The Speyside Way. Alan Castle

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СКАЧАТЬ Portgordon to Portessie Findochty to Portknockie

      * Cyclists who want to cycle a modified Speyside Way from Aviemore to Buckie can do so by linking the rideable sections of the official Way with a number of public roads, most of which carry only light traffic: the B970 between Boat of Garten, Nethy Bridge and Grantown, the B9102 followed by a minor road to Cromdale, another minor road via Wester and Easter Rynaballoch to Millton and the Mains of Dalvey, the A95 (take care) and the B9137 to Ballindalloch station, the B9104 from Fochabers to Spey Bay and a minor road via Nether Dallachy to Portgordon. Cyclists starting at Tomintoul can make use of either the B9008 via Tomnavoulin or the B9136 down Glen Avon, which meets with the B9008 about 3½ miles before the latter reaches the A95 near the Bridge of Avon, and hence to Ballindalloch and the railway line heading north along the Spey valley.

Getting There

      Aviemore, Newtonmore and Kingussie can be reached easily by train, using either the direct service from Glasgow and Inverness or that from Edinburgh (change at Perth). Apart from the five or so Glasgow trains a day, there is also the daily overnight sleeper direct from London.

      Fort William, Spean Bridge and Roybridge are all on the Glasgow to Mallaig line, which has about four trains a day. From Edinburgh there is only one direct slow train a day.

      Forres and Elgin can be reached by train from Edinburgh via Inverness. These stations are both on the Inverness to Aberdeen line.

      There are also direct coaches (Citylink) from both Glasgow and Edinburgh to Newtonmore, Kingussie and Aviemore en route to Inverness. Grantown-on-Spey can be reached by a frequent local bus service from either Aviemore or Inverness, or alternatively the Strathspey Steam Railway can be used from Aviemore to Boat of Garten and on to Broomhill, where a bus connects to Grantown-on-Spey. Citylink also operates the services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Fort William, from where the Fort William to Inverness service, which stops at Spean Bridge and Fort Augustus, can be taken.

      Dufftown can be reached from Forres on the very frequent Whisky Trail bus service operated by Stagecoach Bluebird, which travels through Findhorn, Craigellachie and Aberlour.

      Reaching Tomintoul by public transport is more difficult. There is a once-a-day, school days only bus service from Aberlour, and a service three times a week from Dufftown. When funding is available, a Heather Hooper bus service is operated daily in the tourist season between Newtonmore and Ballater.

      The frequent bus service between Inverness and Aberdeen stops at Cullen, Buckie and Elgin. From Elgin, a bus or train can be used to return to Aviemore.

      Many of the transport providers have websites (see Appendix B).

      If a car is used for reaching the area then arrangements for safe parking will have to be made for the duration of the walk. One option is to ask the proprietors of your B&B or hotel at the start of the walk whether it is possible to park there (it would be polite to offer to stay there for a second night before picking up your car for the drive home). Two cars are useful for small groups planning to walk the trails as a series of day walks (see ‘Suggested Day Walks’ above).

Public Transport

      The official Speyside Way website (see Appendix B) has a Guide to Public Transport which provides an excellent map and contact details for all the relevant services in the area covered by the Speyside Way, Dava Way and MCT. Also very useful is ‘Cairngorms Explorer, Travel without a Car’, published annually by the Cairngorms National Park Authority and available at local Tourist Information Centres (TICs) and National Park offices. This booklet contains timetables and other information on the bus and train services within an area from Grantown-on-Spey in the north to Dalwhinnie in the south, and from Laggan in the west to Ballater in the east. Using these two sources of information it is possible to plan public transport along the three official trails.

      Luib-chonnal Bothy in Upper Glen Roy (Prologue)

Accommodation

      There is little shortage of B&B and hotel accommodation in the Spey valley, from Newtonmore downriver to Fochabers. Similarly on the Moray coast from Forres to Cullen, there are plenty of places to stay. Booking accommodation in advance is advisable, particularly during the main summer season and on bank holiday weekends. The internet is ideal for finding and booking accommodation, otherwise local TICs have lists of accommodation and will be pleased to recommend and, if necessary, book B&Bs or hotels on your behalf.

      An annual leaflet of accommodation along the Speyside Way is available from the Moray Council Ranger Service (see Appendix B), and a searchable database of accommodation is maintained on the official Speyside Way website (Appendix B). The MCT website (Appendix B) does not contain a list of accommodation along the trail, but there are links to all relevant community websites, which contain details of local accommodation. Note that there is no accommodation along or even close to the Dava Way (see advice on this potential problem under ‘Refreshments’ below). However, the Dava Way website contains an extensive list of accommodation options in both Grantown and Forres, the start and end points of the Way.

      There is a Scottish Youth Hostel Association hostel at Aviemore (Speyside Way). There are also independent hostels or bunkhouses at Laggan and two at Newtonmore (Prologue); on the Badenoch Way at Kingussie and Kincraig; on the Speyside Way at Aviemore, Boat of Garten, Nethy Bridge and Grantown-on-Spey; on the Tomintoul Spur at Tomintoul, and on the MCT at Cullen.

      There are no places of accommodation in the wilderness areas that the walks in the Prologue pass through, other than at the starting locations of Roybridge, Spean Bridge and Fort Augustus and at the end of Stages 1 and 1A at, and near, Laggan. Walkers will need to carry a tent and/or make use of the bothies passed en route (see Prologue for full details).

Campsites and Wild Camping

      The Speyside Way, Dava Way and the MCT are all suitable for backpacking, using campsites along the trails for overnight accommodation.

      Most campsites cater primarily for caravans, campervans and large family tents, but all will take small backpacking tents. On most occasions a place will be found for you for one overnight stay, without prior reservation, but it is nevertheless worth checking for availability by phone before arriving. Reservations are advisable during the main summer season and particularly over bank holiday periods. It is always worth asking for a discount for a small tent and for the fact that you are not bringing a car onto the site. Most commercial campsites are closed during the winter months. Campsites come and go, like other types of accommodation, so do check at the planning stage of your trip that the sites that you intend to use are still open, and check for possible new sites along the trails by contacting a local Tourist Information Centre.

      The three main trails are generally not suitable for wild camping, as they are for the most part in lowland areas where farming and other commercial interests make such activity inappropriate, the possible exception being on the more upland sections of the Tomintoul Spur. However, the walks described in the Prologue, in the wild mountain and moorland areas of the Monadhliath mountains of the Central Highlands, offer ideal opportunity for wild camping. Campers must act responsibly, follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, locate their tent well away from any habitation, stay in each location for one night only (unless the situation is an emergency), not pollute water sources in any way and leave no evidence whatsoever of their passing. Even if a tent is carried it is a good idea to make full use СКАЧАТЬ