Parking
Cambus o’May forest car park, off the north side of the A93 between Ballater and Dinnet. Vehicle access into the car park is relatively steep and can be uneven.
Overview
About Lochside Trail, Cambus o’May
Why go
- A compact circuit around a woodland lochan
- The esker opens a view into the Dee valley
Heads up
- Uneven gravel, isolated rock steps and short steep pitches
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation202–218 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 Lochside Trail, Cambus o’May, 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
Cambus o’May Forest and its Lochans0:00 / 0:27
“The entrance to Cambus o'May Forest is coming up. For a walk among pines and small lochs, I'd choose the red-marked Two Lochans Trail, a mile-and-a-half loop taking about an hour.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cheese from a Family Recipe
- Cambus o’May Suspension Bridge
- Burn O’Vat’s Hidden Chamber
- Shoes for the Cattle
- 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 Lochside Trail, Cambus o’May
A short lochan circuitThis roughly half-mile, blue-marked loop circles Cambus o’May’s west lochan.
This roughly half-mile, blue-marked loop circles Cambus o’May’s west lochan. Allow about 15 minutes. It follows an esker—a ridge left by a glacier—with a south-facing view into the Dee valley; Lochnagar appears in clear weather.
FootingThe route is graded moderate.
The route is graded moderate. Expect firm but uneven gravel, brief steep slopes with single uneven rock steps, and patches that may be grassy or muddy.
Lochside and facilitiesDamselflies and dragonflies may be seen over the water.
Damselflies and dragonflies may be seen over the water. The forest access has parking, a picnic area and a viewpoint. There is no trail-side food or toilet facility listed; public toilets are in Ballater and Aboyne, with food also available in Dinnet.
Route findingThe loop line is traced from a schematic visitor map; a short east-shore return is not fully…
The loop line is traced from a schematic visitor map; a short east-shore return is not fully represented in mapped footpaths. Follow the blue markers if the drawn line disagrees with the route on the ground.
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.
