Posts for December, 2025

We’re delighted to be part of this year’s Christmas Eve Parade in Aviemore – a truly special community tradition. Join us outside the hotel as:
• Speysound Radio broadcasts live from 5pm
• The Badenoch & Strathspey Pipe Band lead Santa and his sleigh
• Santa arrives with the Cairngorm Reindeer at approximately 6.20pm
• Complimentary mulled wine and hot chocolate will be provided by the hotel
• The evening finishes with the Cairngorm Hotel firework display
Wrap up warm, bring the family, and celebrate Christmas Eve with us.

A delightful, multi-course meal to bring in the bells.
From £100 per person,in the function suite or £89 in the restaurant. Over 18s only.

Breedon Highland League: Strathspey Thistle FC v Clachnacuddin FC, Seafield Park, kick-off 2pm. (Note early kick-off time). Gates open 12.20pm approx.. Ten minutes of foot from town centre. Parking at ground or at Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club by their kind permission. Overflow parking at Burnfield Avenue car park. Mackellar Suite open from 12.30pm to adults (18+) who have bought hospitality or paid match admission. Hot and cold snacks in ground. Team-sheets, raffle and merchandise. N.B. Fixture is “weather permitting” – if in doubt, check club Facebook page the evening before and/or on morning of match.

Breedon Highland League: Strathspey Thistle FC v Buckie Thistle FC, Seafield Park, kick-off 2pm. (Note early kick-off time). Gates open 12.20pm approx.. Ten minutes on foot from town centre. Parking at ground or at Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club by their kind permission. Overflow parking at Burnfield Avenue car park. Mackellar Suite open from 12.30pm to adults (18+) who have bought hospitality or paid match admission. Hot and cold snacks in ground. Team-sheets, raffle and merchandise. N.B. Fixture is “weather permitting” – if in doubt, check club Facebook page the evening before and/or on morning of match.

Breedon Highland League: Strathspey Thistle FC v Brechin City FC, Seafield Park, kick-off 2pm. (Note early kick-off time). Gates open 12.20pm approx.. Parking at ground or at Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club by their kind permission. Overflow parking at Burnfield Avenue car park. Mackellar Suite open from 12.30pm to adults (18+) who have bought hospitality or paid match admission. Hot and cold snacks in ground. Team-sheets, raffle and merchandise. Fixture is “weather permitting” – if in doubt, check club Facebook page the evening before or on morning of match.

We are very excited to bring back Indie Fridays, where we can celebrate independent businesses and crafters on the run up to Christmas. The Dell Grocer will be open as usual on a Friday until the slightly later time of 6pm, with an array of gorgeous gifts and decorations. Why not pick yourself up a custom made hamper, grab a glass of mulled cider and some of our tasty samples and just soak up the festive feels. We also have gift vouchers available to purchase, another great idea for a Christmas present!
If you aren’t able to make it along to our Grocer then everything is available to buy online and you can add a little note to your order if you wish for it to be packed up as a hamper. We are also offering free UK delivery for orders over £50.

Our Indie Fridays will be starting up on Friday 28th November and running through till 19th December. The Grocer will be open as normal every day (except Sundays) from 9 – 5pm with fresh sourdough from KJs Bakery available on Fridays.

Nestle in with us to watch this festive favourite for an afternoon filled with laughter, warmth, and the spirit of the season.
Doors Open 230pm, screening begins 3pm sharp.
Fresh home made popcorn, home baking and hot drinks available to purchase.
In the spirit of a reformed Scrooge, bring along an item to donate to Moray Food Plus – download the Bank the Food App to see which items are needed or email markjohnston2019@outlook.com.
Bring along your favourite puppet or cuddly toy to keep you company.

Join us at the Speyside Centre for a complimentary in-store tasting of Angels’ Nectar Scotch Whisky.
The line up will include:
Angels’ Nectar Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Original 40% , our blended malt created from a marriage of Speyside and Highland malts. Blended by Angels. Also available in 200ml, perfect for the office secret Santa.
Angels’ Nectar Single Malt Scotch Whisky – PX Sherry Cask Edition 46%, our latest release matured for the duration in former Pedro Ximénez sherry barriques. Christmas indulgence in a glass.
Angels’ Nectar Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Oloroso Sherry Cask Edition 46%, matured for six years for the duration in former sherry casks. Morish sherry elegance.
Angels’ Nectar Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Cairngorms 4th Edition 46%, our latest single cask bottled in partnership with the Cairngorms Trust to support environmental and community projects in the national park. An enchanting Speyside Angel with soul.
Cheers!

