Parking
Park at the Macpherson Memorial, then walk uphill on the road toward the forest-track junction.
Overview
About Glentruim Forest Loop
Why go
- Passes the distinctive Centre of Scotland Stone
- Short circuit combines forest tracks with valley views
Heads up
- Includes a section of public road walking
- Moderately steep ground and occasional muddy patches
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation294–348 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 Glentruim Forest Loop, 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
Glentruim Forest's Viewpoint Walk0:00 / 0:24
“Glentruim Forest is ahead, with a viewpoint walk starting at the Macpherson Memorial. For a short outing with a wide view over Badenoch toward the Cairngorms, take the signed viewpoint spur rather than the forest loop.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Why Heather Honey Holds Its Shape
- An Otter’s Riverside Messages
- Falls of Truim's Rocky Rapids
- Private Land, Public Walking
- 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 Glentruim Forest Loop
The loopGlentruim Forest Loop is a 1.
Glentruim Forest Loop is a 1.8-mile blue-waymarked circuit from the Macpherson Memorial past the Centre of Scotland Stone and through the forest. Allow about 1.5 hours. The route leaflet gives 1.5 miles; the complete line mapped here measures about 1.8 miles, so plan for the longer figure.
Finding your way and footingFrom the memorial, walk uphill on the road to the forest-track junction by the large stone.
From the memorial, walk uphill on the road to the forest-track junction by the large stone. Take the track behind the stone and the second track on the left, then follow the blue waymarks around the forest. Turn left onto the road and climb back to the car park. Expect firm gravel, gentle and moderately steep grades, a few muddy patches and a stretch on quiet public tarmac.
The stone and viewsThe boulder marks the geographic centre of mainland Scotland, and the circuit offers views down…
The boulder marks the geographic centre of mainland Scotland, and the circuit offers views down the valley. This is the forest loop; the longer Falls of Truim and Truim Woods circuit and the separate, steeper Creagan an Fhithich spur are different walks.
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.
