We use cookes to remember your favourite places, provide insights into how the site is being used and assist in our marketing efforts. Privacy policy
SnowRoads Need to Knows

“In Scotland, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.” Billy Connolly, Scottish Comedian and Actor

You’ve decided to embark on an adventure…SnowRoads does not apologise for its heritage, culture, challenging terrain and at times unruly weather conditions but rather, celebrates these things. 

But when you're taking the road less travelled and hopping through heather to uncover hidden gems, what are the need to knows to help you make the most of your trip?

GETTING HERE AND GETTING AROUND

For international visitors, the SnowRoads is easily accessible from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen airports.
 
With 90 miles to explore, spanning diverse areas and regions, the SnowRoads is made for travelling by car, motorbike or bike. 
 
If you don’t have access to your own set of wheels, there are a range of rental car agencies or classic car specialists.  Most cars in the UK are manual transmission so, if you prefer an automatic, make a special request in advance.

Check out our article 90 Miles of...Safe Driving to learn more about driving on the SnowRoads.
 
You can enter the SnowRoads from the North or the South or even in the middle.  After traversing the route, you can easily connect to other areas of the Cairngorms National Park or other attractions such as the Malt Whisky Trail, touring routes such as the North East 250, Inverness and the North Coast 500 or other places in Scotland such as Skye, Perth, Dundee and Edinburgh.

Distances to the SnowRoads:

Glasgow: 75 miles/1.5 hours’ drive.
Edinburgh: 60 miles/1.5 hours’ drive.
Perth: 16 miles/30 minutes’ drive.
Dundee: 19 miles/40 minutes’ drive.
Inverness: 34 miles/50 minutes’ drive
Aberdeen: 40 miles/1-hour ten minutes’ drive 

THE WEATHER

The Scottish weather is famous, and the locals will talk about it everywhere you go.  Avoid ‘I told you so’ looks by bringing a few essentials:

· Rain jacket with a hood.
· Umbrella.
· Comfortable walking shoes or boots.
· Layers.

Packing layers is key.  It’s said we can often experience all seasons in a day so a variety of clothes which can be layered up or down will help you manage the changeable conditions.

For most of the year, you will only see snow on the hills along the SnowRoads.  But the route traverses the highest public roads in Britain, so make sure you check the weather forecast and follow any travel warnings.  In winter, road closures are possible, so keep up-to-date.  There are numerous live webcams on route you can check be sure to understand the conditions.

Glenshee webcam
Braemar webcam
Lecht webcam

TREAD LIGHTLY

In Scotland, everyone has the right roam on most land and inland water providing they act responsibly.  Your access rights and responsibilities are explained fully in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code:

Whether you’re in the outdoors or managing the outdoors, the key things are to: 

• Take responsibility for your own actions.
• Respect the interests of other people.
• Care for the environment.

For more information visit outdooraccess-scotland.com or contact your local Scottish Natural Heritage office.

DOG FRIENDLY

The Cairngorms National Park welcomes responsible dog owners. There are plenty of walks for you and your furry friend, good accommodation options that offer a warm welcome to you both and a range of support services like vets and pet supply shops.  From April to August, keep your dog on a short lead or close to heel in areas of ground nesting birds.  Avoid fields with livestock and clean up after your dog.

CAREFUL CAMPING

Pitch your tent well away from cars, roads or buildings.  Keep the numbers of your group small and move on after a couple of nights.  Carry out what you carry in and remove traces of your camping and any litter.  Use a stove rather than an open fire.  Place foil BBQ trays on a solid, fire-resistant surface such as stones, sand or shingle.  

Visit  www.visitcairngorms.com for further visitor informations, listings and advice across the Cairngorms National Park.

TAKE US WITH YOU!

SnowRoads wants to help you discover and rediscover the Cairngorms National Park by bringing immersive content and the best activities, attractions and events right to your mobile device.  Download our mobile app and enhance your adventure with audio guides, videos, music, interactive maps, nearby recommendations and an augmented reality treasure hunt.

The SnowRoads is a scenic route with a shared vision led by its communities, businesses, organisations and local authorities.  It aims to highlight endless amounts of history, adventure and exploration potential to encourage you to experience the culture of the local folk who call this place home.

We reached out to the communities along the SnowRoads to ask what tales and hidden treasures they would like you to uncover.  The tools contained in our app and this website offer a collection of those stories, histories and natural and cultural aspects which epitomise this beautiful area.  These are just an initial starting point from which to uncover the wonders of the SnowRoads...   

VIRTUAL REALITY

Our SnowRoads app includes 360° Virtual Reality panoramas.  Virtual Reality is an immersive video experience that allows you to  interact with a 3D world by putting on a head-mounted display. The display will create a stereoscopic 3D effect, and an immersive, believable experience.  All you need is a smartphone to pan and rotate a 360° video's perspective to watch it from different angles.  But to experience full VR immersion with 3D, a headset such as Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR is required and recommended.  Google Cardboard is low-cost and can be easily bought online.  

SnowRoads champions the hidden gems, the discoveries just around the corner, a road less travelled.  With a commitment to the latest inspiring digital technologies, we want to enhance your visitor experience and journey encouraging you to explore this wild and untouched area as well as the rest of Scotland.