Parking
Limited parking at the Glen Banchor road end by Shepherd’s Bridge (Allt a’ Chaorainn). Newtonmore village is about 3 km along Glen Road from the car park; the route finishes at Cluny Castle/A86, so arrange onward transport.
Overview
About Glen Banchor Cart Track
Why go
- An old Badenoch–upper Speyside route with ruined township and farm remains.
- A mix of river-side path, open glen and historic track.
Heads up
- Burn crossings can be impassable in spate.
- A short pathless section needs confident route-finding, and the point-to-point finish needs transport.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation264–483 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Glen Banchor Cart Track, 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
Glen Banchor from Shepherd’s Bridge0:00 / 0:24
“You're coming up on the Glen Banchor road end by Shepherd's Bridge. This old road passes ruined townships in an open Highland glen, but the full walk is a five-hour, eight-mile one-way outing to Cluny.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Clan Macpherson Museum
- Newtonmore’s Wildcat Hunt
- Curling Nights on Loch Imrich
- The Raven’s Rolling Flight
- 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 Glen Banchor Cart Track
A one-way walk for the preparedGlen Banchor Cart Track is a 12.7 km (7.
Glen Banchor Cart Track is a 12.7 km (7.9 mi) point-to-point walk from the road end by Shepherd’s Bridge to Cluny Castle and the A86. It follows an old route between Badenoch and upper Speyside through an open Highland glen, but don’t expect an easy valley stroll: the rough ground, two burn crossings and a short pathless stretch need attention. Allow about five hours. This is one way, so arrange your lift or onward transport before you start.
Along the cart trackFrom the road end, cross Allt a’ Chaorainn and follow the track towards Glenballach.
From the road end, cross Allt a’ Chaorainn and follow the track towards Glenballach. The route then takes the footpath along the north side of the River Calder, crosses open ground through Srath an Eilich and continues on estate tracks towards Cluny. Expect a mix of rough rural path, grassy moor and firmer track. The elevation profile rises from around 300 m to just under 500 m before dropping to about 260 m at the A86.
Give the burns roomAllt Ballach and Allt an Lochain Duibh can be difficult to cross when they’re in spate.
Allt Ballach and Allt an Lochain Duibh can be difficult to cross when they’re in spate. After the second burn, the path disappears for the last few hundred metres before a bridge and bothy at Allt Madagain; keep your bearings across rough ground there. Heavy rain can make the crossings impossible, so choose another day if the burns are running high.
A route through an inhabited glenThis was an old road between Badenoch and upper Speyside.
This was an old road between Badenoch and upper Speyside. Ruined township remains and a deserted shepherd’s house show how much more inhabited the glen once was. At Dail a’ Chaorainn, an excavated corn kiln remains visible in place; a reconstruction is at Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore. Before a bridge over the Spey was built toward the end of the 18th century, the river crossing south was made by boat.
Sort out the logisticsParking at the road end near Shepherd’s Bridge is limited.
Parking at the road end near Shepherd’s Bridge is limited. Newtonmore village is another 3 km along Glen Road from the car park. The walk finishes at Cluny Castle/A86, so arrange a lift or onward transport. Dogs can come under Scotland’s access rules when kept under proper control; keep them close or on a short lead near livestock and ground-nesting birds, and avoid fields with young animals. Food, drinking water and toilets along the route weren’t confirmed, so carry what you need.
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.
