Parking
Start at Glen Tilt Car Park at Old Bridge of Tilt. Follow the estate track toward Old Blair, where the black waymarkers lead into the circuit.
Overview
About Banvie Burn Walk
Why go
- A satisfying mix of burn gorge, bridges and a historic folly.
- The lower bridge gives a shorter marked circuit.
Heads up
- The full walk retraces its access track to and from the car park.
- Woodland paths can be wet and uneven.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation162–280 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
3 active Cairngorms alerts
- CautionStorm Boelo high windsStorm Boelo will bring extremely windy weather to the Cairngorms; take extra care and limit time outdoors. - The Park Authority expects the very windy weather to last until Monday 26 October.Official details
- ClosureGlenmore wildfire closures and dangerous treesWildfire damage has closed Allt Mor car park and the path to Sugarbowl/Utsi’s Bridge; keep out of the closed area.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cairngorms Tour Guide
Your drive to Banvie Burn Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cairngorms National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Cairngorms audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Old Bridge of Tilt and the Red Squirrel Walk0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching Old Bridge of Tilt, with woodland walks from Glen Tilt car park. For a short stop, I'd choose the red-marked Red Squirrel Walk, a gentle one-mile loop taking thirty to forty minutes beside the river.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Blair Castle and Gardens
- Atholl Country Life Museum and a Village Meal
- A Siege in the Family
- The Woodland Leaves That Fold
- 298 audio storiesacross Cairngorms’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Reindeer, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 260 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Banvie Burn Walk
The full walkBanvie Burn Walk is a waymarked woodland loop from Glen Tilt Car Park, following both sides of…
Banvie Burn Walk is a waymarked woodland loop from Glen Tilt Car Park, following both sides of a steep gorge above the burn and passing two bridges. Count about 3.8 miles (6.1 km) for the complete walk from the car park, including the access track to Old Blair and the same link back at the end. Some shorter figures describe the gorge loop without all of that approach. Allow two to three hours, including a pause at The Whim. The going is mostly straightforward, but the woodland paths can be wet, muddy and uneven.
Follow the burnFrom the car park, take the estate track toward Old Blair, then follow the black arrows into…
From the car park, take the estate track toward Old Blair, then follow the black arrows into the woods. The path climbs gently along the gorge with Banvie Burn well below. Rhododendrons crowd the steep sides; look down through the trees for the water and listen for it moving over the rocks. Keep to the marked route at the crossroads and junctions.
Two bridges, two ways roundAt the lower bridge you can cross for the shorter 2-mile (3.2 km) circuit.
At the lower bridge you can cross for the shorter 2-mile (3.2 km) circuit. Continue to the upper bridge for the full loop, then return on the other side of the gorge. The upper bridge opens onto moorland, a change from the enclosed woodland; heather is in flower in July and August. The bridge and burn make the best place to stop and take in the gorge before heading back.
A folly with a viewThe Whim is a short optional detour to a three-arched stone folly built in 1761 to frame a view…
The Whim is a short optional detour to a three-arched stone folly built in 1761 to frame a view from Blair Castle. From the arches, look back toward the castle and Ben Vrackie. If you take a photo, frame the view through one of the openings so the stonework and the landscape both make sense.
The planted gorgeThe rhododendrons beside the path were planted in the 18th century.
The rhododendrons beside the path were planted in the 18th century. They have since spread vigorously through the woodland, and the estate has removed them in other areas to give native plants and trees more room. The walk is a glimpse of the designed landscape around Blair Castle as well as a riverside outing.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cairngorms
159 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
63 sightingsReindeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
102 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
37 sightingsBlack GrouseMost seen around 4 AMSighting map
72 sightingsRed GrouseMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
82 sightingsPine MartenMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cairngorms. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
