Ski resorts in Great Britain

All the ski resorts in Great Britain are in Scotland. There are five: Glenshee, Cairngorm, Nevis Range, Lecht and Glencoe, three of them in Cairngorms National Park. The resorts are small but have ski schools, equipment rental, mountain cafes and views of the Scottish Highlands.

The season usually runs from December to the end of March, with exact opening dates depending on snow and weather.

Ski resorts in Scotland compared

Resort	Runs	Highlight	Where to stay
Glenshee	about 40 km	largest resort in Britain	Braemar, Ballater
Cairngorm	over 30 km	highest restaurant in Britain	Aviemore
Nevis Range	about 35 km	gondola, freeride	Fort William
Lecht	about 25 km	for beginners and children	Tomintoul
Glencoe	about 24 km	oldest resort, steep runs	Glencoe, Ballachulish

1. Glenshee

The largest ski resort in Great Britain, in Cairngorms National Park, with about 40 km of runs from easy to black and off-piste options.

The A93 leads to the resort and is usually well cleared, but may close in bad weather. There is no public transport in winter, and there is a large car park. On site you will find rental, a ski school and cafes. There are no hotels at the lifts, the nearest stays are in Braemar, Blairgowrie and Ballater.

2. Cairngorm

Scotland's second largest resort with over 30 km of runs near the town of Aviemore. It has runs of all levels, a freestyle area, ski schools and rental.

At 1,097 m the Ptarmigan restaurant is the highest restaurant in Great Britain, with views over the Scottish Highlands. Aviemore, with plenty of hotels, restaurants and bars, is the best base.

3. Nevis Range

A resort on Aonach Mòr near Fort William, Scotland's highest ski area with about 35 km of runs and good freeride terrain.

Nevis Range is the only resort in Britain with a gondola taking you from the car park to the main ski area. There is a restaurant, a beginner area, rental and instructors. Fort William, about 10 km away, is the place to stay.

4. Lecht

A small family resort in the Cairngorms, known as Lecht 2090 after the height of its base in feet. It has about 20 runs totalling roughly 25 km and a snow park.

Lecht is great for learners and children, and lift queues are shorter than elsewhere. The nearest accommodation is in the village of Tomintoul.

5. Glencoe

Scotland's oldest commercial ski resort, opened in 1956 as White Corries, in the scenic Glencoe valley of the Western Highlands.

It has 20 runs totalling about 24 km and 8 lifts, including one of the steepest runs in Scotland. Day and half-day tickets, season passes, rental and lessons are available. Nearby hotels include the Kingshouse, the Clachaig Inn and the Ballachulish Hotel.