Towns & Activities › Newtonmore

Activities

Newtonmore offers the visitor a wide range of activities within the village lying at the southern end of the Spey Valley in the Cairngorms National Park. Newtonmore is at the heart of the Scottish Highlands and is the original Geographical Centre of Scotland making it the ideal place for long or short breaks or to explore the surrounding area much of which has also been used in the filming of Monarch of the Glen.

There are tennis courts and a bowling green in Newtonmore which visitors can use. The bowling moves indoor to the village hall in the winter months. Climbing is popular in the Newtonmore area, the central location means that if the weather is best west or east, you can make your choice on the morning and be at a host of possible locations inside an hour or so.

Fishing

The Badenoch Angling Association manages and stocks a long section of the River Spey from (and including) The Spey Dam above Laggan, right down to the mouth of the River Tromie, below Kingussie, together with fishing on Lochs Laggan and Ericht. The fishing is mostly brown trout with the occasional salmon. Permits can be bought locally.

The Folk Museum – Newtonmore

The Highland Folk Museum is situated on two sites: one in Kingussie; the other at Newtonmore.

The Museum in Newtonmore is a one mile long, eighty acre (32 Hectare) living history site. The site portrays aspects of 200 years of Highland rural life starting with the early 1700s and ending with the mid 1900s.

In addition to interpretation and activity programs, visitors to the site are offered an audio visual introduction, café facilities, toilets, children's play area, shop, picnic areas and on site travel in period style vehicles.

Golf

The golf course, which mostly lies along the banks of the River Spey in the heart of Monarch of the Glen country is surrounded by some of the most dramatic and beautiful highland scenery, a definite hazard for those trying to concentrate on their golf. The golf course plays to 6041 yds., with a premium on keeping the ball in play. Only one par five is complemented by a clutch of tight par fours and challenging par threes.

Mountain Biking

Constructed and opened in 2004, The Laggan Wolftrax is a purpose built mountain bike centre giving enthusiasts the opportunity to bike through some of the Scotland's most scenic areas. The Centre includes a choice of trails to suite all abilities, has bike hire and trail guiding. The Centre is approximately 10 miles from Newtonmore on the A86 Kingussie to Spean Bridge road, 2 miles west of the village of Laggan.

Ruthven Barracks

On the outskirts of Kingussie is the old ruins of Ruthven barracks, last occupied in 1745 by the Jacobites on their way to Culloden. What visitors to Ruthven Barracks see today is pretty much what was left by the departing Jacobites on 17 April 1746. Most of the exterior walls remain, but little of the interior structure, and no flooring or roofing. But come here on a quiet day and you can have Ruthven Barracks entirely to yourself.

Shopping, Eating & Drinking

There are several shops in Newtonmore. The two largest shops are the Newtonmore Co-op - stocked with the usual supermarket range - and Newtonmore Craft Centre and Gallery (which also incorporates the Garden Cafe and Newtonmore Tourist Information Centre. There is also an excellent Electrical shop, a sweet shop that still has sweeties in jars, a delicatessen, a Post Office, a greengrocers, a hairdressers, a filling station with a small Spar grocery shop and a Blythswood Charity Shop. There's a comprehensive range of places to eat in Newtonmore, with cafes and many hotels providing both restaurant and bar meal facilities.