What is this 6-day itinerary?
Six days walks the Speyside Way in a week, with a travel day at each end. The first five days are the same as the seven-day plan. The difference is the finish: Aviemore to Newtonmore in one go, past Loch Insh, the Insh Marshes and Ruthven Barracks. Choose it if a long last day suits you better than another night.
Read the Speyside Way guide for the whole trail.
Will this 6-day split work for you?
- Fit walkers. The whole Way in a week, travel day each end.
- The catch: a last day of 20.4 mi (32.8 km).
- Book first: Ballindalloch, then Fochabers.
Fitness & effort
For fit walkers who want the whole Way in a week. The first four days are short and mostly level, apart from the slow forest day to Grantown. The plan ends with two long days back to back, into Aviemore and then on to Newtonmore. Train for consecutive long days rather than hills, and reserve Ballindalloch before anything else.
The 6-day route on the map
Toward Newtonmore
Buckie to Newtonmore in 6 days
Buckie to Newtonmore, upstream from the shingle of Spey Bay through whisky country and the Strathspey pinewoods to the edge of the Cairngorms.
| Day | Stage | Distance | Overnight / destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Buckie → Fochabers | 11.0 mi (17.6 km) | The Gordon Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 2 | Fochabers → Craigellachie | 12.6 mi (20.4 km) | The Craigellachie Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Craigellachie → Ballindalloch | 11.9 mi (19.1 km) | Cragganmore Lodge (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 | Ballindalloch → Grantown-on-Spey | 14.7 mi (23.7 km) | Grant Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 | Grantown-on-Spey → Aviemore | 16.2 mi (26.1 km) | Cairngorm Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 6 Longest | Aviemore → Newtonmore | 20.4 mi (32.8 km) | Speyside Way Finish |
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Day 1
Buckie to Fochabers
11.0 mi (17.6 km) ↑ 70 m (250 ft) ↓ 60 m (200 ft)
The sea at your back, the river ahead. The shore path and old railway are flat all morning, and Spey Bay is where the river meets the shingle, with a café at the Dolphin Centre. Tugnet's ice house beside it once stored the salmon catch, packed in river ice. The narrow woodland path into Fochabers is the only slow part of the day.
Example stay The Gordon Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 2
Fochabers to Craigellachie
12.6 mi (20.4 km) ↑ 490 m (1,600 ft) ↓ 440 m (1,450 ft)
A day of two halves: fast quiet roads, then a forest climb. More than six miles of minor road make the morning quick and tough on the soles. Ben Aigan's track gives the first view back down the valley, and the beech woods of Arndilly drop you to the Fiddich. Buy lunch in Fochabers before you go, because there is no shop or café on the way.
Example stay The Craigellachie Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 3
Craigellachie to Ballindalloch
11.9 mi (19.1 km) ↑ 190 m (600 ft) ↓ 140 m (450 ft)
A recovery day, on the old railway and almost flat from end to end. You cross the Spey at Craigellachie under Telford's bridge and again at Bridge of Carron. Aberlour is the place to stop, early in the day, for cafés and a distillery. The Ballindalloch Viaduct of 1863 brings the line back over the river at the end.
Example stay Cragganmore Lodge (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4
Ballindalloch to Grantown-on-Spey
14.7 mi (23.7 km) ↑ 550 m (1,800 ft) ↓ 470 m (1,550 ft)
The hardest ground of the week: the path leaves the old railway after a mile and climbs into the forest above the Spey. Stepping stones, boardwalks and chain gates slow you down all the way to Cromdale. Carry water as well as lunch, because the only water on the way is at the toilets at Ballindalloch Station. Anagach Woods make an easy last mile into Grantown.
Example stay Grant Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5
Grantown-on-Spey to Aviemore
16.2 mi (26.1 km) ↑ 210 m (700 ft) ↓ 210 m (700 ft)
A long day on easy ground, the start of two big days in a row. Trackbed and pinewood paths run past Nethy Bridge and the osprey woods of Loch Garten. From Boat of Garten the path follows the steam line into Aviemore. Eat well tonight and stock up, as tomorrow's long finish has a café at Kincraig and shops in Kingussie, and little else.
Example stay Cairngorm Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 6 Longest
Aviemore to Newtonmore
20.4 mi (32.8 km) ↑ 400 m (1,300 ft) ↓ 370 m (1,200 ft)
Gentle miles first, the climbs later: the path to Kincraig runs easily beside the railway, so bank time there. The forest past the Uath Lochans rises and dips, and Ruthven Barracks stands above the marshes before Kingussie. The last 5.5 mi (8.9 km) from Bridge of Tromie are almost flat, which helps on tired legs.
