Speyside Way - 104 km - 5 days walk
The Speyside Way runs from the coast at Buckie, through the heart of the malt whisky country, gently toward the foothills of the Cairngorms. The main part of the walk is in the valley of the fast-flowing river Spey, Scotland's second-longest river and certainly its most dynamic. This is a special area of conservation and a haven for wildlife and thretened species. The Way passes through farms and villages full of local colour, giving an insight into their way of life.
Day 1: Glasgow - Inverness
Travel with train from Glasgow to Inverness, capital of the Highlands.
Accommodation in Inverness.
Day 2: Buckie - Fochabers
Drive to Buckie, a fishing port on the rocky Shores of the Moray firth where the walk starts. Easy walking along an attractive coastline, with Site of Special Scientific Interest and unique river mouth. We will walk to Fochabers, a village founded and planned in 1776 by the 4th Duke of Gordon.
Accommodation in Fochabers.
Walk: 16 km
Day 3: Fochabers - Aberlour
From Fochabers we walk south along the River Spey - mainly flat but with gentle climbing in Ben Aigen Forest where we will be rewarded by good views over the Spey valley. We end the walk in Aberlour, which is famous for Whisky and Walkers Shortbread and offers wide range of services.
Accommodation in Aberlour.
Walk: 24 km
Day 4: Aberlour - Ballindalloch
Easy walking through mixed scenery of wooded valley, riverside and farmland. We end todays walk in Ballindalloch and use the opportunity to visit Cragganmore Whisky distillery before driving back to Aberlour.
Accommodation in Aberlour.
Walk: 17 km
Day 5: Ballindalloch - Grantown-on-Spey
Drive to Ballindalloch where we resume our walk. A bit rougher and more challenging walking with good views and today's destination is Grantown-on-Spey which is a small town with a range of services, founded in 1766 by Sir James Grant of Grant.
Accommodation in Grantown-on-Spey.
Walk: 21 km
Day 6: Grantown-on-Spey - Aviemore
Last day of the Walk on a mixture of disused railway line, forest roads and unsurfaced tracks. This is easy, but bit long walking amongst the farmland, woodland and moorland of Strathspey, with good views. The final destination is Aviemore which in the last decades has been transformed to a thriving resort and remains a major centre for multi activity tourism, and is a good base for ski-ing, walking and climbing.
Accommodationin Aviemiore.
Walk: 27 km
Day 7: Aviemore - Glasgow
Train from Aviemore to Glasgow in the morning where the tour ends.