Grantown-on-Spey: where to eat, shop and explore

Just over 20 minutes from Aviemore, Grantown-on-Spey feels quite different from some of the smaller villages scattered along Strathspey. And there's a reason for that.

Grantown was founded in 1765 by Sir James Grant as a planned town, part of a wider movement during the Scottish Enlightenment to create new settlements, industries and opportunities across the Highlands. The first building was a linen manufactory, with tradespeople and businesses encouraged to settle around the new town's market place.

More than 250 years later, that original plan is still easy to spot. Broad streets lead towards the handsome central square, traditional stone buildings line the High Street and the town retains much of its Georgian and Victorian character.

By the 19th century, Grantown had begun another chapter. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited in 1860 and, as tourism in the Highlands grew, the town became a popular place for visitors to stay and explore Strathspey.

Today, it's still very much a working Highland town rather than somewhere that exists purely for visitors, and that's a large part of its appeal.

There are the things Grantown has always done well: a traditional High Street, independent businesses, the River Spey and miles of beautiful woodland on the doorstep. But a growing collection of galleries, makers, food businesses and independent shops is giving us even more reasons to visit.

You could easily spend a whole day here.

Start the day with a tasty treat

KJ's Bothy Bakery

If you remember the much loved Mountain Café in Aviemore, you'll already know the name Kirsten Gilmour. After the café closed in 2020, KJ moved her baking operation to her home town of Grantown and KJ's Bothy Bakery was born.

It isn't on the High Street, and its industrial estate location is perhaps part of the charm. Inside you'll find seriously good coffee alongside freshly baked bread, cakes, sticky buns, scones and savoury food, all made on site.

We'd suggest arriving hungry. On our last visit, an excellent sandwich was followed by a Biscoff doughnut because apparently lunch needs pudding.

Explore Grantown's independents

One of the things we like most about Grantown is that it still has a proper independent High Street. Rather than rushing through, give yourself time to wander.

Fern

A lovely recent addition to Grantown and somewhere we could lose a considerable amount of time.

Fern is an independent specialist bookshop celebrating nature, creativity and the power of storytelling. Its beautifully considered shelves are filled with books that encourage you to look a little closer, learn something new or simply disappear into a good story.

You'll find books on the natural world and our relationship with it alongside foraging, growing and cooking, art and design, traditional skills and guides to learning a new craft. There are books for children too, as well as plenty of unexpected titles you probably didn't know you needed until you picked them up.

Fern is also becoming a creative space in its own right, hosting workshops and events that bring some of those subjects off the page and into real life.

It's exactly the sort of bookshop where you go in intending to have a quick browse and emerge considerably later.

Cairn Candle Co.

Follow your nose to Cairn Candle Co., an independent family run candlemaker with its workshop and factory shop on the High Street.

The candles and diffusers are made by hand in small batches in Grantown, with many of the fragrances taking their names and inspiration from the surrounding Cairngorms landscape.

It's a particularly good stop if you're looking for something locally made to take home.

Discover Grantown's growing art scene

Grantown has quietly developed a brilliant little creative scene, with several galleries and exhibition spaces within an easy wander of each other.

OPENSPACE | THE VAULT

At 59 High Street, OPENSPACE | THE VAULT brings contemporary art right into the centre of town.

Set within Grantown's former Royal Bank of Scotland building, the spaces host changing exhibitions by contemporary artists and creatives. THE VAULT itself occupies the old bank vault, complete with its rather impressive original door.

Because the exhibitions change, there's often something different to discover each time you visit.

Spey Bank Studio

At the other end of the High Street, another former bank has found a rather more creative second life.

Spey Bank Studio combines a gallery, artist's studio, workshop space and working pottery. The gallery shows work by artists from the Cairngorms and further afield, while a changing programme of exhibitions and creative classes runs throughout the year.

It's also home to local artist Angus Grant, whose work is heavily influenced by the landscapes and wildlife of the Highlands.

Grantown Open Studios

If you're visiting around the May Bank Holiday, look out for Grantown Open Studios.

Artists and makers across Grantown and the surrounding area open their studios to visitors, with exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations, talks and other events taking place around town.

It's a lovely way to see just how much creative work is happening behind Grantown's doors.

Find out how Grantown came to be

Grantown Museum

Once you've noticed Grantown's unusually orderly streets and central square, it's worth visiting Grantown Museum to discover why the town looks the way it does.

Housed in Burnfield House, a former 19th century school, the museum tells the story of Grantown from its beginnings as an 18th century planned settlement through its industrial ambitions, inventions and eventual development into a fashionable Victorian Highland retreat.

There are permanent galleries devoted to the town's history alongside changing temporary exhibitions, giving some context to the buildings, streets and stories you've been encountering outside.

It's a relatively small museum, which makes it an easy addition to a day spent exploring the town rather than an expedition in itself.

Time your visit for market day

If you happen to be in Grantown on the first Sunday of the month during the market season, look out for the Cairngorms Farmers' Market in The Square.

Stalls bring together local food and drink producers alongside crafts, art and other locally made goods, adding a bit of extra bustle to the centre of town.

Market dates can vary, so it's worth checking the latest dates before making a special journey.

Escape into Anagach Woods

One of Grantown's greatest assets begins almost in the town itself.

Community owned Anagach Woods stretches between Grantown and the River Spey, with miles of trails winding through Scots pine, birch, juniper and rowan.

There are several marked routes, but we also like simply heading into the woods and seeing where we end up. Eventually you can make your way towards the Spey for a walk beside the river before looping back towards town.

It makes a particularly good addition to a day of coffee, books and galleries. And if you've brought the dog, they'll probably be grateful that the itinerary wasn't entirely designed around cake and browsing shops.

Take a trip to The Cairn Distillery

A short distance outside Grantown, The Cairn Distillery is a striking contemporary distillery overlooking the Spey and the Cairngorms.

Built by family owned whisky makers Gordon & MacPhail, it offers distillery tours and whisky experiences where you can learn more about the process, the landscape and the new whiskies being created here.

Even if whisky isn't normally your thing, the setting alone makes this an interesting addition to a day around Grantown.

A day in Grantown

If we were planning a day here, we'd probably start with coffee and something excellent from KJ's, wander into town for a look around the galleries and independent shops, disappear into Fern for rather longer than intended, then head into Anagach Woods for a walk towards the Spey.

If it's market day, even better.

Grantown isn't somewhere we think you need a long checklist for. Leave yourself a few hours, have a wander and see what you find. There's considerably more going on here than first meets the eye.