Loch Morlich

Rudy spent a week on holiday in Aviemore and what better thing for a railway dog to do on holiday than to go on a bus adventure!

Rudy's face says everything about his thoughts on that.

Loch Morlich is a large fresh water loch with stretches of sandy beach set within the Cairngorm Mountains.

A 15 minute bus journey from Aviemore train station to the Glenmore Visitor Centre which is then less than five minutes walk to the beach. Rudy chose a longer route to explore a bit more of the forest surrounding the loch first.

The forest is criss-crossed with paths and reaches right to the shore in many places creating a number of "secret" beaches away from the busier tourist area.

The main beach on the eastern side of Loch Morlich has the distinction of having received a Seaside Award despite being inland fresh water - it definitely feels like a seaside beach though!

There's also a popular watersports centre on the beach at Loch Morlich and although Rudy isn't a water dog he does enjoy soaking up the sun while watching people swim.

Despite not being on a railway route Rudy would absolutely recommend a visit to Loch Morlich! There is a dog-friendly youth hostel here and a large camper/caravan campsite in the woods. For day-trippers from Aviemore there are public toilets and a cafe, bar and visitor centre for food & snacks.

The bus to Glenmore & Loch Morlich continues to the Cairngorm Car Park. There is a funicular railway on the mountain that Rudy would have visited but it's been closed since late 2018 and may never reopen due to the cost & difficulty of repairing structural concerns.