Aviemore Primary School

Aviemore Primary School
Milton Park
Aviemore
Inverness
PH22 1RR
SCOTLAND
Dear Mrs. Smith,
after our last conversation about my project you agreed you would like to make a
difference to the community and seemed very enthusiastic towards my ideas. I hope you still
have that enthusiasm as I have now finished my project.
I have created 10 playground circuits for you and the primary 2 and 3 children to try with a
theme regarding the local environment. I hope to also educate the participating children of the
wonderful resources and activities that are available in the area. Something I now miss living in a
city. My circuits are listed in order of difficulty. With 1 being the easiest and 10 being the
hardest. 3 of the circuits I am hoping you will be able to include parents into it. Like I said before
parents are the biggest influence a child can have and hopefully with their participation they can
encourage a child to be active for life. I am confident that you will be able to do this as I
remember all the great parental support Aviemore Primary School gets when events are on or
help is needed. It does not specifically matter which 3 circuits are done with parents, however I
would suggest that you do one of easy difficulty, one medium and one of a more challenging
difficulty.
I hope the circuits are enjoyable for all participants and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely
Thomas Franks.
Loch An Eilein
Circuit 1
Details for Circuit: Walking Pace
Stepping Stones
Jumping
(Starting simple)
Loch an Eilein is situated around 5 miles away from Aviemore. With a 5km circumference it is
an ideal area for a walk or a run. The track runs parallel to the water all the way around with
water fresh clean enough to drink if tired. Voted the number 1 place in the UK for a picnic, free
admission and beautiful scenic surroundings making Loch An Eilein a destination worth visiting.
For anyone that wants to risk getting wet feet there are several sets of steps stones placed
naturally around the edge of the water throughout the walk. My first circuit has been designed
with a basic layout and an easy difficulty to help demonstrate the peaceful atmosphere at Loch
An Eilein.
Loch An Eilein Castle is infamous for its Castle placed in the middle of the Loch.
The castle was built in the early 1300s and used by the mysterious “Wolf of Badenoch.”
Alexander Stewart was his name. He lived his life terrorizing communities within a 60 mile
radius of this castle for little reason. He was an evil man. Legend has it that after his heinous
reign he died in 1394 and for days after there were heavy thunder storms.
Nowadays his castle is unreachable as the water level has risen and flooded the walkway.
However not many people dare go there as it is thought to be haunted by his spirit.
R
othiemurcus Estates
Circuit 2
Details for Circuit:
Varied Paces
Switching directions
(to demonstrate the variety of different activities available)
The beginning of Rothiemurcus Estate is located around 1 mile from the south side of Aviemore.
It is a large estate offering a wide range of activities ranging from casual walks to clay pigeon
shooting to fishing. By being nearby it is an excellent venue and can be a popular area in the
summer for summer camps or days out. The estate not only does sporting activities but also has
shops selling local produce and gifts. With activities not just for children but for adults as well
this is another hidden gem within the Scottish Highlands. This circuit will involve a variety of
different directions and paces to show the diversity of the area and choices of activity.
Rothiemurcus Estate has been owned by the Grant family since the 16th Century although the
name “Rothiemurcus” dates back as early as the 8th Century. The land back then was a settlement
for local Picts. The area is now known as the “Gateway to the Cairngorm,” as it is the route taken
to reach the summit of the mountain range.
Loch Morlich
Circuit 3
Details for Circuit: Slow constant jog.
Longer Distance
arm movements
fast feet
The beach is always a great place to have fun! Loch Morlich is 7 miles from Aviemore and has
the only beach within a 25mile radius. With activities varying from watersports to mountain
biking to just simply playing on the beach it can be enjoyed by all. In the summer the sand can
get very warm so this circuit will involve fast feet to mimic that whilst being on the beach.
Nobody notices but there are actually small particles of glass on the beach. This does not come
from careless tourists discarding bottles irresponsibly, but is in fact left over from the Second
World War when the area around Loch Morlich was used as a commando school. In particular it
was used as a training area for the Kompani Linge (the Norwegian Independent (army).
Cairngorm Mountains
Circuit 4
Details for Circuit: Climbing
Walking
Running
Jumping
`
Squats
The Cairngorm Mountains are a spectacular place for exercise all year round! Primarily it is
Scotland’s best sk`i resort but is also an excellent area for walking, running, mountain biking and
more. Around 12 miles from Aviemore with regular public transport it is easy to get to. There
should be no excuses not to use such a wonderful resource. As this is a slope we will pretend in
our circuit that we are climbing the mountain followed by snowboarding back down.
Did you know that the Cairngorms are over 40 million years old?
