Aviemore Station Aviemore Station Boat of Garten

From Ferry to Train Boat of Garten Golf Course Moorland Birch Woodland nce Boat of Garten was just a place oat of Garten golf course, glowing he small trees on Granish Moor hese open woodlands of birch and to cross the river Spey, on a ferry green between the trees, was are a sign that it would become a pine are part of a great swathe of   O pulled across on a chain. But B started by local railwaymen in forest if it was left to itself. Grazing forest that surrounds the Cairn- when the railways came it became an , then extended and re-designed by deer and occasional fires keep the gorm mountains. The Cairngorms important junction. In  the Great in  by the famous course designer trees down. Moorland is an impor- National Park contains the largest area   North of Scotland Railway opened another James Braid. He made full use of the tant place for wildlife, with tiny, of native woodland in Britain, and it’s line from here, heading east to Aber- wonderful setting as well as creating jewel-like wildflowers, a huge range a wonderful place for wildlife. Red       deen. Soon there was a small inn, some exciting golf ! of insects and many birds that depend squirrels scamper through the trees then a hotel where passengers could on the open landscape. You may see while deer feed on the forest plants. eat and sleep, and houses for railway folk waving at the train as we cross the workers. Now it’s the half-way point moor: they’re on the Speyside Way, an on our journey. ¶If you get off the easy to follow path that explores this train you can look out for the water beautiful place. column, a huge tap with a hose like an elephant’s trunk, and see the engine being topped up ready for the next elcome on board! We hope you enjoy your journey on the Strathspey Railway. stage. You will be riding a line that brought major changes to what had been a quiet Highland glen when it opened in . The Highland Railway Company ran the line, and Aviemore station was one of the largest they ever built. The wonderful buildings look much the same as they did when Queen Victoria Whelped make the Cairngorms the fashionable place to come for a holiday. BOAT OF AVIEMORE GARTEN STATION STATION The Engine Shed Ghost Self-Powered Turn-Around railway this old is bound to have a atch for the grey-painted turn- few ghosts. This fine Highland table just outside the station, and Railway shed has housed steam see if you can spot a short pole locomotives since . When we come with a hose at the top. When we need to light our locomotive’s fire early in the to turn an engine round, we connect

morning we sometimes hear strange the hose to the vacuum system that

t! i saw he when

noises. There might be footsteps, or the normally works the train’s brakes.

sample! a taste made—and is it how

good source of building material material building of source good

sound of sawing and filing. If we call The vacuum drives a small motor that

suggests that a local forester knew a a knew forester local a that suggests

wildlife. You can take a tour to see see to tour a take can You wildlife. out the noise stops—only to start spins the turntable—and the engine

’

, , Cottage s Woodcutter name, its

named after the local landscape and and landscape local the after named again after a few moments ! turns itself.

the same time as the railway, although although railway, the as time same the awards for its beers, some of which are are which of some beers, its for awards

the track. It was probably built about about built probably was It track. the but has won many many won has but in blished 

T

thick wooden beams that support support that beams wooden thick Cairngorm Brewery was only esta- only was Brewery Cairngorm

made from railway sleepers—the sleepers—the railway from made at the edge of Aviemore. The The Aviemore. of edge the at

he walls of this wee house are are house wee this of walls he building grey large a for out ok

    o

Walls From the Railway the From Walls Hills the of Essence The Nests & Cool Storage Timber! A Strange Place to Nest Broomhill Station ilton Loch is a great place to see ou often see lorries loaded with he farmland along this part of the e have built the station at birds like herons and grebes: see if logs around the Cairngorms. They line is just as important for Broomhill as a replica of the Myou can spot the herons’ untidy Ymight be bringing their cargo to T wildlife as the moorland and Wbuilding that used to be here. It is nests in the trees. The loch was once a this sawmill, where trees cut from the woods—in fact this is the best place in typical of the little stations that once mill pond, storing water to power the forests around the mountains are Britain to see farmland waders like dotted the Highlands—complete with nearby mill. The low building with a turned into timber. Forestry has been oystercatchers. One family often nests a double-armed signal. The arm on curved roof next to the cottages was a an important industry here for centu- right in between the tracks! Luckily the trackside was controlled by the store house, built half buried in the ries, and the railway gave it a big we have never injured one, but they railway, but the other one could be ground and shaded by trees so that boost. It made it much easier to get the make a loud protest every time the raised or lowered by passengers to ask food could be kept cool using ice from wood to where it was needed: before train comes through. You can often trains to stop. As we leave here for the the loch. it had to be floated down the river in see birds of prey gliding over the fields journey back to Boat of Garten the line great rafts. here, scouting for their next meal. is quite steep: listen for the engine’s

