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Kingussie ( ; ) is a small town in the Badenoch and Strathspey ward of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically in Inverness-shire, it lies beside the A9 road, although the old route of the A9 serves as the town's main street which has been bypassed since 1979. Kingussie is south of Inverness, south of Aviemore, and north of Newtonmore.
The ruins of the early 18th-century Ruthven Barracks (Historic Environment Scotland; open to visitors at all times) lie near the original site of the village, which was moved to avoid the flood plain of the River Spey. The Hanoverian Barracks were built on the site of Ruthven Castle, the seat of the Comyns, Lords of Badenoch in the Middle Ages.
On 9 January 2025, two lynx that had been illegally released were captured after being sighted in the Drumguish area near Kingussie. They were placed in quarantine at Highland Wildlife Park, with plans to transfer them to Edinburgh Zoo.
On 10 January police reported that two more lynx had been spotted in the same area and were later captured. One of these lynx died overnight after being captured.
Fr. Ranald Rankin (), formerly an outlawed "heather priest" for the Catholic Church in Scotland and the lyricist of the famous Scottish Gaelic Christmas carol Tàladh Chrìosda, was assigned to Kingussie. It was during the aftermath of Catholic Emancipation in 1829 and Fr. Rankin worked very hard to raise money to build the first post-Reformation Catholic parish church in Badenoch, but was transferred to Moidart in 1838, well before it was completed. Odo Blundell (1909), The Catholic Highlands of Scotland. Volume I: The Central Highlands, Sands & Co., 21 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, 15 King Street, London. p. 131.
According to census data, 53.9% of the residents of Kingussie spoke Gaelic in 1891. This number fell sharply at the turn of the century, and now only about 1.8% of the population report any proficiency in the language in 2001. As a result, scholar Kent C. Duwe terms it a part of the "Gaelic diaspora, showing only slightly higher language incidence than the national mean."
The Highland Wildlife Park is close by. The Highland Folk Museum is in Newtonmore, from Kingussie. Kingussie is at the centre of a network of well maintained and waymarked footpaths; one of the most popular walks in the area is the ascent to Creag Bheag, a prominent hill overlooking its centre.
Kingussie High School is the secondary school in Kingussie. It serves pupils from S1-S7 (which is usually around age 11 or 12, depending on when the child was born, to age 18). There are six associated primary schools, Aviemore, Alvie (Kincraig), Dalwhinnie, Gergask (Laggan), Kingussie and Newtonmore. Primary 7 pupils from these associated schools will automatically transfer to Kingussie High School after summer, unless the pupil moves to another catchment area, or gets a placement request accepted at another school. There are records to suggest that there has been a secondary school in Kingussie since the time of the Columban missionaries, but the current building dates from 1970. A new extension was built and originally was supposed to be finished in February 2013, and, after another delay in August, officially opened on 20 September 2013. The extension added 9 more classrooms, a new entrance, a new social area, more car parking space, as well as a new Pupil Support Unit, which caters for pupils with additional support needs or pupils who need more support with their learning or attendance in school. Before the new Pupil Support Unit extension was built, many pupils with complex needs had to go outside the Badenoch and Strathspey area for their education. The current school roll is estimated at over 400 pupils, although this figure is expected to rise to over 500 in the coming years. The school motto is "Du Dichiollach", which is Gaelic for "with diligence".
In 633 Squadron in August 1963, a helicopter was stationed at the Market Stance, which flew up the Spey Valley. The helicopter was from Worldwide Helicopter at Biggin Hill, with filming on Skye and at Oban. Inverness Courier Tuesday 20 August 1963, page 3
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