Cairngorms listed in top 50 greatest places on Earth

Of course, here at Glentrek, we already rate the Cairngorms very, very highly. With the national park on our doorstep, we’re intimately familiar with its beautiful and magnificent landscape. And now leading worldwide publication, the National Geographic, has ranked the Cairngorms among the last great places on Earth

The list includes other such places as unspoiled beauty, such as Madagascar, the Gobi Desert and the Galapagos Islands.

The US magazine has included the Cairngorms in its 50 of the World’s Last Great Places, describing it as a “destination of a lifetime”.

And Scottish promoters could not be more thrilled. VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay is reported as saying: “Our country boasts some of the most stunning landscapes in the world, so it’s no surprise the Cairngorms has been named as a must-visit destination by National Geographic.”

And Duncan Bryden, convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, added: “We are absolutely delighted with this accolade and to be the only UK entry is simply fantastic.”

In a press release, a spokesman for National Geographic said: “Our spirits are refreshed by such pristine locations as the Cairngorms.”

If you’re looking for a great Christmas present for someone special why not treat them to a guided walking trip to the Cairngorms (Glentrek can help!)? You can also buy them “50 of the World’s Last Great Places” published by National Geographic for £6.99.

New Scottish national walking trail

Scotland’s amazing stable of long-distance walks has been given another boost with the launch of its longest ever walk. The Gore-Tex Scottish National Trail stretches an amazing 470 miles from the south of Scotland to the far north west.

Launched earlier this week in Edinburgh – where the walking route passes through – it is hoped that the new walking route will put Scotland firmly on the radars of even more overseas visitors.

The trail is the brainchild of writer and broadcaster, Cameron McNeish. Reported in Scotland’s national newspaper The Herald, Cameron said: “I wanted to re-discover my country for myself, especially those areas I wasn't so familiar with, and in doing so walked a route I believe can stand comparison with the best routes anywhere in the world."

His website adds: The Gore-Tex Scottish National Trail will become “one of the iconic walking routes of the world” thanks to a combination of variety and quality of walking through the Scottish landscape.”

Starting in Kirk Yetholm the route heads first for Scotland’s capital Edinburgh before walkers take canal paths west towards Milngavie, near Glasgow. The route then goes north towards Aviemore.

The final section of the walk stretches almost 120 miles from Badenoch to Cape Wrath, much of it following the existing Cape Wrath Trail.

Other trails followed as part of this longer route include the Rob Roy Way from Drymen to Pitlochry in Perthshire. This is an area that Glentrek knows really well!

The route will not have its own waymarkers, except for new plaques at Kirk Yetholm, the Water of Leith Visitor Centre in Edinburgh and Cape Wrath.