Parking
The route starts on the A86 at Aberarder Lodge. Public parking at either endpoint was not verified; arrange a return for this point-to-point walk.
Overview
About Maria Mahria Way
Why go
- A shorter historic link to the Corrieyairack track
- Open valley views toward Carn Dubh
Heads up
- Point-to-point logistics need advance planning
- Rough track with a gate and stile at the aqueduct end
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation266–341 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 Maria Mahria Way, 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 area
Water Through the Mountains0:00 / 0:30
“Loch Laggan is part of a water system built to power aluminium-making at Fort William. Beyond the loch's western end, a separate reservoir stores water behind Laggan Dam.”
Plays on the road 0.3 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Upper Falls of Pattack from Gallovie
- Lower Pattack Falls
- A Pine Marten’s Long Pause
- A Military Road’s Unintended Use
- 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 Maria Mahria Way
A rough one-way link through Glen ShirraMaria Mahria Way is a 2.8-mile (4.
Maria Mahria Way is a 2.8-mile (4.5 km) one-way walk from the A86 at Aberarder Lodge to the Spey aqueduct near Glenshero Lodge, where it joins the old Corrieyairack route. It follows a rough vehicle track for the full distance, so it is not a circuit. Arrange your return before setting out. Allow about four hours for this remote route, which climbs steeply in places.
The track and the aqueductThe route rises through Glen Shirra to about 340 metres, then drops toward the Spey aqueduct.
The route rises through Glen Shirra to about 340 metres, then drops toward the Spey aqueduct. An open stretch looks across the valley toward Carn Dubh. At the northern end, a field gate and a solid stile lead onto the Corrieyairack track.
Check access and transportThe route is flagged for a survey, so current access conditions have not been confirmed.
The route is flagged for a survey, so current access conditions have not been confirmed. No public parking was verified at either endpoint; check access and arrange transport for this point-to-point walk before you go. A gate and stile at the aqueduct end make the route unsuitable for step-free access.
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.
