Speyside Way in autumn

The Speyside Way is one of the established long distance routes in Scotland. It starts in Buckie on the coast of the North Sea and ends in Aviemore neighbouring the Cairngorms. The spur to Tomintul is not described in this report. The path follows the river Spey, one if the largest rivers in the UK. You can get an OS map, but I found the described map very convenient because it's made of polyethylene so you don't have to worry about rain damage. Furthermore the path is clearly marked in the map. It is available in the local bookstore in Buckie. It is officially recommended to start at the coast - thats the easier part where you can get to know your strength and test your equipment before getting to the harder and more demanding sections further south. One thing I noticed: You only get low fat food on the way, so bring some nutricious stuff yourself.

On the 1st day I started on the Strathlene campsite in overcast weather and followed the sidewalk to Buckie, then to Portgordon. Exiting the town is where I first got lost, continuing on the beach instead of taking the designated path. That proved to be unfavourable when a stream too big to cross blocked my way. I should have turned back but instead followed the stream inland crossing barbed wire here and there until rejoining the Speyside Way. It continued through a little forest until reaching the estuary of the river Spey. That part (10km) took me 3 hours, the next section to Fochabers accounted for an additional 3 hours. At the end of the town I pitched my tent on the local campsite. In the local supermarket - coop's as I recall - I replenished my food.

On the 2nd day I continued to Aberlour (20 km - 6,5 h) where there is a campsite nearby. The rain was pouring down on me most of the way. Fortunately the gun club was quite inactive due to the bad weather. When live firing is in progress, red flags are prominently displayed to advise you to stay on the track. In Craigellachie you can get some food at the petrol station.

On the 3rd day I tried to move faster because the following campsite would have been in Grantown-on-Spey, some 40 km down the road. The Way follows a disused railroad track formerly carrying supplies for the whisky distilleries. As you might guess, this guarantees the encounter with many distilleries. Some open fields follow where you are exposed to strong winds. Later you have to cross two streams in succsession - bring watertight shoes or take them off. When crossing pasture land the livestock - usually cows - fortunately prefer keeping their distance. After 35 km - 9 h the sun set and i pitched my tent on a very nice clearing overlooking the river.

On the 4rd day I bought some more food in the local supermarket in Grantown- on-Spey and followed the Speyside Way through varying vegatation in the direction of Aviemore, passing Nethy Bridge and Boat of Garten. The campsite on the northern end of Aviemore has been closed for years - better try the one on the town's southern end. That part of the hike was about 30 km long. Due to bad weather and exhaustion as the aftermath of the preceding day it took me about 10 h. Better be aware of zicks. I caught a couple before they could bite but one of them got me anyway, I noticed on the following day.

I might add that on the 1st and 2nd day I took loads of pictures, a picnic here and there and admired the view quite often. The following days I suffered from wet clothes due to the weather and therefor focused on advancing quickly. Better plan using an additional day to enjoy youself on the hike. It was already fairly late in the season so it got cold, wet and there were few fellow hikers. Better enjoy the good weather in summer. By the way, some of the distilleries offer guided tours and whisky for reduced prices.