Mountains, pines, wild moors and whiskey country — Speyside Way

The Speyside Way is a true Caledonian adventure from the rugged Highlands, through ancient forests, wild moors and whiskey country, to where dolphins swim on the Moray of Firth.

Starting from Aviemore, in the Cairngorms National Park, the trail follows the course of the River Spey for 67 miles (108 km) to where it joins the North Sea near Buckie.

The route explores beautiful scenery throughout; from mountains to pastures, pine forests to pretty villages, heather moorlands to birch woodlands, and eventually to stunning coastline.

The Speyside Way also explores a region with the highest density of Scotch whiskey distilleries anywhere in the country. With a whiskey heritage that stretches back hundreds of years, the Scotch you sample at the many cosy inns, taverns, pubs and distilleries along the Way is first-class.

There is no set direction to walk the Speyside Way and both ways have their merits. This Collection opts for the southwest to northeast crossing as it follows the river from source to sea, meaning more downhill than uphill and an epic finish on the coastline with dolphins swimming on the horizon (hopefully, anyhow).

In this Collection, I divide the route into five stages of between 11.2 and 16.4 miles (18 - 26.4 km). Of course, you can split up each stage into as many days as you are comfortable with. You can also walk any single stage, or a couple of stages, in isolation.

After stage 2, you have the option of taking on the Tomintoul Spur, an uncharacteristically tough Tour for the Speyside Way that takes you into dramatic Highland scenery. I have not included the Tour in the day-by-day Collection as this throws out the multi-day plan option. The individual Tour can be accessed here: komoot.com/tour/946150811.

Every stage finishes close to accommodation, even if there are only a few options nearby. However, places to stay are not always abundant so it is worth planning in advance and scheduling any rest days accordingly.

If you are planning to arrive by public transport, you can catch a train to Aviemore, which has direct trains from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness, which all have good connecting services around the UK. From the station, it is a short walk up the main street to the start.

To get home, you would need to catch the 38 bus service from Buckie to Fochabers. There you would need to catch the 10 bus service to Aberdeen, where you can catch direct trains to Glasgow and Edinburgh, and connecting services around the UK.

To get back, you need would need to catch the 35/38 bus service from Buckie to East Street in Fochabers. From there, your next steps will depend on your destination but transport options are available.