Newtonmore and Kingussie

Twelve miles south of Aviemore, close neighbours NEWTONMORE and KINGUSSIE (pronounced "king-yoos-ee") are pleasant towns at the head of the Strathspey Valley separated by a couple of miles of farmland. On the shinty field, however, their peaceful co-existence is forgotten and the two become bitter rivals; in recent years Kingussie have been the dominant force in the game, a fierce, homegrown relative of hockey.

The chief attraction here is the excellent Highland Folk Museum (tel 01540/661307), split between complementary sites in the two towns. The Kingussie section (April-Sept Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm; winter by appointment; £1 admission covers both sites) contains an absorbing collection of artefacts typical to traditional Highland ways of life, as well as a farming museum, an old smokehouse, a mill, a Hebridean "blackhouse", and a traditional herb and flower garden; most days in summer there's a demonstration of various traditional crafts. The larger outdoor site at Newtonmore (April-Aug daily 10.30am-5.30pm; Sept & Oct Mon-Fri 11am-4.30pm; call for details of weekend opening at other times), tries to create more of a living history museum, with reconstructions of a working croft, a church where recitals on traditional Highland instruments are given through the summer months, and a small village of blackhouses constructed using only authentic tools and materials.

Kingussie is also notable for the ruins of Ruthven Barracks (free access), standing east across the river on a hillock. The best-preserved garrison built to pacify the Highlands after the 1715 rebellion, it makes for great exploring by day and is impressively floodlit at night.

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