Newtonmore - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Newtonmore is a village in the Highland

Highland (council area)

Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...

council area of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It has a population of about 1000. The village is only a few miles from a location that is claimed to be the exact geographical centre of Scotland

Centre of Scotland

There is some debate as to the location of the geographical centre of Scotland. This is due to different methods of calculating the centre, and whether surrounding islands are included....

. Newtonmore railway station

Newtonmore railway station

Newtonmore railway station is a railway station serving the village of Newtonmore, Highland, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Highland Main Line....

is managed by First ScotRail

First ScotRail

ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...

and is on the Highland Main Line

Highland Main Line

The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line...

Location

Nestling above the flood plain of the River Spey, in Britain's largest National Park - The Cairngorms, with a backdrop of the Monadhliath Mountains, Newtonmore is surrounded by woodland. Larch, Pine, Birch and Alder predominate, creating a glorious tapestry of colour as the leaves turn in Autumn. Newtonmore's 'Wildcat Trail' is a 10km orbital walk around the edge of the village, taking in the River Spey and its tributary, the Calder - rivers of very different character - woodland and moorland, together with wonderful views across the strath to the Cairngorms and behind the village to the Monadhliath mountains - a fitting introduction to the delights of the National Park. As you wander around and about the village, as well as noticing the beautiful decorated models of the Scottish Wildcats in gardens, on roofs and beside pathways,which make up The Wildcat Experience ~ Newtonmore, you may find that some sights are strangely familiar - for anyone who has watched the hit BBC TV series Monarch of the Glen on a Sunday evening, many locations in Newtonmore have been seen as part of Glen Bogle - and the castle itself is actually at Ardverikie, on Loch Laggan side, just sixteen miles away.

Activities

Shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...

- The town is renowned for having a shinty team, Newtonmore Camanachd Club
Newtonmore Camanachd Club
Newtonmore Camanachd Club is a shinty club from Newtonmore, Badenoch, Scotland and current holders of the Camanachd Cup. It is historically one of the game's most successful sides, having won the Camanachd Cup a record 29 times, most recently in 2011 and won the Marine Harvest Premier Division in...

, which plays at The Eilan
The Eilan
The Eilan, also known as "Eilean Bheannchair", in Scots Gaelic, is a shinty stadium in the town of Newtonmore, Scotland. It is the home of Newtonmore Camanachd and has been a shinty venue since at least 1877.-Location:...

next to the River Calder.
Walking - Newtonmore calls itself the "Walking Centre of Scotland", referring both to its geographical location and to the great walking opportunities locally, like the Wildcat Trail. An extension to the Speyside Way
Speyside Way
The Speyside Way is a Long Distance Route that follows the River Spey through some of Banffshire, Morayshire and Inverness-shire's most beautiful scenery. It is one of four Long Distance Routes in Scotland. It begins in Aviemore and ends at Buckpool harbour in Buckie, some 65 miles away...

could soon add Newtonmore to a Long Distance Route and it will become the new end to this trail.
Golf - Newtonmore has a golf course on the banks of the Spey.
Bowling. The club is open to visitors. It has regular competitions with other clubs in Badenoch and Strathspey and with clubs from Perthshire and Aberdeenshire.
Mountain Biking - Lots of trails in the local forests and tracks on the surrounding hills, as well as the purpose build Wolftrax MTB trails at nearby Laggan
Laggan, Badenoch
Laggan is a village in Badenoch, in the Highland region of Scotland. It is beside the River Spey, about 10 km west of Newtonmore. The A86 road passes through the village and crosses the river on a nearby bridge...

.
Fishing
Horse Riding and Pony Trekking: The popular outdoor sport of Pony Trekking was credited with being started in Newtonmore in 1952 by Ewan Ormiston, it is still possible to ride in Newtonmore with his grandson Ruaridh at the Newtonmore Riding Centre. Ormiston Highlands
Shooting
Outdoor activities are provided locally from Craigower Lodge, Newtonmore by Active Outdoor Pursuits. These range from hillwalking, white water rafting, canoeing, mountain biking, ski touring etc.

Local Issues

Some locals are concerned about the rising number of holiday homes in the area and the simultaneous shut-down of local shops and services.

Tourism

The village is home to The Wildcat Experience ~ Newtonmore - a visitor attraction specially aimed at families with children. Scores of painted lifesize and accurate models of the Scottish Wildcat are sited all round the village to be tracked down. The Wildcat Centre on the Main Street sells the illustrated brochure with photos of all the cats. Mark their location on the maps provided. 25 gets you a certificate, 50 a small prize and anyone who finds everyone of the cats, gets a bigger prize. Great for children, but adults enjoy it too - it's quite addictive. The attraction is based on a community arts project - everyone in the village had the chance to be involved.

Newtonmore was one of the locations used in the filming of Monarch of the Glen and is in Monarch Country

Monarch Country

Monarch Country refers to the area of the Scottish Highlands featured in the BBC One drama series Monarch of the Glen. The filming locations were predominantly in Badenoch and Strathspey...

Notable people from Newtonmore

George MacPherson
George MacPherson
George MacPherson also known as GPS MacPherson was a Scottish rugby union footballer who played for Scotland in 26 Tests between 1922 and 1932....

, Scotland national rugby union team
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
Jimmy Bain
Jimmy Bain
James Stewart 'Jimmy' Bain is a Scottish bassist most famous for playing in the bands Rainbow and Dio with Ronnie James Dio. He has worked with Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums....

, bassist for Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...

and Dio
Dio (band)
Dio was an American heavy metal band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio, after he left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath member, drummer Vinny Appice. Naming the band Dio made sense from a commercial...
Sir Tommy Macpherson
Tommy Macpherson
Colonel Sir Thomas Stewart Macpherson CBE, MC, and Two Bars, TD, DL is a Scottish businessman, having previously been a much decorated British Army officer during and after World War II.-Origins and education:...

, much-decorated former WWII Army officer and successful businessman.
David "Tarzan" Ritchie
David "Tarzan" Ritchie
David "Tarzan" Ritchie is a former shinty player from Newtonmore, Scotland. He is notable for having won 12 Camanachd Cup medals, a record he held alongside fellow Newtonmore player Hugh Chisholm for many years.-Playing career:...

, 12 Time Camanachd Cup Winner
Norman MacArthur
Norman MacArthur
Norman "Brick" MacArthur is a retired shinty player and current manager of Newtonmore Camanachd Club.MacArthur was a player with Newtonmore since the mid-70s and won several Camanachd Cups...

, ex-shinty player
Danny MacRae
Danny MacRae
Daniel Pirrie MacRae better known as Danny MacRae is a Scottish shinty player from Newtonmore, Scotland. He plays for Newtonmore Camanachd Club...

, captain of Newtonmore Camanachd
Dr. John Cattanach
John Cattanach
For the Newtonmore shinty player, see John Cattanach John Leckie Cattanach was an American Major League Baseball player who pitched three games during his only season, 1884. He pitched in one game for the Providence Grays of the National League, and two other games for the St. Louis Maroons of the...

, the only shinty player inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame

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