Speyside Way

Highland, Moray

One of the original four Long Distance Routes in Scotland, and now one of the family of Scotland's Great Trails, it traces the course of the River Spey, a renowned salmon river. It links Buckie on the Moray Coast with Aviemore and then on to Newtonmore, and also offers a spur from Cragganmore to Tomintoul (15 miles).

Although the route generally offers easy walking on level ground, much on former railway tracks, before Craigellachie there are climbs to over 900ft on the flanks of Ben Aigan. After Craigellachie it rises gently on the old trackbeds and, after Ballindalloch, a little more steeply in forest to cross the Spey at Cromdale to reach Grantown. Later stages offer views south to the Cairngorms massif and the Lairig Ghru cleft and west to the Monadhliath Mountains. Numerous whisky distilleries are sited along the route. In 2015 the route was extended beyond Aviemore to Kincraig and the recent extension to Newtonmore makes use of the NCN7 cycle route.

June 2024:Due to forestry extraction works the section of the Speyside Way which runs along the edge of Tom an Uird to the north and northeast of Cromdale is closed on weekdays between 3rd of June and mid-September 2024. The signed diversion is along the minor road to the south and east of the forest, an additional 2 miles on the original route. The closure is not in effect at weekends. See https://www.speysideway.co.uk/temporary-diversion-at-tom-an-uird-woods-cromdale-from-3rd-june-to-mid-september-2024

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Details:

Path Type:	Scotland's Great Trails
Waymark:	Thistle within hexagon
Attributes:	Scotland's Great Trails Average Gradients Former Railway Coastal Forest/Woodland Moorland River
Start:	NJ425656 - Cluny Square, Buckie, Moray
Finish:	NN716991 - Newtonmore, Highland
Open Date:	1981
Web Sites:	Speyside Way Scotland's Great Trails - Speyside Way Walk Highlands - Speyside Way MorayWays - Speyside Way Undiscovered Scotland - Speyside Way Brian's Walks - Speyside Way [blog] Trailplanner - Speyside Way [blog] Outdoor Scott - Guide to Walking the Speyside Way [blog] A walker's journal - The Speyside Way [blog] Watch Me See - Complete Hiking Guide to the Speyside Way in Scotland [blog] Exploring Scottish Trails - Speyside Way - Part 1 [blog] Speyside Way parts 1-3 [YouTube video] Trailwalker - Speyside Way [blog]

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook	Walking the Speyside Way : a Scottish great trail : includes the Dava Way and Moray Coast trails  (Cicerone Press  - 2016 )
Guidebook	Speyside Way  (Rucksack Readers  - 2021 )
General Interest Book	National Trails : 19 long-distance routes through England, Scotland and Wales  (Cicerone Press  - 2015 )
Guidebook	A boot up the Speyside Way  (Halsgrove Press  - 2010 )
Certificate	Certificate for National Trails  (Long Distance Walkers Association )
General Interest Book	Tales from the Big Trails  (Vertebrate Publishing  - 2021 )
Guidebook	Moray Way Companion  (Birlinn  - 2022 )

Click to showhide 3 more Publications, Badges and Certificates

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