Join us on St Andrews Day for a complimentary in-store tasting at the Rothiemurchus Farm Shop.
With Angels’ Nectar, inspired by the ‘Angels’ share’, we showcase different styles of Scotch Whisky with a series of small batch releases.
On taste will be our:
– Angels’ Nectar Oloroso Sherry Cask Edition 46%, a single malt matured for the duration in former sherry casks, which recently won a Gold award in the Hong Kong International Spirits Challenge
– Angels’ Nectar Cairngorms 4th Edition, our 13 years old single cask Speyside single malt bottled in partnership with the Cairngorms Trust to support environmental and community projects in the Cairngorms National Park.

Join us at The Iona Gallery in Kingussie for a fantastic weekend filled with creativity and delicious cuisine. This weekend is all about celebrating culture, community and supporting a great cause.

We will be accepting donations on the door for Hope & Play, a UK-based charity supporting Palestinian children. All donations beyond covering event costs will be given to them, and 100% of each donation goes towards their projects on food and water, art and play, and education.

**Registration is needed for some parts of the event, marked below, due to venue capacity. Other parts of the event are drop-in with no registration required.**



Friday 28 November

Film night with mint tea!

7pm for a prompt 7.30pm start – please register

We are delighted to share two award-winning films: ‘Foragers’ by Jumana Manna (60 mins), plus another short Palestinian film.

‘Foragers’ depicts the dramas around the practice of foraging for wild edible plants in Palestine/Israel with wry humor and a meditative pace. Shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, it moves between fiction, documentary and archival footage to portray the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on these customs. ‘Foragers’ captures the inherited love, joy and knowledge in these traditions alongside their resilience to the prohibitive law.

Suggested donation: £10 – cash or card on the night.



Saturday 29 November

A day of family activities, crafts and art, Palestinian food, and talks. We invite you to join some or all of the day!

We will have a quiet reading area with books and resources, and will also be selling Palestinian products provided by Highland Wholefoods (great as Christmas presents!) Payments by card or cash.

10.30am-12.30pm – drop in (no registration needed)

Crafts and activities, including:

Lego printing – with Colleen Coe, Timber + Stitch Studio
Kite-making
Storytelling – Palestinian folktales with Sarah Hobbs, Strathspey Storywalks
Colouring – Palestinian tatreez (embroidery) and Islamic patterns, contributed by artist Lizzie Hobbs

12.30pm-2pm – drop in (no registration needed)

A delicious home-made Palestinian lunch (and you can buy some of the ingredients afterwards!)

2pm-4pm – please register

Short talks about Palestine with local folk, followed by discussion. We are thoroughly delighted to welcome the following speakers:

Avigail Abarbanel was born and raised in Israel and served in the Israeli army. In 1991, at age twenty-seven she moved to Australia, and ten years later renounced her Israeli citizenship in protest. She’s beens speaking and writing about Palestinian human rights and against Israel’s Zionist settler-colonialism ever since. In 2010 Avigail moved to the Scottish Highlands, where she lives and works. She is a BACP Senior Accedited psychotherapist in private practice, a clinical supervisor, consultant and trainer. Avigail is a published author and the editor of Beyond Tribal Loyalties: Personal Stories of Jewish Peace Activists. (For more information please visit fullyhuman.co.uk and https://avigail.substack.com/).

Brendan Stephens is an international observer who represents ‘Friends of Madema and Burin’, having visited with other international volunteers to support farmers and harvest olives. Having spent time with Palestinians in both villages, he will share observations from his recent visit to the Occupied West Bank of settler and IDF activity and the impact of this upon increasingly isolated rural and farming communities.

Suggested donation: £5-10 – cash or card on the day.




This event is organised by The Olive And The Pine, a group of Badenoch and Strathspey residents who stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The group is open to anyone who wishes to learn more about Palestinian heritage and culture, and who supports peace, justice and equal human rights in the region. The group includes a wide range of people of different backgrounds and beliefs.

We aim to raise awareness through learning circles, film screenings, arts and crafts, sharing Palestinian food, and fundraising.

The group chose its name because olive trees have long played a pivotal role in the cultural and economic life of Palestine, just as the pine tree is emblematic of Badenoch and Strathspey. As part of the systematic erasure of Palestinian life by the Israeli occupation, olive trees have been uprooted and replaced with non-native pines. The tree that symbolises natural abundance in our own region actually represents erasure and colonisation to Palestinians.