After the Brexit referendum in the summer of 2016, the Pound has weakened significantly against both the Euro and the US Dollar. Consequently, many people are replacing week-long overseas holidays with mini-breaks to manage the increased costs.
The ski and snowboard holiday sector is following a similar pattern. The mini ski break has become immensely popular in recent years with several tour operators like Ski Weekends promising short ski breaks to 63 top ski resorts in 8 countries! Travelling to the alps for Ski Holidays is so easy these days, as is booking your instructor. How? By using an app of course!
What few people realise, however, is that you can also ski within the United Kingdom. Yes, you did read this correctly and your eyes are not deceiving you! There are five ski resorts in Scotland just waiting for you to visit. And with the best snow in a generation (thanks to the effects of global warming), now is the perfect time to head to Scotland!
Like many Brits with family in Scotland, I learnt to ski in the early 80s at the Scottish resorts of Cairngorm and the Lecht. Much has changed in the Scottish ski centres since then. Some of the ski areas have invested in artificial snow machines and some of the ski lifts are now very modern indeed.
The modern gondola lift serving Nevis Range is the only one of its kind in Britain. The Nevis gondola transports skiers, climbers and mountain bikers to the highest ski area in Britain in just 12 minutes!
Here at Stay In Britain, we have compiled a list of some excellent accommodation options near to Scotland’s ski resorts. Click on the links below to see what we have on offer!
- Nevis Range – 20Km pistes – 12 ski lifts
- Cairngorm – 30Km pistes – 11 ski lifts
- Glenshee – 40Km pistes – 21 ski lifts
- Glencoe – 16Km pistes – 8 ski lifts
- The Lecht – 25Km pistes – 14 ski lifts
Skiing in Scotland can be amazing. With good snow under your skis and with clear views of Ben Nevis bathed in glorious sunshine, skiing in Scotland is hard to beat.
The key to skiing in Scotland is to pick the ‘good days’. That’s why Ian McCaskill and his pals at the Scottish Met Office should become your most trusted friends. Keep an eye on the web-cams and snow reports at each of the ski centres too. If conditions look good for the coming weekend, take the Friday off work and head North as soon as you can.
Contrary to popular belief, the Scottish Highlands are easily accessible too. Manchester-based skiers with a car could leave home at 5 am and be on slopes by 11. London based snow-heads can take the sleeper train from Euston at 9.25 pm on a Friday night, getting into Fort William (just 7 miles from Nevis Range) at 9.54 am on Saturday morning.
The same sleeper service gets you back in time for work on Monday morning too, leaving Fort William at 7 pm on Sunday, arriving in London at 7.50 am. With return fares starting at just £48 if you book in advance, city slickers can ski for two full days without taking any time off work.
Skiing in Scotland is certainly not to be scoffed at. With one day lift passes starting at £25, the cost is certainly cheaper than even the cheapest French resort. You won’t need to re-mortgage your house to buy a cup of coffee on the mountain either. What’s more our friends in Scotland speak the same language. And they don’t smell of onions either!
