Craigmore Trail (6.7 km, Challenging) – Cairngorms National Park

Overview

About Craigmore Trail

Why go

The Speyside Way gives a different return from the forest approach.

Heads up

Strenuous grade, steep earthy stretches, mud, stiles and kissing gates.

Map & elevation

The route

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Full map

Elevation195–273 m

TrailheadCastle Roy car park on the B97057.27483, -3.65066

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Plan your hike

Before you go

Parking

Start at Castle Roy off the B970; the local map marks parking beside the route. The mapped Speyside Way return finishes close to, but not at, the same access, so check the final connection or arrange transport before leaving a car. Toilets are at Nethy Bridge Visitor Centre, separate from the route.

Safety

The route is graded strenuous, with fairly steep, sometimes muddy ground, stiles and kissing gates. Dogs are allowed; keep them close to heel or on a short lead, especially April through August around ground-nesting birds or livestock, and follow local signs.

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

See all 3 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Cairngorms Tour Guide

Your drive to Craigmore Trail, 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 tour

Recorded for this trailhead

Castle Roy and its Courtyard

0:00 / 0:32

“Up ahead is Castle Roy, a roofless medieval Comyn fortress on a grassy mound above Strathspey. I'd allow twenty to thirty minutes for the courtyard, grounds and mountain views; there's no furnished interior to tour.”

Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.

Hiking Craigmore Trail

Choose your returnCraigmore Trail is a 4.

Craigmore Trail is a 4.1-mile point-to-point walk from Castle Roy through Craigmore Wood to Boat of Balliefurth, then back toward Nethy Bridge on the Speyside Way. The published 2¼-mile / 3.5 km figure is the outward leg to Boat, not the full distance for this route. Allow three to four hours. The mapped finish is near Castle Roy but at a different point from the B970 start, so check how you will get back to your car before setting out.

What the path is likeBoth choices begin on good forest tracks in woodland.

Both choices begin on good forest tracks in woodland. The ground is mostly earthy, with some fairly steep stretches; sections may be muddy, and stiles and kissing gates interrupt the walk. The route is graded strenuous, so allow time for the footing and gates. At Boat of Balliefurth, you can also turn around and retrace the outward path for about 4.4 miles round trip.

Access and practicalitiesStart at Castle Roy on the B970, where parking is marked beside the route.

Start at Castle Roy on the B970, where parking is marked beside the route. The Speyside Way option returns to Nethy Bridge and finishes close to, but not at, the exact starting access. Toilets are at the Nethy Bridge Visitor Centre, a separate stop in the village; no food or water stop is shown on the route. Dogs are welcome in the park. Keep them close to heel or on a short lead, especially from April through August around ground-nesting birds or livestock, and follow local signs.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Cairngorms

All Cairngorms wildlife maps

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 map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cairngorms. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Craigmore Trail