Grantown-on-Spey is a small planned town in the central Highlands, laid out from 1765 above the River Spey. It has long been a holiday base rather than an industrial town, with a broad square, stone houses, and pine woods close enough to walk into from the streets.
The town sits in useful country: Aviemore and the Cairngorms to the south, Speyside whisky country to the east, and the old railway routes of the Spey valley running past the doorstep. It is quieter than Aviemore, which is exactly why some travelers will prefer it.
Grantown is best for a slow Highland day: visit the museum, walk Anagach Woods or the riverside, ride the Strathspey Railway from Broomhill, and detour to Castle Roy or Nethy Bridge if you have a car or bike.