It was James Grant of Grant, known as The Good Sir James, who established the town of Grantown in 1765, the capital of Strathspey, lying at the very heart of the Highlands. Home of the Clan Grant, it is a perfect base for exploring the North of Scotlands’ rich heritage and environment. Grantown is considered to be one of Scotland’s finest planned towns; a product of the Scottish Age of Enlightenment and, in its unique way, tells of the birth of the modern Highlands.
We would strongly advise that you take out Holiday Insurance to cover you if, for whatever reason, you have to cancel your booking.
If you cancel very close to the start of your holiday it is unlikely the home owner would be able to rent this period out to other guests and you would be responsible for the whole booking fee.
Gleniffer is a large modernised self contained bungalow located in the centre of the beautiful Scottish Highland town of Grantown-on-Spey, centre for the BBC1 Autumn Watch TV programme and outdoor scenes for the highly acclaimed tv series 'Outlander'.
The house has a long private front drive which can be used for secure parking, a large maintained front garden, side garden and smaller private back garden with a detached garage. It has two relaxing living rooms at the front and back, a large kitchen area, hallway, two double bedrooms, one en-suite, a separate shower and bathroom and a third bedroom with two single beds.
There is free unlimited Wi-Fi throughout the house.
There is a bike hire shop on the Square who can advise on organised cycle adventure tours although by just venturing into the nearby ‘woods’ you will encounter many walking and cycling paths winding their way down to the river Spey and beyond as well as along the old railway line and ‘Dreggie’ hill behind the house with some great views of the town, Spey Valley, surrounding Cromdale Hills and Cairngorm mountains….if you make it to the top!
Look out for the red deer and red squirrels which frequent the woods, moors and lochs around the town.
The towns shops and amenities are an easy 3-minute walk away. The surrounding area is well supplied with many excellent 9 and 18- hole golf courses. There are the stunning hills of the Cromdales, site of many skirmishes between Jacobites and 'red coat' troops, forming a spectacular backdrop to the Spey Valley. There are a number of out-door centers in town offering many different activities, the forest trails on the edge of town are fabulous for walking, cycling and mountain biking. Abernethy forest nearby is famous for wildlife and, over the summer months, Ospreys can be seen nesting in the woods at Boat of Garten.
The Cairngorm mountain range, famous for skiing, hill walking, and mountaineering is only 20 minutes away as is The Lecht and Tomintoul, the highest village in Scotland. The river Spey winds its way down from the Caringorms passing on the edge of the town and onward to Speybay before entering the Moray firth and the North Sea. The river is home for salmon and trout with excellent fishing opportunities as well as canoeing, kayaking, swimming (perhaps summer only!) and lovely walking paths along its banks.
The old 'Highland Railway Line' forms part of the path along the river bank.
The history of The Woods, The Railway and The River is majestically covered by local Grantown musician, Hamish Napier, in his excellent Strathspey Trilogy which can be viewed on his website. The old Grantown East railway station is now a highly rated Highland Heritage & Cultural Centre and restaurant and well worth a visit.
There are many famous Malt Whisky Distilleries in the Spey Valley offering guided tours and a 'tipple' of pure malt and Grantown also boasts its own 'Castle Grant' ancient home of the Grant family as well as numerous hostelries where a warm Highland welcome awaits.
The Highland capital, Inverness, is just a short drive away and you may be able to spot 'Nessie' if you drive along the Lochside road or take a boat out onto the Loch....or maybe the children would have a better chance of catching a tartan Pokémon?
The beautiful Moray Firth Coastline is also only a short drive away and the towns of Nairn, (Macbeth's Cawdor Castle), Elgin, Forres, Findhorn, Burghead and the fishing ports at Buckie and Lossiemouth are well worth a visit.
The Aviemore Centre is but a short drive and hosts a cinema showing the latest films. Grantownonline has further information on 'what's on' in the town and surrounding area.
Gleniffer underwent extensive renovations and modernization recently with new central heating, electrics, lighting, flooring, kitchen, extension, family shower and bathroom, and new on-suite bedroom and we continue to improve our facilities to ensure that you, our guests, have a comfortable, enjoyable and relaxing time in the Scottish Highlands.