Recommendations for family friendly areas to live around Cairngorms & Inverness

[Captainpickle]

We’re thinking about moving, with our two primary school aged children, from the south of England to the Cairngorms or around Inverness (ideally within 50min of Inverness airport) and would love suggestions on the best areas to live for families with good primary and secondary schools? We love the beauty of the area and if it was just the two of us would be happy with rural in the Cairngorms however we appreciate with the kids it would be better not to be too rural and we need to consider schools.

Children tend to go to their catchment school in Scotland. There aren't that many secondary schools in The Cairngorms National Park.

https://cairngorms.co.uk/working-together/authority/working-with-us/relocating-to-cairngorms/relocating-your-family/

Inverness itself has plenty going on for youngsters, has good schools and is within easy reach of beaches, walks, great scenery etc.

Elgin - beautiful beaches nearby, twenty minutes up to Dava Moor. Decent schools, just about big enough to be a place. Choice of Inverness or Aberdeen airports. Trains to both too.

you will obsess about the a9 if you make the move north. It’s just what people do.

Tornagrain might be good for you - it’s basically a new village built close to Inverness Airport. It’s been well designed and has a shop, pharmacy, cafe, yoga studio.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138971078#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/136494992#/?channel=RES_BUY

If you want to be in the Cairngorms within reach of Inverness Airport, secondary schools would be either Grantown or Kingussie. Both much smaller than the Inverness secondaries. Grantown seems to have the better reputation locally at the minute I believe. Lots of activities for kids to do locally, especially outdoor stuff. Mine are smaller though so not sure if Inverness might be better for older ones.

Other issue is that here's not always much property on the market around here and houses locally have been selling v quickly in recent years. Not sure if interest rates etc might change that, and if you're moving from SE I guess you're likely to have a decent budget.

Oh that house is hideous. Looks like a park home house.

@LuluBlakey1 I linked 2, different options. Just to give op an idea of what’s available.
Everyone has different taste and that cottage looks like the traditional ones you find in small coastal villages around here.

Be aware in Highland region primary schools only do a half day on Fridays, which might impact on work/childcare.

Nairn might be worth considering for easy access to Inverness, Cairngorms, airport and the coast.

Primary do full days on a Friday.
Secondary don't.

It's a lovely area .

Some primary schools do half days on a Friday, some still do full days.

Okay.

I personally wouldn't recommend Tornagrain op.

I’d move to Nairn, 2 primary schools 1 secondary lovely beaches. Wouldn’t live in Inverness or aviemore/carrbridge area even though it is lovely it’s not long to drive to.

I was going to say Nairn too. Easy access to the hills but an easier place to live in the winter.

Lovely beaches and decent train links.

Lossiemouth is amazing. The beaches are breathtaking. It's 10 mins to Elgin. And about 50 mins to inverness or an hour to Aberdeen. Train station in Elgin stops exactly at inverness Airport.