in this Guidebook
This guidebook features all the official trails in Speyside and Moray, as outlined above, and in addition describes other linking routes that together can be used to create a trail from the source of the River Spey to the sea on the Moray Firth. The major part of this trail is comprised of the Speyside Way from Aviemore to Buckie, but the sections further from the coast make use of a number of unofficial routes, many of which have been used for centuries by drovers, armies and others making their way through these Highland glens and over the region's remote and windswept mountain country. The major difference between these routes and the official trails is that the former are largely unwaymarked, so experience with a map and compass is essential for anyone using them. The source of the River Spey lies in the heart of a mountain wilderness, far from permanent habitation, and getting there requires considerable effort and some experience in trekking in such country.
Three alternative routes are described to the source in the Prologue – two from the west, from Roybridge (Stage 1) and from Spean Bridge (Stage 1A), and one from Fort Augustus in the north (Stage 1B). All of them are long and more suited to the hardy backpacker than to the inexperienced day rambler. But a short side trip, a 14-mile ‘there and back’ walk from the end of a public road at Garva Bridge, is also included in the Prologue for those who would like to visit the source but who don't wish to make a long trek across the mountains to reach it (transport may be required to Garva Bridge). All these upland trails converge at Garva Bridge and continue as one to the small village of Laggan in Upper Speyside, where accommodation is available. From Laggan two possible routes are described to Newtonmore – one to the north of the Spey valley (Stage 2) and the other to the south (Stage 2A). The latter requires no experience of mountain walking as it follows largely the line of one of General Wade's Military Roads, built in the 18th century to police the Highlands after the '45 Jacobite rebellion.
The footbridge over Conglass Water soon after leaving Tomintoul (Tomintoul Spur)
There is currently a gap between Newtonmore and the start of the Speyside Way at Aviemore. Plans are afoot to extend the official trail upriver from Aviemore back via Kingussie to Newtonmore, but it will be some considerable time before this route is finalised and opened. In the meantime the excellent waymarked Badenoch Way fills in much of the gap, running from near Kingussie to the B9152 road at Dalraddy, about 3½ miles short of Aviemore. At the south-western end, a link route from Newtonmore to Kingussie takes walkers to the start of the Badenoch Way, making use of a cycle trail. At the north-eastern end of the Way walkers have no alternative but to follow the B9152 into Aviemore. An alternative route for reaching Aviemore is also outlined, but as this is unwaymarked it is recommended mainly to more experienced walkers.
From Aviemore walkers can take the main route of the Speyside Way (Stages 1–10) to complete a walk from source to sea. An alternative route is also described that runs along the Speyside Way to Grantown-on-Spey (Stage 3) then branches off on the Dava Way to Forres. From here taking the Moray Coast Trail to Cullen makes a fine end to a long trek over the hills, passing through the glens and along the rugged coastline of this exceptional part of Scotland.
Another option for those walking the Speyside Way is to take the Dufftown Loop at Aberlour (Stage 6), either as a day walk (round trip from Aberlour) or as an alternative to the official trail between Aberlour and Craigellachie.
Other walkers may prefer to start their route in the upland village of Tomintoul and follow the official Tomintoul Spur of the Speyside Way that joins the main Speyside Way route at Ballindalloch after 15 miles of delightful upland walking.
All these trails, described in the guide, allow numerous walking itineraries of varying length to be planned. Many walkers will be content to walk only the Speyside Way or one of the other official waymarked trails in one visit, so this book will offer inspiration and guidance for several walking excursions to Speyside and Moray.
| Summary of ascent on the Speyside Way and associated trails | ||
| Route/Stage | Feet | Metres |
| Badenoch Way | 490 | 150 |
| Speyside Way | ||
| Stage 1 Aviemore to Boat of Garten | 130 | 40 |
| Stages 2–4 Boat of Garten to Cromdale | 230 | 70 |
| Stage 5 Cromdale to Ballindalloch station | 1050 | 320 |
| Stage 6 Ballindalloch station to Aberlour | 0 | 0 |
| Stages 7–8 Aberlour to Fochabers | 1150 | 350 |
| Stages 9–10 Fochabers to Buckie | 0 | 0 |
| Dufftown Loop | 655 | 200 |
| Tomintoul Spur | 1800 | 550 |
| TOTAL Speyside Way – Aviemore to Buckie (main route) | 2560 | 780 |
| TOTAL Speyside Way – Tomintoul to Buckie | 2950 | 900 |
The River Spey
Ptolemy tells us that the Romans called the Spey the ‘Tuessis’. The river's modern name is Celtic in origin, possibly meaning ‘hawthorn stream’ or describing its frothing swiftness. The 12th-century manuscript De Situ Albaniae describes it as ‘Magnum et miserabile flumen, quod vocatur Spe’ (‘the large and dangerous river, which is called Spey’). In the early period of Scottish history it provided the boundary between the provinces of Moray and Scotia. FH Groome, in his Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland published in the 1880s, stated that the Spey had little commercial significance – very different from the Spey of today with its important tourist, fly-fishing and whisky industries, not to mention the importance of walking to the present economy.
The River Spey seen from Speybank Walk near Kincraig (Badenoch Way)
At 98 miles long the Spey is the second longest river in Scotland and has three main tributaries, the Fiddich, the Avon and the Feshie. It is the fastest flowing river in Britain, dropping around 600ft (180m) in its last 35 miles to the sea, its force constantly changing the layout of its estuary. Over 400 million years ago the Grampian mountains were formed, but erosion over aeons of time has resulted in the rounded shapes of the Monadhliath, where the very first waters of the Spey flow into Loch Spey, 1150ft (457m) above sea level. During the past couple of million years the great strath (‘broad valley’ in Gaelic) of the Spey was formed by massive glaciers scraping away rock and leaving gravel and sand in its place. The middle section of the valley between Newtonmore and Grantown is today known as Strathspey. Finally, near the sea the Spey passes over sandstone and terminates on the coastal shingle ridges of the wide Spey Bay.
A fisherman in the River Spey on the approach to Tugnet (Beryl
