Posts for June, 2026

Art and craft exhibition with a great variety of unique arts and crafts

Orienteering event around Aviemore. Use your course map to find the controls. Good fun for locals and visitors.
Two course options – one around 5km and one around 3km. Families welcome. All children under 16 must be accompanied on their course.
Some getting started support for newcomers / returners.
Pre-enter to guarantee a map. Some limited entry on the day available.

Uisge Spè [River Spey]: Where Water Shapes a Nation, by Ed Smith. Exhibition launch evening at Eleven41 Gallery, Kingussie.

‘Uisge Spè’ is a long‑term photojournalistic study of one of Scotland’s most important rivers, tracing its 170‑kilometre course from the Monadhliath Mountains, through the central and eastern Highlands to the Moray Firth. Supported by The Cairngorms Trust, this is the first public launch of the exhibit, which will then move through at least four other venues within the River Spey catchment over the coming months.

More than a scenic backdrop, the Spey is portrayed as a living system where environment, culture, industry, and history converge. The project explores how climate change, fluctuating water levels, and land management threaten salmon, settlements, and whisky production, even as local communities and conservationists fight to protect its biodiversity. It examines the river’s role in shaping identity and belonging, from local students to global whisky branding, and connects visible historical traces to ongoing struggles over land, labour, and power. Through sustained, seasonal visual reporting and multiple canoe descents of the river, the work reveals the Spey as a microcosm of global tensions between heritage and globalisation, economic survival and environmental responsibility.

Scotland’s waterscapes will be front and centre at the new summer show at one of the Cairngorms’ best galleries.

A host of well-known artists will display their paintings and photography at the Spey Bank Studio in Grantown from Jun 19.

This year the theme is Lochs and Rivers so we’re expecting lots of deep blues and vibrant turquoises.

Among the names exhibiting are Ally MacKellar, Stephen Redpath, Helen Bruce, Jess Greaves and many more. And with a new gallery layout, there will be more work to see than ever.

More information at the gallery website.

This summer’s exhibition explores the woven heritage of Strathspey, showcasing a rare collection of ancient and historic tartans. Discover the colours, patterns, and craftsmanship behind traditional weaving, and learn how this unique textile heritage continues to shape the region today. Open Daily Monday to Saturday. Please note the museum opens at 11.00am on a Saturday.

Events Programme

Saturday 30th May | 11am–3pm | Museum
Join tartan historian Peter Macdonald as we warp the loom and prepare to recreate an 18th century plaid. Drop in throughout the day to watch a tartan being made, explore traditional weaving techniques, and talk with us about Strathspey’s weaving heritage.

Thursday 4th June | 7pm | Museum
Spinning yarns, Tartan talks
An entertaining evening of stories and conversation celebrating Scotland’s tartan heritage. Margaret Grant, master kiltmaker from Grantown, joins tartan historian Peter Macdonald for a lively discussion on weaving, designing, and researching tartans. Together they share insights from decades immersed in the world of tartan.

Sunday 12 July | 2pm–5pm | From the Museum
Bobbin Mills Story Walk with Strathspey Story Walks’ Sarah Hobbs
Discover the hidden history of bobbin making and its impact on the local landscape on this guided walk. A fascinating insight into Strathspey’s industrial past.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bobbin-mills-story-walk-tickets-1990322019739?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us for a fascinating walk to the site of an old bobbin mill with Strathspey Story Walks’ Sarah Hobbs who has been researching their hidden history

Leaving from the museum in a minibus to location..

Please bring weather appropriate clothing , footwear and something to drink.

Free to attend, however please book your ticket as spaces are limited.

Spinning yarns, Tartan talks.

Sure to be thoroughly entertaining ..

A short evening of tales, stories and musings from two people who live and breath tartan.

Following in her Mother’s footsteps Margaret Grant, master kiltmaker in Grantown has been making kilts since she was 13. She is self confessed as tartan obsessed, an entrepreneur and excellent raconteur Margaret joins in conversation with Scotland’s pre- eminent Tartan Historian Peter MacDonald who has been weaving, designing and researching tartans for decades.

Join tartan historian Peter MacDonald as we warp the loom. Ready to recreate an 18th century plaid.

Come and watch how a tartan is made.

Drop-in between 11-3

Watch, learn and chat with about weaving heritage and tartan.

Join us for a summer evening spent dancing in the Lochain Bar, with traditional tunes from a live band (the wonderful Cairngorm Ceilidh Band) providing fun and entertainment for everyone!

Never been to a ceilidh before? Don’t worry, the band will be calling the dances and everyone will muddle through together! You’re welcome to take part in as many or as few dances as you please, or just enjoy the atmosphere and a wee dram. The band will start playing at 19.00 and be finished by 21.30 with a half hour break in the middle.

Starting at Abernethy Old Kirk, with an introduction to its history from Frank Bardgett, then across the newly restored Aultmore Bridge and into the woods to see the remains of a World War II timber camp.