Aviemore

infobox UK place
country = Scotland
latitude= 57.194
longitude=-3.823
official_name= Aviemore
gaelic_name= An Aghaidh Mhòr
population= 2,397 [cite web|publisher=Scotland's Census Results Online|title =Comparative Population Profile: Aviemore Locality | url=http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainArea=aviemore&mainLevel=Locality | date = 2001-04-29| accessdate =2008-08-31 ] (2001 census)
est. 2,440 [http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data] (2006)
unitary_scotland= Highland
lieutenancy_scotland= Inverness
constituency_westminster= Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
constituency_scottish_parliament=Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
post_town= AVIEMORE
postcode_district = PH22
postcode_area= PH
dial_code= 01479
os_grid_reference= NH898129
london_distance= 420 mi (725 km)
edinburgh_distance= 90 mi (145 km)

Aviemore ( _gd. An Aghaidh Mhòr) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. Prior to 1890 it was in an exclave of the county of Moray and from 1890 to 1975 it was in the county of Inverness-shire, until the latter date being within the Civil Parish of Duthil and Rothiemurchus.

The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm Mountains.

kiing

It is the first skiing resort to be established in Scotland and is also notable for being near the freely grazing reindeer herd at Glen More, the only one in the United Kingdom.

The resort has variable quality of snow and weather conditions

The Aviemore Centre

The village was transformed in the 1960s by large developments for the tourist industry.The Aviemore Centre was opened by Lady Fraser of Allander in 1966, (widow of Sir Hugh Fraser - House of Fraser).Royalty were regular visitors to Aviemore, including Prince Charles and Princess Anne whom attended Royal Hunt Balls hosted in the Aviemore Centre's Osprey Rooms.

The very popular BBC TV show "It's A Knockout", hosted by Stuart Hall, was hosted within the complex at least twice, but the lack of snow meant that the local fire brigade had flood the piazza with foam to give the illusion of a "whiteout".

Within the Centre there was an international competition standard ice skating and curling rink, home to the Aviemore Blackhawks and Aviemore Blues hockey teams, a Santa Claus theme park featuring a resident Santa 365 days a year, a theatre, a cinema, many bars, restaurants, nightclubs and discotheques, crazy golf, many shops including "Cairdsport" (run by local man Sandy Caird, who brought the first ski shop and ski school to Aviemore) within the ice rink complex, fountains, a dry ski slope, a swimming pool and a go-kart track. However the lack of guaranteed snow meant that the anticipated boom for the centre was shortlived. This, coupled with a lack of investment over the decades and the quickly-dated 1960s architecture, began losing the Aviemore Centre custom.

New Investment

In around 1998 many of the original Poulson buildings were demolished as part of a promised £50 million overhaul. Although the visitor buildings were replaced, many of the other leisure facilities were not, leading to a further decline in tourism. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/725437.stm BBC News | SCOTLAND | Anger at £50m Aviemore overhaul ] ] In 2006 a privately-led tourist organisation began a programme of attracting tourists to the area. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5314502.stm BBC NEWS | Scotland | Highlands and Islands | Private tourism firm begins work ] ]

Location

Aviemore lies on the B9152 (the "old" A9 road since the main road from Inverness to Perth was rebuilt further west in the 1980s). Aviemore railway station is on the Highland Main Line and Aviemore is also the southern terminus of the Strathspey Railway, a heritage railway, currently being extended to Grantown-on-Spey.

ee also

*The Highland Wildlife Park, situated nine miles south at Kincraig.
*The famous Scottish Alpine skier Alain Baxter lived in Aviemore much of his life, having been born in Edinburgh. [http://www.alainbaxter.co.uk/biography.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.visitaviemore.com/ Visit Aviemore]
* [http://www.aviemore.co.uk/services.htm Cairngorms chamber of commerce] Local services in Aviemore.
* [http://www.aviemoregolf.com/ Aviemore Golf] Aviemore golf courses and area information