The Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in Scotland and lies in the centre of the Highlands. It is characterised by the Grampian Mountains, where you can also ski if the weather is right. When we were there in January, this was not possible, but there was still some snow, so our choice of route on the way to the East Coast proved to be a good one.

After a night on the outskirts of Aviemore, probably the largest town in the National Park, we drove from Aviemore in the west along the Snow Road to Ballater in the east and thus once across the Cairngorms National Park. The landscape we found was impressive. Again and again we made a stopover.

With an altitude of 1,310 metres, Ben Macdhui is the highest mountain in the Grampian Mountains and also one of the highest in Great Britain. Especially in summer, the beautiful national park attracts many hikers who want to climb Ben Macdhui, for example. Another tourist attraction is Balmoral Castle. Situated on the River Dee, the castle was built in the 14th century by Sir William Drummond and today serves as the summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II. While the Queen usually stays there from August to October, the castle near Braemar is open to tourists in the months before. In winter, however, a visit is not possible.