‘chuff-chuff’ as it works hard to climb

the slope.

BROOMHILL BROOMHILL

Photograph by A.E. Glen A.E. by Photograph

Strathspey. in here as

years. of thousands day. a water of life is just as shaped by the mountains mountains the by shaped as just is life

have been living and farming here for for here farming and living been have form passes through to Deeside, where where Deeside, to through passes form river bed, filtering thousands of litres litres of thousands filtering bed, river

to restore it. restore to

coast. Aberdeenshire along the valley, evidence that people people that evidence valley, the along rather like the Arctic. Deep valleys valleys Deep Arctic. the like rather freshwater pearl mussels live on the the on live mussels pearl freshwater

—and of our work our of —and

hundreds of prehistoric sites scattered scattered sites prehistoric of hundreds metres in Britain and has a climate climate a has and Britain in metres between Aviemore and Buckie on the the on Buckie and Aviemore between clean happens under the surface: surface: the under happens clean

of the line the of

is the largest area of land above above land of area largest the is

tomb lie hidden in the grass. There are are There grass. the in hidden lie tomb making a great long distance trail trail distance long great a making so clean. A lot of the work to keep it it keep to work the of lot A clean. so 

tells the whole history whole the tells

look gentle, but the high, cold plateau plateau cold high, the but gentle, look other side of the track the remains of a a of remains the track the of side other Speyside Way uses much of the route, route, the of much uses Way Speyside wildlife habitat because the water is is water the because habitat wildlife

Strathspey Railway Guide Book Guide Railway Strathspey

changing light. The rounded shapes shapes rounded The light. changing mark territory or as signposts. On the the On signposts. as or territory mark ing away towards the river. Today the the Today river. the towards away ing rivers in Europe and another rich rich another and Europe in rivers

the railway, the railway, the

[Cairngorms Local Action Group] Group] Action Local [Cairngorms Programme. –     their colour shifting with the the with shifting colour their , perhaps to to perhaps , as ago long as embankment of the old line branch line old the of embankment - Spey. It is one of the best salmon salmon best the of one is It Spey.   

find out more about more out find T T S This project is being part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community European the and Government Scottish the by part-financed being is project This L

as they loom in the background, background, the in loom they as river. They may have been put here here put been have may They river. , but you can still see the the see still can you but , close to the the to close -mile long river river long -mile  

If you’d like to like you’d If Europe investing in rural areas rural in investing Europe

for Rural Development: Rural for

particularly impressive from here here from impressive particularly stones between the railway and the the and railway the between stones Boat of Garten to the east closed in in closed east the to Garten of Boat approach ‘fisherman’s crossing’ crossing’ ‘fisherman’s approach The European Agricultural Fund Agricultural European The

from from Railway Scotland of North Great he are Mountains Cairngorm he ee if you can spot a pair of standing standing of pair a spot can you if ee isten for the train’s whistle as we we as whistle train’s the for isten

New Life for an Old Line Old an for Life New Giants Cold Marks of the Past the of Marks The Sparkling River Spey River Sparkling The The Strathspey Railway steams beside the sparkling River Spey River sparkling the beside steams Railway Strathspey The Mountains. Cairngorm high the beneath www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk at a volunteer become and more out Find on Spey: to Grantown line through the us get Help www.railstograntown.org out check