Parking
Start east of the old A93 stone bridge over Shee Water at Spittal of Glenshee; the route ends in Inverey. No dedicated parking or return-transport details were confirmed, so plan transport between the endpoints.
Overview
About Glen Ey–Glenshee Track
Why go
- A true crossing from one glen to another, rather than a summit detour.
- Loch nan Eun and ruined Altanour Lodge break up a long day with distinct places to reach.
Heads up
- A long one-way route with a faint upland path and no straightforward return to the start.
- A ford and repeated burn crossings make navigation and water conditions consequential.
Glen Ey–Glenshee Track is a 24.5 km (15.2 mile) one-way crossing from Spittal of Glenshee to Inverey. It climbs through Gleann Taitneach to Loch nan Eun, crosses the watershed, then drops into Glen Ey past Altanour Lodge. This is a long, remote day out for walkers comfortable navigating when the path thins or disappears. If you need an obvious tread all the way or a loop back to your car, choose another walk. Allow around eight hours of walking before a long stop; that is an estimate, and route-finding or water crossings can add time. Arrange transport between the two ends before setting out.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the crossing for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation342–784 m
TrailheadSpittal of Glenshee, east side of the old A93 stone bridge over Shee Water56.81206, -3.45937
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 Ey–Glenshee 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
Spittal of Glenshee and the Dalmunzie Hills0:00 / 0:27
“You're coming up on Spittal of Glenshee, the starting area for the Glas Tulaichean and Càrn an Rìgh mountain circuit.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Ben Gulabin from the A93
- The Bog’s Sticky Trap
- Summer Homes in the Hills
- A Grouse in the Heather
- 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 Ey–Glenshee Track
Climb to the watershedStart east of the old A93 stone bridge over Shee Water and head northwest, then north up the…
Start east of the old A93 stone bridge over Shee Water and head northwest, then north up the east side of Gleann Taitneach. At NO 076 760, the vehicle track turns away to ford the burn; the walking route continues up the narrowing glen. Loch nan Eun sits high among the rounded Mounth hills. Go around its east side. The visible path fades there, so pay close attention to your mapped route instead of expecting a continuous tread.
Down through Glen EyDescend northeast, then north beside Allt Cac Dubh.
Descend northeast, then north beside Allt Cac Dubh. At NO 070 803, where it meets Allt Beinn Iutharn, the route crosses a burn before an occasional path on the west bank leads toward the ruined Altanour Lodge. That crossing deserves a careful decision: do not wade if the water is unsafe. Below the lodge, a better track crosses and re-crosses Ey Burn over grassy haughs, then descends on the burn’s east side to Inverey. Expect a mix of faint upland path and clearer lower track, not one consistent surface.
A line through old settlementsMaps surveyed in the 1860s mark ruined townships, buildings and enclosures along this line,…
Maps surveyed in the 1860s mark ruined townships, buildings and enclosures along this line, though they do not show a continuous through-track. Five families were evicted from lower Glen Ey in 1829, and eight more families with their animals in 1842; a clampdown on illicit whisky distilling helped hasten those departures. A medieval travelers’ hospital at Spittal has been suggested from the place-name, but no contemporary record proves it, so treat that as a possibility rather than a fact.
Taking a dogDogs can accompany walkers under Scotland’s access rights.
Dogs can accompany walkers under Scotland’s access rights. Keep yours under proper control around livestock and wildlife.
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.
