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Glenmore · Nature
Cairngorm reindeer with kids: Paddocks or Hill Trip?
Cairngorm Reindeer Centre is a focused animal visit near Aviemore. Families can choose the easier Paddocks & Exhibition for toddlers, prams and a shorter visit, or the guided Hill Trip for confident walkers who can manage 30-40 minutes over rough ground in proper outdoor kit.
- Best for
- Paddocks for younger children; Hill Trip for confident walkers
- Cost
- Paid visits; Paddocks cost less than Hill Trips
- Weather
- Reindeer are outdoors; Hill Trips need full outdoor kit
- Time to allow
- Paddocks 30-60 mins; Hill Trip 1.5-2 hours plus arrival
Our family take
The reindeer are the reason to come. Choose the Paddocks for a shorter, easier visit; choose the Hill Trip if your family wants a rough mountain walk and a short hand-feeding session.
- Best for. Families who want the reindeer to be the main event, rather than a full animal-park day.
- Toilets. There are none at the Centre or on the Hill Trip. Use the village toilets before setting off.
- Winter Hill Trips. From February to April, children must be at least 4, including those in carriers. Ages 4-11 are better visiting from May onwards.
The practical details
Plan your visit
- Season and hours
- Paddocks & Exhibition: 10am-5pm during February half term and from Easter holidays to the end of Christmas holidays; 4pm in November and December. No Paddock reindeer between February half term and Easter. Closed from the end of Christmas holidays until February half term. Hill Trips run most days in season, with selected days between February half term and Easter; check the live calendar.
- Standard tickets
- Hill Trip: adult 17+ £29.40, student/senior 65+ £26.25, child 3-16 £22.05, including booking fees. Paddocks & Exhibition list adult £6.83, student/senior £6.30 and child 3-16 £5.77 including booking fees, but also warn of a handling fee; check the final checkout total. Ages 0-2 are free. Christmas Fun has separate pricing.
- Booking and arrival
- Tickets open 30 days ahead, at the activity’s exact hour. Pre-book Hill Trips, especially in holidays. Collect tickets at least 15 minutes before departure if driving, or 45 minutes before if walking to the May-December meeting point. Hill Trip tickets include same-day Paddock entry.
- Address and parking
- Reindeer House, Glenmore, Aviemore PH22 1QU, six miles east of Aviemore. A small car park sits opposite the Centre, with public parking in Glenmore for vans and motorhomes. Local parking charges apply. Follow the Centre’s directions rather than relying on the postcode alone.
- Visit length
- Allow 30-60 minutes for Paddocks & Exhibition. The Hill Trip usually lasts 1.5-2 hours; leave extra time for check-in and reaching the meeting point.
ParkingGift shop
5 October 2026
Visit official websiteA little more detail
Make it work for your family
Paddocks or Hill Trip?
Pick the Paddocks & Exhibition if you have toddlers or younger children, need the wheelchair or pushchair-accessible option, or want a shorter visit. The new Exhibition and children's quiz give you more than a quick look at the paddock, but the reindeer area is still outside.
Pick the Hill Trip if your children can manage a 30-40 minute walk over rough ground and everyone has proper boots and waterproofs. Most visitors drive their own vehicle to the meeting point. From May to December you can walk the 1.6 miles uphill instead, but must collect tickets at least 45 minutes before departure; from February to April you need a vehicle.
Only the Hill Trip includes a short hand-feeding session. Paddocks and Christmas Fun visits are hands-off. Children cannot pat, stroke or hug the reindeer. Explain this before you go, especially if they are expecting to cuddle an animal.
Best ages and winter limits
Under-4s are better suited to the Paddocks & Exhibition. February-April Hill Trips have a minimum age of 4, including children in carriers.
Children aged 4-11 may manage the Hill Trip from May to December if they are confident walkers. The Centre recommends avoiding February-April for this age group; older children and teens are a better fit for the Hill Trip if they are happy outdoors.
A free ticket for a baby does not make the Hill Trip easy. Think about weather, a carrier, toilets and the rough ground before booking.
Before you book
If your date is more than 30 days away, tickets have not been released yet. Within that window, a missing date means it has sold out; a cancellation wait list may be available. Check the calendar for your chosen visit rather than assuming every date has the same departures.
Toilets and food
Use Glenmore village toilets before setting off: there are none at the Centre or on the Hill Trip, and the village facilities are about 200m away beside the bus stop.
Plan food around the cafés in Glenmore, or bring snacks and drinks. If you need baby changing, check the village facilities before travelling and bring your changing kit.
Prams, access and dogs
Most of the Paddocks & Exhibition are wheelchair accessible, with a lift at the entrance. The paths are mainly boardwalk, with inclines and level platforms; Hill Trips are not an alternative for wheelchair users, even with an off-road chair.
Hill Trips use a rough track and rocky steps with no easier route, so they are not wheelchair or pram-friendly. Dogs and assistance dogs cannot join either visit because they make the reindeer nervous; they can wait in the shop or outside.
If access is important for anyone in your group, contact the Centre before booking: the Paddocks and Hill Trip have very different conditions.
A disabled visitor can book a concessionary ticket, and one essential accompanying carer can enter free with accepted proof. Call the Centre to arrange this and check the documentation before visiting.
Hill Trip kit and weather
What to wear for the Hill Trip
Bring wellies or hiking boots with good tread, a waterproof jacket and warm layers for every member of the group. Add waterproof over-trousers, a hat and gloves in colder weather.
The 30-40 minute walk crosses rough, open mountain ground. From February to April it can be steeper, longer, snowy or icy; unsuitable clothing or footwear can mean being turned away without a refund.
How the weather changes the visit
The Paddocks & Exhibition suit a short stop. The new Exhibition gives you indoor information, but the reindeer area is outside, so do not rely on this as a rainy-day plan.
Allow half a day for the Hill Trip once you include arrival, the drive to the meeting point and the walk. Rain alone does not usually stop it, but extreme wind or snow can cancel trips.
Christmas visits
Christmas Fun 2026 is advertised for 28-29 November and 5-6, 12-13, 20-21 and 22-24 December, from 10am to 4pm. It costs £7.88 per person including fees, with children aged 0-2 free. Check the booking calendar for the exact date and slot before making plans.
The Paddocks have reindeer, herders and Santa in his Bothy. Bring warm layers and waterproofs: the reindeer area is outdoors with no undercover space. Book ahead when tickets open 30 days before your visit, as these sessions are likely to sell out.
Christmas Fun dates and booking · Checked 5 October 2026
Plan the rest of your day
This is a focused stop, not the whole Cairngorms day. Loch an Eilein is a practical nearby outdoor add-on if your children still have walking energy after the Paddocks; avoid pairing it with the Hill Trip unless your family wants a longer outdoor day.
From an Aviemore base, Highland Wildlife Park is the bigger animal day, Landmark Forest Adventure Park is more play-led, and Strathspey Steam Railway involves less walking. These are alternatives for the same trip, not places to squeeze in beside the reindeer, so choose one as your main plan.
Plan the rest of your day
Comparison guide
Use the wider family days-out guide
Compare this specialist reindeer visit with lower-effort, rainy-day and full-day family options.
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