Cool Places
The Mountain Café
111 Grampian Rd Aviemore Inverness-Shire PH22 1RH
With walls adorned with all manner of old climbing gear, from hexes and nuts to old-school ice axes, this café buzzes with outdoor enthusiasm and adventure pheromones. Situated above outdoor retailerCairngorm Mountain Sports, the balcony boasts a great view of the local landscape that produces all this passion and draws adventure types here from all over: the peaks of the Cairngorms. People in all manner of outdoor apparel queue right down the stairs for a seat in here at lunchtime, and no wonder. The coffee is cracking (made from a Fairtrade blend of beans from Honduras, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Guatemala and Peru) and the cakes are epic – serious slices of rocket fuel for those about to take on the wilderness. They also do excellent homemade soups and breads, and more substantial dishes utalising local produce. To celebrate your latest adventure, tilt a bottle of local beer from the Cairngorm Brewery. No time to queue? Grab a takeaway brew.
