7-day Speyside Way itinerary

1. Day 1

   Buckie to Fochabers

   4–5 h 11.0 mi (17.6 km) ↑ 70 m (250 ft) ↓ 60 m (200 ft)

   A flat start by the sea, so the first day settles you in. The shingle of Spey Bay is the halfway mark, with the café at the Dolphin Centre beside the old salmon ice house. Upstream, the path narrows through woods and along the riverbank, and it twists more than the map suggests. Fochabers, a planned village of the 1770s, is at the top of the bank.

   Example stay The Gordon Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab)

2. Day 2

   Fochabers to Craigellachie

   5–6 h 12.6 mi (20.4 km) ↑ 490 m (1,600 ft) ↓ 440 m (1,450 ft)

   The first climb of the week: Ben Aigan, after a long run of quiet road that is quick going but hard on the feet. The forest track is steady rather than steep, and the view opens north down the valley you have walked. Take food for the day from Fochabers, because there is nothing to buy until Craigellachie and Telford's iron bridge over the Spey.

   Example stay The Craigellachie Hotel (opens in a new tab)

3. Day 3

   Craigellachie to Ballindalloch

   5–6 h 11.9 mi (19.1 km) ↑ 190 m (600 ft) ↓ 140 m (450 ft)

   The easiest walking of the week, all on the level bed of the old whisky railway. Aberlour is three kilometres in, with cafés and its distillery, so this is the day to linger. The trackbed swaps banks at Bridge of Carron and comes back over the Spey on the Ballindalloch Viaduct. The night's beds at Cragganmore are a short walk from the old station.

   Example stay Cragganmore Lodge (opens in a new tab)

4. Day 4

   Ballindalloch to Grantown-on-Spey

   6–7 h 14.7 mi (23.7 km) ↑ 550 m (1,800 ft) ↓ 470 m (1,550 ft)

   The slowest day of the week, though only 14.7 mi (23.7 km). The path climbs into the forest above the Spey and stays there, with stiff pitches, boardwalks and gate after gate. Pack lunch and water from Aberlour or the filling station, as there is no shop until Grantown. The Way crosses the river at Cromdale, where a Jacobite camp was routed at dawn in 1690.

   Example stay Grant Arms Hotel (opens in a new tab)

5. Day 5 Longest

   Grantown-on-Spey to Aviemore

   6–7 h 16.2 mi (26.1 km) ↑ 210 m (700 ft) ↓ 210 m (700 ft)

   The longest day, and one of the easiest: old railway and forest tracks, with the Cairngorms across the fields. Nethy Bridge, with its Telford bridges and old drinking fountain, is the lunch stop. The Abernethy pinewoods lead past the osprey centre at Loch Garten. From Boat of Garten the path runs beside the steam railway into Aviemore, the place to stock up for the last two days.

   Example stay Cairngorm Hotel (opens in a new tab)

6. Day 6

   Aviemore to Kincraig

   3–4 h 7.0 mi (11.3 km) ↑ 110 m (350 ft) ↓ 100 m (350 ft)

   A short day to rest the legs, before the finish. The path runs gently beside the main railway through open woodland and grassland to Kincraig, where the café at the Old Post Office is the stop. Buy food in Aviemore, because the village has no shop, and arrange your evening meal ahead. The night is at Loch Insh, beside the old kirk on its mound above the water.

   Example stay Insh Hall (opens in a new tab)

7. Day 7

   Kincraig to Newtonmore

   5–6 h 13.4 mi (21.5 km) ↑ 280 m (900 ft) ↓ 270 m (900 ft)

   The only climbing since Grantown: a few sharp little climbs through the forest past the Uath Lochans. The path drops to the Insh Marshes, where Ruthven Barracks stands roofless on its mound. Kingussie has shops and cafés for lunch. The last miles to Newtonmore are almost flat, and the Highland Folk Museum is at the end.

   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.

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