History
While the Cairngorms National Park was established in 2003, the area's rich history spans centuries. A walk, bike or hike through its diverse ecosystems often reveals the Cairngorms’ heritage, telling stories of the generations of yesterday.
Clues to prehistoric life can be found across the region, with more being discovered every year. In 1982, a Bronze Age axe was discovered on the Granish Moor section of the Speyside Way, near Aviemore, for example. This was also the location where escaping Jacobites – supporters of King James VII – met their end after fleeing the Battle of Cromdale in 1690.
Multiple sites of Neolithic rock art can be found across the region, in Laggan, at the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore and at Sluggan, near Badaguish. The general absence of this type of art in the central Highlands makes these finds even more fascinating; the artwork is over 4,000 years old and features hammer-drawn cup marks (small circular hollows), typically surrounded by concentric circles, also known as a ‘cup-and-ring’ motif.
Over the following centuries, numerous groups inhabited the region. The Picts, an ancient Celtic people, reigned the area between the 1st and 10th centuries AD until the clan system first started to emerge.
From MacGillivray to MacBean, you’ll find ties to numerous clan groups in the National Park in local people’s surnames. And it’s the clan system that launched one of Scotland’s well-loved traditions: the Highland Games. This celebration of Scottish music, dance, athleticism and more still occurs today, with nine occurring annually in the region.
From the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century, cattle drovers traversed many of the local roads. While now a much-loved refuge for hikers, the bothies you’ll find dotted around the National Park were built to provide shelter from the often treacherous conditions. Previous land-use has had a significant influence on the landscape today, in particular the clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the associated changes of land-use. In the 19th century, when industries began to shift, many of these bothies underwent renovations to provide more robust shelter for people partaking in recreational hunting and deer stalking.
It was also in this century that Queen Victoria first found a home in Balmoral Estate. This prompted a rise in tourism in the area, sparking the expansion of housing and transport links to accommodate a surge in the region’s new visitors and workers.
Roads and railways – the latter becoming a cornerstone industry for many of the National Park’s towns and villages – helped to make what were once isolated locations to live in much more accessible.
People found new ways to interact with the land. Its unique geographical formations, snowy mountains and wide valleys – or straths, as they’re known here – became a playground for recreational activities such as skiing, hiking and mountaineering. Hike atop any Munro today, with the National Park being home to four of the five highest mountains in the UK, and you’ll find a cairn – rooted in Bronze Age origins – marking the peak. The largest of these is Scotland’s Pyramid, also known as Prince Albert’s cairn, which can be found on Balmoral Estate, where Queen Victoria commissioned the first of many to commemorate her late husband.
Skiers have taken to the National Park’s mountains since the 1890s, but it wasn’t until 1961, when Cairngorm Mountain opened a chairlift, that Aviemore became the region’s first established ski resort. Since then, two more resorts – The Lecht and Glenshee – have joined its ranks.
Fast-forward to this millennium, and 2003, when the region became the largest national park in the UK. In recent years, the Cairngorms National Park’s collaborative projects have achieved numerous positive outcomes, including helping to preserve endangered species, making the experience for visitors even better, and contributing to a more sustainable economic outlook for local communities.
Alert
Relevant alerts
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Update - 21:55
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have shared that emergency services continue to tackle a large-scale wildfire covering more than two kilometres in width near to Glenmore.
A number of homes and businesses, including campsites and ski resorts within the Glenmore Forest Park area, have been closed and evacuated as a safety precaution due to the close proximity to the incident.
As of 9pm on Wednesday night (15 July), Scottish Fire and Rescue Service currently has six fire appliances, a wildfire unit, specialist resources and tactical commanders mobilised to the scene after the alarm was raised just before 12 noon earlier today.
Firefighters are working with landowners to contain the incident and create fire breaks, with high winds causing the fire to spread across areas of trees and woodland. There are no reported casualties.
Road closures continue to be in place to support the emergency response, and people are asked to avoid the area within Glenmore Forest Park and Loch Morlich on Thursday, 16 July as this incident continues.
We will share updates as the situation develops. In the meantime, our thanks go out to the emergency services, gamekeepers, NGO and estate staff and many others from across the community who are working non-stop to get these fires under control, and providing support to those affected.
Update - 20:06
Emergency services and partners are continuing to respond to this wildfire. A number of properties and premises in the area have been evacuated as a precaution. The Ski Road is currently closed. Anyone walking in the Cairngorms should avoid the area and let family or friends know when they have returned.
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The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and partners are currently in attendance at a large fire in the open near to Ryvoan Bothy within the Cairngorms National Park.
Due to large volumes of smoke travelling towards populated areas nearby, residents in Aviemore, Glenmore and the surrounding communities should keep their windows and doors closed. If you are within this area and can see or smell smoke, please follow the same advice. If you are aware of someone hiking in the area, please ask them to get themselves safely off the hill as soon as possible.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has asked that people avoid the Glenmore and Aviemore area, and remain vigilant. Our thanks go to all those engaged in active firefighting - we will post further updates when we have them.
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Very high fire risk - 15 to 20 July
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued a very high wildfire warning impacting areas of the National Park on Wednesday 15 until Monday 20 July. If you are out and about in the Cairngorms National Park please observe the following guidance:
- Do not light any fire or barbecue, in line with the new fire byelaw
- Always ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished and take your litter (including glass) away with you
- Enjoy the outdoors responsibly - most wildfires are caused by human activity
- Stay alert - with dry vegetation and warm weather, fires can start easily, spread rapidly, and burn intensely
- If you see a wildfire, dial 999
For further updates on wildfire risk across Scotland, visit the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service website. To find out more about the fire byelaw, and to see your questions answered, visit our fire byelaw page here.