Anagach Woods and the River Spey, Grantown

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Anagach Woods are a beautiful natural Scots pinewood, the haunt of the Capercaillie. There are several waymarked trails through the woods; this route is longer and takes in part of the River Spey as well as the woods themselves.

Terrain

Good paths and tracks throughout

Public Transport

Bus to Grantown.

Start

Grantown-on-Spey. Open start point in Google Maps for directions.

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Walk Description

Stage 1

Park in the centre of Grantown-on-Spey. Take the turning off the east side of the main street, opposite the Co-op; it is signed for Speyside Way, River Spey and Anagach woods. Follow this road past the fire station and keep straight on at the staggered cross-roads. The road runs alongside the golf course before reaching a parking area for the woods; turn left by the interpretative panels - the route is signed as 'Speyside Way to Cromdale'. Ignore a green-waymarked route off to the right and instead keep ahead, following the Speyside Way thistle symbols.

Stage 2

At the next junction, keep left through the gate. The track soon reaches a clearing; it is a little indistinct here; keep left and you'll eventually find another Speyside Way marker. The route plunges back into the Pines before coming close to the edge of the wood, with a view across to the Golf Clubhouse. Here the path becomes a wider track and bears to the right deeper into Anagach Woods. These woods were originally planted in 1766 with trees from nearby Abernethy Forest, but the woods began to regenerate naturally in the early nineteenth century and the trees today are almost entirely self-seeded.

Stage 3

The deeper parts of the woods are one of the last refuges of the remarkable Capercaillie - a giant black kind of grouse - and dogs should be kept on short leads to protect these birds. Capercaillie are however extremely elusive as well as rare and sightings are not common. Keep on the main wide path through these pinewoods. At one wide junction keep slightly left, still following the thistle marker posts. The route undulates over ancient glacial ridges as it winds between the magnificent trees; keep left and following the thistle's again at the next junction. Further on a main path joins in from the left; keep right here. Again at yet another junction follow the left fork, ignoring the red waymarkers which leave right at this point. The thistle-marked path heads through denser trees, eventually reaching a gate.

Photo: Terje Asphaug

Stage 4

Pass through this and over a bridge shortly after; on the far side bear right through the gate along the edge of Crow Wood to reach the River Spey. The Spey is crossed here by a minor road on an old iron bridge, but our route keeps to the near side; turn sharp right through a gate to follow a track along the river bank upstream. If you reach the minor road, you've gone too far. The track now follows the fast-flowing Spey to the south, reaching a fishing lodge on the edge of Craigroy wood. Continue through this dense plantation; soon the track leaves the trees heads along an open section of riverbank. Soon it climbs back up above the river to reach the isolated house of Craigroy. Join a track here and go through the gate, keeping to the same general direction.

Stage 5

Look out for a marker post indicating where a path cuts off to the left and heads back down to the riverbank. Continue along this, soon joining a track below a fishing hut - keep by the river. Continue along the riverbank until the beautiful Old Spey Bridge is reached - this triple-arched bridge was built to carry the old Military Road in 1754. Steps here lead up to the houses at Speybridge, but our route passes under the bridge, continuing along the riverbank.

Stage 6

After crossing an open area the riverside path passes into woodland once more. At a bench - with the new Spey Bridge in view - turn right to head up a flight of steps to a minor road. Go straight across this into the woods - marked with a Speyside Way (Thistle) sign. You are now following the Old Military Road to Grantown, which runs dead straight between the pines; ignore all turnings on both the left and right. Eventually the route passes through a gate and returns to the Anagach woods car park; continue ahead and back past the fire station and school into Grantown on Spey.

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