by Robweir27 » Wed Jul 26, 2023 8:08 pm
Date walked: 26/07/2023
Time taken: 3.5 days
Distance: 138 km
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BLUF - Its ok but lacks the views and local facilities to make it great. Perhaps that will come in time. It should be noted that we did not bring enough water receptacles as we expected to refill from the spey and its tributaries. This was an error, we did not run out however did have to be deliberate about when we drank which was a bit rookie.
My brothers and I were looking for something we had not done and would not take particularly long for our annual walk. We settled on the Speyside way because it appeared to not require a great deal of training, was in part of the country we were unfamiliar with and had good transport link to get to and from the start finish line. We completed the full length, omitting the Tomintol spur, from Buckie to Newtonmore in 3.5 days.
TRANSPORT TO BUCKIE:
Our party departed from both Glasgow and Edinburgh using the train to get to Elgin. Stayed overnight in a caravan park before taking a Taxi from Elgin to Buckie.
DAY 1 - BUCKIE - CRAIGELLACHIE
The Start line in Buckie is not marked (at least we could not find it) however there is no major navigational difficulties. The initial 7-8km is uneventful making use of the Moray coast trail and is predominantly on tarmac. Once the mouth of the Spey is reached its an immediate turn south along and you begin to follow the river. An easy foot/cycle path takes you into Fochabers where we stopped for lunch around midday.
From Fochaber to Boat of Brigis about 7km and on a road, fairly dull however the final trail into Craigellachie is very picturesque as you ascend the wood of Knockmoor. This section also provided some some undulating terrain with excellent view which did break up the monotony of the day. Unfortunately the last part of the section is again on a tarmac road.
On reaching Craigellachie we continued on the path a pub called 'Highlander Inn' is directly on the route. Bit expensive for food however very welcoming and happy to feed and water walkers.
Following a pub supper we continued for a few Km before we came across a superb wild campsite on the banks of the Spey. Broom Island NJ 27348 43678 which was definitely a highlight of the trip.
DAY 2 - CRAIGELLACHIE - GRANTON ON SPEY
An easy start to the day with several Km on a disused railway ticking off the distilleries on the way. Mainly forests with some ok views but relatively uninspiring none the less. For the majority of the day we would not see the Rive Spey. A lovely thought from the locals at Carron who have a converted a phone box to an honesty tuck shop - great idea and very welcome!! We took lunch at Cragganmore. Many thanks to the local lady who let us fill up our water bottles. We could not find a shop at Cragganmore nor throughout that part of the journey (we didn't look to hard to be fair).
About a Km from Cragganmore the route starts to get interesting as you gain some hight and leave the disused railway. This is initially welcome however it soon becomes apparent that the local farmers do not like walkers and that the paths are very much not cared for. This was the worst part of the walk from a physical perspective. Overgrown grass combined with a path designed to channel walker's was unpleasant and slow going. Our steady 3 miles per hour dropped to a mere 2.5mph. After a long day moral was low. Our moral took a further dive on hitting Anagach Wood where two signs in a row stated we had 2.5 miles to hit our destination. The wood was actually quite pleasant and good underfoot however our exhaustion could not be understated.
At Granton on Spey we made use of the facilities offered at 'The Craig' pub who's owner made us very welcome. At this point 2 of our party decided to get a BnB for the night at £85. The remaining 2 camped at NJ 04031 26353 next to a bridge. This was not a particularly good spot however I am unable to suggest a better one from experience. It was not a comfortable nights sleep.
DAY 3 - GRANTON ON SPEY - AVIEMORE
A good days walking with some excellent views on a maintained walking path. The walk to Nethey Bridge is uneventful but pleasant. We stopped for lunch at 'the Boat' in Boat of Garten - Staff were rather grumpy. Boat of Garten to Avimore is great underfoot and feels isolated even though it is not. On entering Avimore there are numerous places to grab food and eat. It is well stocked with various shops and if your a tourist in scotland it is worth spending some time there.
We camped at NH 87285 09263 which was fine in terms of ground and comfort but had no running water near it at all.
DAY 4 - AVIEMORE - NEWTONMORE
Very nice day with a good path to Kincraig (where we were forced to use a locals tap to get some dam water!). Kincraig to Ruthven Barracks is good ground however you don't see much of interest. If you have the time visit Ruthven Barracks as its free and has an interesting story.
This is where it get interesting - The walk takes you into Kingussie which is a fine town with plenty of shops, pubs and a large hotel. If the walk was to end here it would be great. HOWEVER the walk continues for another 2.5 miles along the A86 (basically on the pavement) where the finishing marker is found in Newtonmore, this is a pointless extension and pretty unpleasant on sore feet. What is worse is there there is nothing open in Newtonmore to celebrate your victory. We would have got a taxi back to Kingussie however there are no taxis........ In the end we settled for the Newtonmore Grill at the far edge of time. Staff were brilliant but it did somewhat lack in terms of the atmosphere. Everything was shut and the town is not suitable for the finish. The train station offers good connections to Glasgow/Edinburgh
CONCLUSION - If your new to long distance walking its a fine walk however it does not have the same access to facilities as the west highland way. For more advanced walkers it lacks the challenge and any challenging sections were more down to the path being in disrepair rather than good terrain. The points at which you work hard are not rewarded with anything of spectacular beauty. There is no Glen Coe to overawe you or Knoydart to feel isolated. Ultimately I would not do this walk again nor would I be sick to recommend it.
