The Speyside Way. Alan Castle
tints are among the finest in the UK. The heather moorland is a blaze of purple, and the landscape is at its driest of the year after the warmth of the summer sun before the winter rains arrive. The romantic roar of stags can sometimes be heard during the annual rutting season in October. Accommodation tends to be less fully booked than in July and August, and days in early autumn are still of an adequate length for walking relatively long distances.
The wilderness mountain areas near the source of the Spey suffer from much more severe weather conditions than the valleys, even though the walks in these areas (see Prologue section) do not go much over 1000ft (300m) in altitude. Winter comes earlier in these regions and spring later, and their very inaccessibility and remoteness mean that the walker cannot easily vacate the area if weather conditions suddenly and rapidly deteriorate. The long nature of the walks, with little possibility of finding shelter apart from the occasional bothy, mean that a walk that could easily be completed in two days during the period between spring to early autumn would require at least an extra day in wintertime, with its very limited amount of daylight. Very long, dark and bitterly cold nights would have to be tolerated in tent or bothy, and more food, equipment and warm clothing carried. Hence these traverses during the wintertime are only for the very experienced and very well equipped.
Snow, torrential or persistent rain, very high winds and low temperatures can occur in this environment at any time of the year, so all who venture there must be prepared for the worst. Never attempt these sections in periods of very unsettled weather; always check the weather forecast before venturing out. If rain has been heavy in the preceding days then the necessary river crossings may be dangerous or impassable.
The late summer and early autumn months, from August to October, are not ideal for the Stage 1 or 1A walks of the Prologue, nor the Glen Banchor route in Stage 2. This is the period when deer stalking takes place in the Highland estates, and not only can it be dangerous to walk in areas where a stalk is taking place, but the presence of walkers can disrupt the sport, which is a vital part of the Highland economy. Be sure to first contact the relevant estate if considering walking these routes during this period (the ‘Hillphones’ service, see Appendix B, is the easiest way to make contact with the keepers and learn the whereabouts and dates of the stalking activities in the area).
A pest in these mountain areas is the notorious Highland midge, whose frenzied biting has to be experienced to be fully appreciated! Fortunately, they are less of a problem in the eastern Highlands than in western areas; and far fewer will be encountered in the valley and low-lying areas through which the three main trails pass than in the mountain country of the Prologue walks. It is a good idea to carry a midge repellent. The first frosts of autumn kill off this pest until the following spring. They are most active between early June and late September and on overcast, calm days.
Sueno's Stone (Beryl Castle) (Moray Coast Trail)
Which Direction to Walk
The trails in this guidebook start from the west and follow a generally north-eastern direction, but can, of course, be walked the opposite way. The Speyside Way has been described from Buckie to Aviemore in other guides, but strangely never before in the more natural and obvious direction, downriver from source to sea. This downstream direction is the better one, as it gives a definite goal or end-point of the walk, at the coast, and is the direction that most walkers travel when following long distance river trails. The other advantage of walking in a north-easterly direction, towards the sea, is that you should have the wind at your back, rather than directly blowing into your face. If nothing else, by walking downriver there is less ascent than walking up from the coast, even if this is quite small over such a distance!
In 1990 a major official spur of the Speyside Way was opened from the upland village of Tomintoul to Ballindalloch. Many may wish to start their Speyside Way journey at Tomintoul, and in the author's opinion the walk from Tomintoul to Ballindalloch is better than that from Aviemore. The main description in this book of the Spur is from south to north, heading towards the Moray coast. Some may wish to follow a ‘horseshoe walk’ north-easterly from Newtonmore/Aviemore to Ballindalloch and then southwards up to Tomintoul; so the Spur is also described in the opposite direction, from Ballindalloch to Tomintoul.
An option for those walking northwards from Aviemore is to leave the Speyside Way at Grantown-on-Spey and instead follow the other main trail towards the Moray Coast, the Dava Way, which is also described from south to north in this book. The Dava Way terminates at Forres where the MCT starts. This is described from west to east, Forres to Cullen, the reason again being that when walking in this direction the predominant westerly winds will be at the rear.
Suggested Longer Routes
The three official trails constitute a considerable network of long distance pathways in the north-central and north-eastern areas of Scotland and can be used to devise a variety of multi-stage walks of varying length, type and grade. The following are the main options to consider:
1 The standard route of the Speyside Way, starting from either Aviemore or from Newtonmore and walking to the Moray coast at Buckie, a walk of either 66 miles (from Aviemore) or 85 miles (from Newtonmore).
2 The Tomintoul route of the Speyside Way, starting from Tomintoul and walking the hill route over to Ballindalloch, from where the standard way is followed to Buckie. This is a shorter trek (50 miles) than that along the standard route, but the first 15 miles are of a somewhat more strenuous nature. Options 1 and 2 can both be extended, and indeed improved, by following the Dufftown Loop from Aberlour to Dufftown and on to Craigellachie, adding about 7 miles to the length of the walk.
3 A walk along the Speyside Way, starting at Dufftown and finishing at Buckie (27½ miles or 30 miles if via Aberlour).
4 The Speyside Way from Aviemore or Newtonmore to Ballindalloch and then from there northwards along the Tomintoul Spur to finish in the village of Tomintoul. 46 miles from Aviemore or 65 miles from Newtonmore.
5 The Dava Way from Grantown-on-Spey to Forres (25 miles).
6 The Moray Coast Trail from Forres to Cullen (47 miles).
7 From Grantown-on-Spey to Cullen on the Moray Coast by following the full length of the Dava Way to Forres and then continuing along the Moray Coast Trail all the way to its termination at Cullen. This combined Dava Way and MCT trek is 72 miles in length.
8 Commencing at either Newtonmore or Aviemore and following the Badenoch Way and Speyside Way to Grantown, and then taking Option No. 7 to Forres and on to Cullen. This would make a walking route of either 88½ miles (from Aviemore) or 107½ miles (from Newtonmore).
9 Experienced hillwalkers can make a self-supported trek from Lochaber to Speyside across mountains and moorland, either from Roybridge or from Spean Bridge to Laggan and then on via Glen Banchor to Newtonmore (39 miles from Roybridge or 44½ miles from Spean Bridge). Alternatively, the walk could be commenced at Fort Augustus (41 miles to Newtonmore).
10 Less experienced walkers who wish to include a visit to the source of the Spey at Loch Spey can commence at Garva Bridge, provided transport can be arranged, visit Loch Spey (Prologue, Side trip), walking to Laggan and then to Newtonmore via General Wade's Military Road, a total distance of 36 miles.
11 As Option No. 9 or 10 but continuing along the Badenoch Way and the Speyside Way to Buckie or from Grantown to Forres and Cullen on the Dava Way and MCT. Distances for the various main long distance options are listed in the box below.
12 The Moray Way (see page 14). The total distance is about 95 miles.
Therefore, this marvellous network of long distance routes in this part of Scotland can be used to create walking trails from 25 to 146 miles in length – from a weekend break to a full fortnight's holiday – and from walks on a flat railway line to wilderness treks over mountain passes.
| Roybridge > Laggan > Glen Banchor > Newtonmore > Aviemore > Buckie = 124 miles |
| Spean Bridge > Laggan > Glen Banchor > Newtonmore > Aviemore > Buckie = 130 miles |