A clean-up operation got under way yesterday as Aviemore began to count the cost of flooding at the weekend.
The River Spey burst its banks in the early hours of Sunday morning at the southern end of the village, swamping a holiday park and businesses close to its banks.
The waters had receded yesterday and a major mop-up started.
One of the worst affected businesses was the Old Bridge Inn, which sits low down by the Spey.
Manager Calum Mackinnon said that a full refit of the popular pub and music venue was likely after it was filled with muddy flood water.
He said: “We could see it coming and there was nothing we could do.
“It was coming up through the drains, in through the walls, it was just everywhere, up to about 3ft inside the pub.
“We’ll have lost a lot of stock as well. There’s not much we can do just now.”
Mr Mackinnon said the pub’s owners were out of the country and they would have to wait until insurers had looked at the building before a decision was taken on when the premises would be able to reopen.
He added: “It’s probably going to mean a full refit so we’re talking weeks, not days.
“I think we’re going to be making a lot of phone calls to people who have made bookings unfortunately.”
The nearby Aviemore Holiday Park was also involved in a clean-up exercise yesterday.
Firefighters had to rescue 22 adults, three children and seven dogs from their holiday chalets in the early hours of Sunday morning after they found themselves surrounded by cold, fast-flowing water.
Staff at the park worked throughout the day yesterday to clear the remaining water and the debris left behind.
They confirmed the park was “back up and running” as of yesterday afternoon.
No one was injured in the evacuation and all the residents and holidaymakers had been rehoused yesterday during the clean-up.
Also flooded was the Rothiemurchus Fishery, although owner Phillipa Grant said they would be unaffected by the water.
She said: “We’re closed but we’ve seen worse. We’ll wait until the water goes down, tidy up a bit and then it will be business as usual.”
Aviemore-based Councillor Bill Lobban said: “Things are not back to normal by any means but it has already gone down by a good three metres (9ft).
“It’s not the biggest flood I’ve ever seen here but it’s certainly up there, it’s a pretty big one.”
Mr Lobban said he was disappointed for businesses such as the holiday park and the Old Bridge Inn, which he said would have been “mobbed right through until Christmas”.
He added: “I think it has to be said that the emergency services and Highland Council’s community services team did an excellent job in dealing with it but it’s still a difficult time for people.”
Speaking after the flood, fire service incident commander Group Manager John MacDonald said there had been “significant potential” for the situation to have escalated to the point where lives were at risk.
Residents at the park were rescued by boat while firefighters checked every chalet, working in fast-flowing water which was chest-deep in places.
Firefighters from Aviemore, Kingussie and Inverness were all involved in the operation, along with 10 specialists in swift water rescue.
Mr MacDonald said: “This was energy-sapping work that required the implementation of specialist technical processes to ensure safe systems of work were implemented.
“The successful outcome to the incident was achieved through a co-ordinated multi-agency approach where all responding agencies played a key role.”