.5
(41.9)		 7.8
(46.0)		 10.9
(51.6)		 14.3
(57.7)		 16.5
(61.7)		 18.7
(65.7)		 18.1
(64.6)		 15.3
(59.5)		 11.4
(52.5)		 7.7
(45.9)		 5.1
(41.2)		 11.4
(52.4)
Average low °C (°F) −1.0
(30.2)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 0.3
(32.5)		 1.9
(35.4)		 4.2
(39.6)		 7.3
(45.1)		 9.5
(49.1)		 9.1
(48.4)		 6.8
(44.2)		 4.1
(39.4)		 1.4
(34.5)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 3.4
(38.2)
Record low °C (°F) −21.5
(−6.7)		 −26.2
(−15.2)		 −17.4
(0.7)		 −9.5
(14.9)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 −1.1
(30.0)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −8.6
(16.5)		 −17.1
(1.2)		 −24.6
(−12.3)		 −26.2
(−15.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 123.5
(4.86)		 90.5
(3.56)		 85.9
(3.38)		 55.9
(2.20)		 58.8
(2.31)		 63.8
(2.51)		 59.7
(2.35)		 69.8
(2.75)		 78.7
(3.10)		 102.2
(4.02)		 99.1
(3.90)		 89.3
(3.52)		 977.2
(38.46)
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) 16.3 13.4 15.4 11.4 12.8 12.0 11.7 12.3 13.4 16.1 14.5 13.4 162.7
Mean monthly sunshine hours 33.3 63.5 98.3 135.0 178.4 148.5 149.7 136.5 110.6 77.4 43.3 30.7 1,205.2
Source: Met Office[22]
  • Aviemore railway station
  • Old Bridge Inn, south Aviemore
  • The Inner Man, one of the sculptures in the Frank Bruce Sculpture Park, near Aviemore

References
  1. "Mid-2016 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  2. MacBain, Alexander (1922). Place names Highlands & Islands of Scotland. p. 156. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  3. Edinburgh Geological Society (1899). Transactions. p. 416. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  4. Huxley, Michael (1979). The Geographical magazine. IPC Magazines. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  5. McKinlay, John (31 March 1975). "Aviemore lures the globe-trotters". The Glasgow Herald. p. 7. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  6. Andrews, Robert; Teller, Matthew (August 2004). The Rough Guide to Britain. Rough Guides. p. 1213. ISBN 978-1-84353-301-6. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  7. "Welcome one and all to "Auld Aviemore"". Auldaviemore.co.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  8. "Golfs Missing Links". www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk.
  9. "Private tourism firm begins work". BBC News. 5 September 2006. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  10. "Cairngorm Reindeer". Cairngorm Reindeer. Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  11. "Railway has future if repairs 'achievable'". 7 June 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
  12. Munro, Alistair (15 July 2019). "The return of James Bond filming is giving the Highlands a licence to thrill". Press & Journal.
  13. "Funicular Railway Operations". 17 September 2018.
  14. "Balfour Beatty to build two community hospitals in UK". World Construction Network.
  15. Arnaud, Stan (10 July 2019). "Balfour Beatty awarded £37m hospitals contract". Press & Journal.
  16. Henderson, Michelle (22 February 2019). "£15 million community hospital secures new home". Press & Journal.
  17. "New Bond movie scenes being filmed in Highlands". 16 July 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  18. Jeffay, John (16 July 2019). "Multimillion-pound boost from Bond return" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  19. Simpson, George (16 July 2019). "James Bond 25 crew 'going BALLISTIC over shoot accommodation while Daniel Craig in luxury'". Express.co.uk.
  20. "Synop report summary". www.ogimet.com.
  21. Burt, Stephen (1997). "The Altnaharra minimum temperature of −27.2°C on 30 December 1995". Weather. 52 (5): 134–144. doi:10.1002/j.1477-8696.1997.tb06294.x.
  22. "Aviemore climate". Met Office. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
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