The first phase of the Scenic Routes initiative in the Cairngorms National Park has been completed on one of the Park’s ‘snow roads’.

The Scottish Government is funding the pilot phase of the Scottish Scenic Routes Initiative, taking inspiration from the development of Norwegian tourist routes.

Work at the Corgarff site on Allargue Estate has seen four cowled metal seats, designed by competition winning architect John Kennedy, installed alongside the existing ‘spy stone’. The lay-by and parking area are also being refurbished. The site offers fantastic views of Corgarff Castle and beyond into the central Cairngorms.

The Scenic Routes project aims to enhance visitors’ experience of Scotland’s landscape by creating innovatively designed viewpoints. It is also helping to harness new talent through competitions for recently qualified designers.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has been working with a range of partners to develop a Snow Roads Scenic Route – an outstanding mountainous road linking Blairgowrie (A93) to Grantown-on-Spey (A939) via Braemar and Tomintoul.

The route forms the highest public road in Britain and is regularly used by classic car and motor bike enthusiasts and increasingly road cyclists. The route offers a quiet alternative to the A9, traversing the eastern Cairngorms through remote, wild and breath-taking landscapes.

Viewpoints at Tomintoul Quarry, and the Devil’s Elbow at Glenshee are due to be completed in 2016, Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.