Dear David and Julie

Your letter in the Forres gazette brought back memories of old Aviemore.

When I was a young airman at R.A.F. Kinloss in the mid 5o’s I would often
travel south through Aviemore.  It was a popular stop for a cup of tea from
the platform trolley or kiosk. In the summer of 1958 my fiancé and I were
traveling up from Edinburgh and changed at Aviemore for the train to Forres over
the Dava, (a line now long closed).  We had some time to wait for our train and
went for a walk through the village.  The memories I have are of neat houses
built of dressed granite and of a granite wall running along the front opposite
the railway station.  We walked to the west end of the village
where a thorn hedge led into the surrounding country side.
At the east end we tried our luck at the Pot Luck Tearoom but it was closed.
A garage now occupies the spot.  There was very little by way of shops.
It was normal practice on Sunday evening for skiers to board the train south.
Skies would be stood up in the corridor or laid on the floor.
There were little or no facilities for skiers in those days.
Aviemore has expanded greatly over the past 50 years, but I prefer to dwell on
my memories of how it used to look with its neat little houses and friendly
people.
 
Gas lamps on the station platform.
Tea and a wad, (?) but bring your own cup.

Andrew Hutchinson
Forres