Cambus o’May Circular

Cambus o’May Circular is a 7¾-mile (12.5 km) loop from Station Square in Ballater. It follows the Deeside Way to the historic suspension bridge, crosses the River Dee and returns through woodland and along the former railway route. Allow about 4½ hours. There is only about 120 m of ascent, but the distance and rougher return make this a moderate half-day walk. Follow the waymarked clockwise direction: the wide, easy path comes first, with the narrower woodland section after the bridge.

The Deeside Way section is wide, level and firm, and shared with cyclists. It gives you an easy start and open views of the Dee and the surrounding hills. Keep following the waymarks toward Cambus o’ May rather than turning into the separate forest trails near the bridge.

The white lattice bridge is the route’s defining stop. Built in 1905 so pedestrians could reach the railway on the north bank, it spans just over 50 m. It was damaged in the 2015 Storm Frank floods and reopened in 2021. Pause at the bridge or riverbank for a view along the Dee; from the bank, include the full span and its reflection.

The far-bank return is a different walk: narrower, uneven and rough in places, with gates, open ground and woodland. Birch gives way to Scots pine. Piles of stones mark Torphantrick, the scant remains of a settlement. Near Dalmochie, the path passes the site of a Second World War camp for lumberjacks from Newfoundland, who came to fell timber for the war effort.

The return eventually follows the old Royal Deeside Railway, now part of the Deeside Way. The railway was meant to continue west to Braemar, but Queen Victoria objected and Ballater remained its terminus. A short, rough side path leads to the Needle, a wooded hilltop obelisk raised by the widow of local landowner William Farquharson; it is an optional detour, not part of the loop.

Begin at Station Square beside Ballater’s restored railway station. Parking is available in the town centre by the station; a separate small car park off the A93 serves the bridge. Turnstiles at both ends of the suspension bridge and steps on the south-bank approach make this a poor choice for wheelchairs, prams and bikes. Dogs may accompany you under Scotland’s access rules: keep them under control around livestock, and close or on a short lead in woodland and grassland during the ground-nesting bird season, usually April to July.