Parking
Use Bellabeg car park, marked at the loop start; the leaflet also marks toilets nearby.
Overview
About Lonach Loop
Why go
- River views and open farmland on a compact village loop.
- The trailhead is by Bellabeg car park and marked toilets.
Heads up
- Uneven grass, gates and minor-road stretches roughen a walk that is otherwise short.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation272–295 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 Lonach 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
Bellabeg and the Doune of Invernochty0:00 / 0:26
“Bellabeg is ahead, and I'd choose the Roughpark Path for a shorter walk with some local history. Allow an hour to an hour and a quarter for the mile-and-a-half return through woodland and farmland.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Rainbow with Reversed Colours
- A Shelter You Share
- Ben Newe above Strathdon
- The Gases Behind the Northern Lights
- 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 Lonach Loop
The loopThe Lonach Loop is a 2-mile (3.2 km) moderate circuit from Bellabeg; allow about 1½ hours.
The Lonach Loop is a 2-mile (3.2 km) moderate circuit from Bellabeg; allow about 1½ hours. It rises behind Forbestown for views across the River Don, passes Lonach Hall, then crosses farmland and the river before returning to the village. It’s a compact rural walk, with more variety than a paved village stroll.
UnderfootExpect uneven, rough grass with moderate slopes, a firm forestry track and minor roads.
Expect uneven, rough grass with moderate slopes, a firm forestry track and minor roads. Gates make a few sections narrow, and the route map marks a road crossing near Lonach Hall. The rough footing and short road sections are the main tradeoff on an otherwise modest outing.
Start and accessBegin at Bellabeg car park; the map also marks toilets beside the start.
Begin at Bellabeg car park; the map also marks toilets beside the start. The loop crosses farmland, so keep dogs under close control and shut each gate behind you. This 2-mile walk is separate from the much longer Bellabeg–Bunzeach Forest circuit.
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.
