Woodlands Outdoor Centre: A Centre For All Seasons
Woodlands residential outdoor centre is situated in Kingussie, Strathspey, some ten miles from Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park. The building, originally a Victorian home, is situated in a quiet residential area of the village and was purchased and renovated in 1972 to provide accommodation for up to 30 people.
Woodlands is the main location for the School of Education to deliver a wide variety of outdoor education and fieldwork programmes, all part of the course work of students on undergraduate and teacher-education degrees, and postgraduates following Certificate, Diploma or Masters programmes.
The centre is ideally situated in the Highlands to allow access to a wide range of outdoor venues. The Cairngorms National Park, is renowned for its scenic beauty, including the sub-arctic plateau environment, the regenerating Caledonian Pine forest, Loch Morlich, the Insh Marshes and the River Spey, famous for its fishing and canoeing. Accordingly, mountaineering activities, skiing, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, sailing and mountain biking are all accessible locally. Additionally, summer and winter mountain-walking and climbing is well served well with many of Scotland's highest mountains within easy access. The building is also adjacent to ideal natural contexts for outdoor and environmental education such as extensive areas of woodland (coniferous, deciduous and juniper) and small rivers.
Woodlands is centrally heated and has a dining room/lecture room, large lounge with TV and video, drying room and fully fitted kitchen. Dormitory accommodation is provided on the first floor in three rooms as well as a small two-bed room.
In addition and adjoining the main building is the 'Small House' which provides accommodation for up to six people in three bedrooms and which has its own lounge, kitchen and bathroom.
The centre can be rented by private groups when not in use for University programmes. For details, contact the University's Firbush Office (phone 0131-650-2594 or email Firbush.Office@ed.ac.uk). The University also has an Outdoor Centre on Loch Tay in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