Not many people know this, but the range of the Cairngorm Mountains holds 13 Mountains. 5 of
which are in Scotland’s 6 biggest. Ben Macdhui,
Braeriach
Cairn Toul
Sgor an Lochain Uaine
Cairn Gorm
MacDonald’s Highland Resort
Circuit 5
Details for Circuit: Rocking back+forth
Jumping
Swinging
Macdonald’s Highland Resort is in the south end of Aviemore. It is the only public leisure centre
in Aviemore and should definitely be taken advantage of. With a large swimming pool, equipped
with a slide and wave machine it attracts many children and adults throughout the year. For
children the resort also holds clubs where a variety of activities can be experienced as well as 2
golf courses and therapy rooms. It is an excellent facility with reasonably cheap costs. For this
circuit we will pretend we are golfing and pretend we are getting a hole in 1. After our hard days
golfing we will jump into the pool, rocking back and forth in the waves and jumping to keep our
head above the water.
Macdonald’s Resort is a relatively new construction, built in 2004, is a state of the art facility.
The owner has many hotels throughout the UK and also in Spain. They own over half of the land
in Aviemore with 6 hotels, chalets and 2 golf courses.
Loch Inch
Circuit 6
Details for Circuit: Using as much playground equipment as possible
Running
Loch Inch is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. It is another fabulous activity centre
about 10 miles south of Aviemore near a small village called Kingcraig. There are a wide range
of activities from watersports to archery, however the most memorable times I had there were in
the fabulous play parks. Scattered throughout the area there are several different parks with
different equipment and puzzles to try. All are free of charge and an excellent way to have fun.
This circuit will help demonstrate the fun that can be had outside, and out of school for no real
cost.
Loch Inch has been the part of many arguments and discussion amongst many people in the past
as it has yet to be proven a loch. Some people argue that it is just a wide stretch of the River
Spey which is the main river in the north of Scotland.
Laggan Wolftrax
Circuit 7
Details for Circuit: Bunny Hops/ Squats
Brakes
Body Shapes
Around 20 miles south of Aviemore are the Wolftrax, Scotland’s best mountain bike facility.
There are a series of different routes ranging in difficult for beginners and experts. It is a great
place to try something new. The only charges are bike hire (if needed), car parking and a café if
hungry afterwards. Also on the facility are showers in case things get messy. Would you be
brave enough to drop down this?
For this circuit I would like you to pretend you are jumping off rocks and getting big air!
Imagine the suspension cushioning the landing by bending your knees as much as you can when
you land. We are also going to have to use our brakes so we don’t crash off the track. Every time
there is a corner in the circuit you must completely stop and start moving again quickly.
Badaguish
Circuit 8
Details for Circuit: Climbing
Jumping
Push ups/Sit ups
Badaguish is a local outdoor centre with every activity possible. From monkey bars across the
pond to high ropes courses to watersports. Not only that but they also have an indoor sports hall
and games room filled with different games such as ping pong or shuffleboard. The centre also
offers cheap activity camps all year round.
This circuit will be very difficult. We will be doing a variety of hard stations throughout the
circuit whilst imagining we are climbing to the top of the high ropes, jumping from the peak and
rolling down the net in the park.
Landmark Forest Adventure Park
Circuit 9
Details for Circuit: Balance
Climbing
Running
Landmark is always a place which brings back memories. It is a very fun and exciting place to
explore during the summer months. Landmark is mix between a theme park, a playground and a
forest walking path. There are many different activities available from several play parks, high
ropes courses, a rollercoaster, short walking paths, a science centre and the infamous waterslides.
All offer a great chance for physical activity to occur and be extremely enjoyable.
For this circuit we shall pretend we are enjoying the magnificent summer weather and are flying
down the slide. Then we will climb up the high ropes course and keep balance along the top of
the trees.
Culloden Battlefield
Circuit 10
Details for Circuit: Very fast
Combination of exercises
Very tiring
Back on April 16th 1746 the war between the Scots and the English finally came to an end. The
night before the battle, Bonnie Prince Charlie marched his army to Nairn where the English had
set up camp. He planned to attack them in their sleep. However after walking 15 of the 17 miles
the sun rose and he was forced to turn around and return to Inverness. Shortly after returning the
English arrived prepared for battle and an exhausted Scottish army were crushed. Scotland’s best
weapon was there Highland charge. It was when the whole army charged as fast as they could at
the enemy and using sheer numbers to cause damage to the opposing ranks. Between 1,500 and
2,000 Jacobites (Scottish soldiers) were killed or wounded in the brief battle, while English
losses were lighter with 50 dead and 259 wounded.
The final challenge! This circuit I would like everyone to pretend that they are in this battle.
They must do everything as quickly as possible in order to survive. Pretend you are performing
the infamous Highland charge and are flying, jumping, weaving and running through all the
heather and bushes.
Resources
http://www.kincraig.com/wolfof.htm
http://www.rothiemurchus.net
www.Wikipedia.org
www.images.google.com
www.lochinch.com
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/wolftrax