Speyside Way
105 km / 65 miles
Highlands, Moray
One of the officially designated Long Distance Routes in Scotland, it traces the River Spey, a renowned salmon river, linking Buckie on the Moray Coast with Aviemore in Strathspey and the Cairngorm fringes over some 65 miles, but with spurs added from Craigellachie to Dufftown (4 miles) and from Ballindalloch to Tomintoul (15 miles). Although it generally offers easy walking on level ground, much on past railway tracks, before Craigellachie there are climbs to over 900ft on Ben Aigan to Red Sheugh, and the extension into Tomintoul contains two more climbs on Cairnacay and Carn Daimh up to over 1,800ft. 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. The final 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, including Glenfiddich. There are proposals to extend the route beyond Aviemore to Badenoch and Newtonmore.
The Dava Way (23 miles and on OS mapping) is a multi-user trail across the ancient Celtic province of Morayshire linking the historic towns of Forres and Grantown-on-Spey (itself now in Highland), following the past Highland Railway line across Dava Moor.
Strider News - December 2012 (Path Update)
An extension to the Speyside Way has moved a bit closer with a path order being made across an estate. See these website for further details.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/big-step-for-speyside-way-extension.17784728
http://www.cairngorms.co.uk/news
Details:
| Path Type: | Scotland's Great Trails | |
| Waymark: | Thistle within hexagon | |
| Attributes: | Former Railway; Forest/Woodland; Coastal; River; Moorland | |
| Start: | NJ425655 - Cluny Square Car Park, Buckie, Moray  |
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| Finish: | NH892126 - Aviemore, Highland |
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| Open Date: | 1981 | |
| Web Sites: | Moray: Speyside Way |
Publications, Badges and Certificates:
| Certificate: | Certificate for National Trails (Long Distance Walkers Association - 2009) |
| Paperback: | Speyside Way (Cicerone Press - 12 November 2010) |
| Guidebook + Map Flap: | Speyside Way & Map (Rucksack Readers - 2007) |
| Hardback: | Walkers Britain (AA Publishing - 2011) |
| Leaflet: | Speyside Way Accommodation & General Information Guide (Speyside Way Ranger Service) |
| Leaflet: | Dava Way (Dava Way Association - 2005) |
| Booklet: | Speyside Way & Moray Coast Path Guide: Dolphins and Distilleries - 2nd edition (British Footpaths - July 2008) |
Maps: |
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| Purchase Ordnance Survey Maps (path is named on OS maps): | |
| OS Landranger: | 27, 28, 35, 36 |
| OS Landranger Active: | 36 |
| OS Explorer: | 403, 418, 419, 424 |
| OS Explorer Active: | 403, 418, 419, 424 |
| Other Paper Maps: | |
| Harvey Map (Stripmap): | Speyside Way (Harvey Maps - 2007) |
| Stripmap: | Speyside Way (Footprint - 2006) |
Walking Support Providers:
| Support Providers: | Baggage Handling and Self-Guided Walks (Easyways) |
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Contours Walking Holidays) |
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Macs Adventure) |
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (HF Holidays) |
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Absolute Escapes Ltd) |
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Celtic Trails Walking Holidays) |
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Make Tracks Walking Holidays) |
| Support Providers: | Self-Guided Walking Holidays (Wilderness Scotland) |
| Support Providers: | Walking, Hiking and Cycling Holidays (Explore Britain) |
| Support Providers: | Walking, Hiking and Cycling Holidays (Mickledore Travel Ltd) |
Group Accommodation within 5 Km of this Path:
| Hostel Accommodation: | Ballindalloch Hostel, Speyside Way, Ballindaloch | < 1 Km |
| Bunk House: | Ardenbeg Bunkhouse, Grantown-on-spey, Moray | < 1 Km |
| Bunk House: | Craggan Outdoors Bunkhouse & Bothy | 1 Km |
| Hostel Accommodation: | Nethy Station, Nethy Bridge, Highlands | < 1 Km |
| Hostel Accommodation: | Lazy Duck Hostel, Nethy Bridge, Inverness-shire | 1 Km |
| Hostel Accommodation: | Fraoch Lodge, Boat Of Garten, Inverness-shire | < 1 Km |
| Bunk House: | Aviemore Bunkhouse, Dalfaber Rd, Aviemore | < 1 Km |
| Hostel Accommodation: | Aviemore YHA, 25 Grampian Road, Aviemore | 1 Km |
Connected Paths:
| Path Highlights: | Speyside Way Highlights |
| Related Paths: | Badenoch Way |
| Path Variants: | Speyside Way Spur to Dufftown; Speyside Way: Cragganmore to Tomintoul |
| Scotland's Great Trails: | Dava Way; Moray Coast Trail; Speyside Way Spur to Dufftown; Speyside Way: Cragganmore to Tomintoul |
| Other Paths: | East Highland Way; Moray Firth Trail; Moray Way |
| Anytime Challenges: | East Highland Trail |
Downloads:
| GPS Exchange Format Route File: | Speyside Way GPX Exchange Format Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| Leaflet - PDF: | Moray Way Useful Information | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| MemoryMap Route file: | Speyside Way Memory Map Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| Tracklogs Route file: | Speyside Way Tracklogs Route file | Login to Download (Members Only) |
Route Profile:
| 105.3 Km (65.4 miles) 1,676 m (5,499 ft) ascent 296 m (971 ft) maximum height |
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