Finish Speyside Way Finish
Cross-check: Speyside Way route sections . The official route pages give six main sections and the Tomintoul spur, which these plans leave out. Card distances are measured along the trail between the towns. A walk off the path to a bed is extra.
Toward Buckie
Newtonmore to Buckie in 6 days
The same beds, starting under the Cairngorms. The river carries you down through the pinewoods and the distillery villages to the sea at Spey Bay.
| Day | Stage | Distance | Overnight / destination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 Longest | Newtonmore → Aviemore | 20.4 mi (32.8 km) | Cairngorm Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 2 | Aviemore → Grantown-on-Spey | 16.2 mi (26.1 km) | Grant Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 3 | Grantown-on-Spey → Ballindalloch | 14.7 mi (23.7 km) | Cragganmore Lodge (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 4 | Ballindalloch → Craigellachie | 11.9 mi (19.1 km) | The Craigellachie Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 5 | Craigellachie → Fochabers | 12.6 mi (20.4 km) | The Gordon Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab) |
| Day 6 | Fochabers → Buckie | 11.0 mi (17.6 km) | Buckie |
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Day 1 Longest
Newtonmore to Aviemore
20.4 mi (32.8 km) ↑ 370 m (1,200 ft) ↓ 400 m (1,300 ft)
A long first day of 20.4 mi (32.8 km), past Ruthven Barracks and the Insh Marshes to Loch Insh. The forest has a few brief, steep climbs, and Kincraig's café is the last food before the easy miles into Aviemore.
Example stay Cairngorm Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 2
Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey
16.2 mi (26.1 km) ↑ 210 m (700 ft) ↓ 210 m (700 ft)
The steam railway keeps you company out of Aviemore. Pinewood paths lead past the osprey woods of Loch Garten to lunch at Nethy Bridge, and the last miles to Grantown are easy trackbed across open farmland.
Example stay Grant Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 3
Grantown-on-Spey to Ballindalloch
14.7 mi (23.7 km) ↑ 470 m (1,550 ft) ↓ 550 m (1,800 ft)
Anagach Woods make a gentle start out of Grantown before the path crosses the Spey at Cromdale and climbs into the forest. The rest is short steep pulls, wet ground and many chain gates, so allow more time than the miles suggest.
Example stay Cragganmore Lodge (opens in a new tab)
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Day 4
Ballindalloch to Craigellachie
11.9 mi (19.1 km) ↑ 140 m (450 ft) ↓ 190 m (600 ft)
Level railway trackbed all day, with the river close below and two suspension bridges on the way. Aberlour comes late in the walk, so carry something to eat until then.
Example stay The Craigellachie Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 5
Craigellachie to Fochabers
12.6 mi (20.4 km) ↑ 440 m (1,450 ft) ↓ 490 m (1,600 ft)
The climb round Ben Aigan comes early, through the beech woods of Arndilly. The long run of quiet road after Boat o' Brig is flat but hard underfoot, and the Duke's planned village of Fochabers is at the end of it.
Example stay The Gordon Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab)
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Day 6
Fochabers to Buckie
11.0 mi (17.6 km) ↑ 60 m (200 ft) ↓ 70 m (250 ft)
The last miles follow the Spey down through narrow riverside woods to the shingle where it meets the sea. Stop at the Dolphin Centre café before the flat coast path and the old railway carry you into Buckie.
Finish Buckie
6-day itinerary FAQ
Is 6 days enough for the Speyside Way?
Yes, if you are fit and happy with long days in a row. The last day is 20.4 mi (32.8 km), from Aviemore to Newtonmore, and it follows a 16.2 mi (26.1 km) day.
Why is the last day so long on the 6-day?
Aviemore to Newtonmore is one official section, 19.5 miles, and this plan walks it whole. The 7-day breaks it at Loch Insh if you would rather split it.
Where do I sleep on the 6-day?
Fochabers, Craigellachie, Ballindalloch, Grantown-on-Spey and Aviemore, then Newtonmore at the finish. Ballindalloch fills first.
Can I get my bag moved on the 6-day?
Yes, from spring to autumn, by a local courier. Ask whether it reaches Newtonmore when you book.
Where can I eat on the last day?
At the café in Kincraig, early in the day, and in Kingussie, near the end. Buy anything else in Aviemore before you set off.
Can I download a GPX for the 6-day Speyside Way?
Yes. Open this itinerary in the planner (free, no account). Download a full-route GPX or per-day files for Garmin, Komoot, or your phone. You can export the preset unchanged or edit overnight stops first.
Personalise this itinerary
This 6-day itinerary is ready as it stands. Open it in the planner to keep these stops, or change where you sleep, then download the GPX for your watch or phone.
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