Cairngorms National Park Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
national park in Scotland, United Kingdom
About Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms are a huge block of granite. During the Ice Age, the ice sat on top but didn't move. Elsewhere in Britain (for instance in the English Lake District) it carved out U-shaped valleys and other distinctive glacial features; here, with the exception of a few narrow valleys such as Lairig Ghru, it just polished the block into a series of rounded tops of similar height. So what was left behind was a plateau at 1000-1200 m altitude, with the peaks of Ben Macdui (1309 m), Braeriach (1296 m), Cairn Toul (1291 m) and Cairn Gorm (1244 m). This creates a habitat for hardy plants and animals that are common in sub-arctic countries but rare in Britain. It's too cold, stony and steep for agriculture, and the Caledonian forests in the valleys represent the last stand of the primeval forest
Cairngorms National Park Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 12 sections including: