Cairngorm Mountain

Overview

The Cairngorm Mountain Funicular train service is temporarily out of service at the time of writing (30 January 2024)

For updates, check the Cairngorm Mountain Website

The Cairngorm Mountain is one of Scotland's main ski resorts. The unusual attraction here is the Funicular Train that takes visitors from the car park to an upper station where there is a restaurant with panoramic views, an exhibition about the ecology of the Cairngorm mountain plateau, and a gift shop.

The railway consists of 2 carriages that work in tandem as a counterbalanced arrangement by means of a linking cable. As one carriage descends it helps to pull the other up. At the end of the day when there are more people descending than ascending, the system actually generates electricity for the National Grid!

There is only one railway line, so the carriages pass by each other at an ingenious "loop" section in the middle of the track. It's fascinating to experience and a clever piece of engineering.

The Base Station, at the bottom, has a Mountain Shop, selling ski equipment, a cafe, and a bar which has a bit of an Alpine ski-resort feel about it with open fires and lots of wood furnishings. 

Outwith the Ski season, you cannot get access from the Ptarmigan Restaurant for walks on the Cairn Gorm Mountain. This is a measure to prevent the delicate ecology of the mountain from being damaged by too many walkers. But guided mountain walks are available in summer.  

Also in Summer, you can do mountain biking and they have a range of runs for different levels of skill. Bike hire is available and, if you can't be bothered cycling uphill, there's a conveyor belt for the bike run that is aimed at kids. Another option for younger kids (and their parents) is "Tubing".  They have 3 different runs each designed to cater for different ages of children (and adults). The Tubing can be booked for 30-minute sessions and is just beside the base station car park so you don't need to ride the train to get to this.

In the winter, the snow makes it the most popular place in Scotland for skiing, so there is ski equipment hire available too.

But at this altitude, snow isn't only in the winter - we once visited on the 30th May, and it was snowing at the top!

Worth a visit on clear days when you can enjoy the views westwards to the Monadhliath Mountains.