Haggis, hooves and horsepower: A Christmas adventure in the Cairngorms with Porsche’s Macan

It’s a brisk minus-four degrees Celsius as we waft silently out of the gates next to the Ness Walk Hotel. Sitting on the banks of the river with which it shares its name, it’s a five-star hotel which doesn’t just offer 47 rooms but is one that has also partnered with Green Tourism to ensure that it’s operating in as sustainable a way as possible. It has even committed to achieving net zero emissions for energy use by 2028.

And when you look around into the hills and rivers surrounding, it’s not hard to see why you’d want to protect things. The hotel even has electric chargers on-site, which are handy for our particular trip – taking the new electric Porsche Macan on a very special journey to make an equally special delivery.

So after an evening of food in the Torrish restaurant, we’re off on our adventure. The Macan has a range of up to close to 400 miles and even as the temperatures continue to fall as we drift away from the heart of Inverness along the A9 past Moy, we’ve still got more than enough in the ‘tank’ for a day’s worth of driving.

The scenery unfurls around us as we head south towards the famous Cairngorms National Park with the Macan’s readout indicating minus seven degrees at certain points. Trees crackle with frost in the distance and we’re rewarded for our early start with a magnificent sunrise that sparks some energy into the dark skies of the winter morning.

Given the time of year, it’ll come as no surprise that the main focus of our journey has antlers, hooves and a particular tie to the festive season – reindeer. It’s in the Cairngorms that you’ll find Britain’s only free-roaming reindeer herd, made up of 150 animals that traipse the mountains and hills in this staggeringly beautiful part of the country.

We’ve come equipped, too, prepped with both carrots and reindeer feed that is easily handled by the Macan’s boot. Guided trips to visit the reindeer run daily – weather depending during winter – and meander for 20 to 30 minutes through forests and mountains to reach the herd where you’ll be able to interact with them for around an hour.

It feels even chillier by this point but the brisk walk through the woods warms things up quickly. You need decent walking boots and warm clothing – particularly at this time of year – as the terrain is interrupted by large rocks, boulders and slippery sections. Crossing over an impressive wooden footbridge leads us to a steep climb but, before long, the herd appears at the top of the mountain with a superb background surrounding it all.

The reindeer prove much friendlier than we expect, though much of that is likely down to the large handfuls of food that we’re here to offer. Sadly, they turn their snouts up at our carrots, so we put them to one side as handler Amy guides us through the different ages of reindeer that we have in front of us. There are antlers of all shapes and sizes, but none of the herd seems too troubled by our presence and after a selfie or two, we’re leaving them to enjoy the peace of the stunning Glenmore scenery.

All that walking generates a little hunger, so the next portion of the mission is to search out somewhere suitable to stop over. However, what we encounter next are some of the most exciting driving roads that the UK has to offer. A little further down the mountain is the Corgarff viewpoint and it’s here that we’re treated to a series of jets on patrol in the skies above, their engines the only thing to disturb the otherwise pin-drop quiet. It’s a stopover well worth making as the views are exceptional.

As the temperatures increase and the roadside ice thaws out, we travel onwards to pick up sections of the Old Military Road at the Bridge of Brown, before spiking upwards to stop and take photos at the Lecht Ski Centre. There’s enough powder on the slopes to entice a snowsports fan, that’s for sure, but the chair lifts remain dormant as we continue on our drive.

Our lunch stopover turns out to be the Fife Arms in Braemar, not far from the icy-looking River Dee which flows nearby. On solid tables and chairs – alongside some ferocious steak knives – we enjoy a traditional lunch of haggis, neeps and tatties but other options – including a warm and hearty chowder – are a tempting alternative. There’s a natural hustle and bustle to the Fife Arms which gives it a ‘meeting point’ feel; portraits hang on the walls and stare down upon patrons who are no doubt dreaming up their own adventures in the nearby wilderness.

It’s the kind of pub that you feel you could spend a long, drawn-out evening in shielding from the cold but, alas, we’ve still got more driving to do and before long we’re back behind the wheel of the Macan that had been patiently waiting outside.

From Braemar, the roads get even better. The Old Military Road marches out ahead of us through Glenshee and Finegand, with rivers, mountains and fields all peppering the view over the Macan’s dashboard. Our two cars – finished in Cooper Ruby Metallic and Papaya Metallic – feel as though they’re in the perfect shade to match the landscape as the sun begins to dive towards the horizon. We’re treated to a golden sundown and as the last of the light slips away, we’re heading through Blairgowrie to start our steady journey back down towards Edinburgh Airport to travel home.

We’re still doing well in terms of range, but having been up steep inclines – and all during very cold weather – we decide to give the Macan a quick top-up of charge. A 20-minute stopover at a rapid charger in Perth sees the Porsche’s levels boosted to a decent level and, after a quick coffee, we’re on the road once more.

It’s been a quick-fire drive through some of the most striking environments that Scotland has to offer. Having roads which weave through the countryside as elegantly as the rivers makes any journey here special, but being able to say hello to the UK’s most famous herd of reindeer along the way has made this drive in the Porsche Macan even more memorable.