Parking
Start at Station Square, Boat of Garten. The route information does not confirm dedicated trail parking; check local options before arriving.
Overview
About Pine Marten Trail, Boat of Garten
Why go
- Mostly flat walking to a small loch with mountain views
- A quiet woodland route beside the railway
Heads up
- Uneven forest track
- The return follows the same route
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation218–246 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 Pine Marten Trail, Boat of Garten, 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
Boat of Garten and the Spey0:00 / 0:27
“Boat of Garten is ahead, a good village stop if you'd like a meal and some time beside the Spey.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Garten Woods and the Two Lochs
- The Jay’s Hidden Oaks
- The Boat in Boat of Garten
- A Crown Among the Needles
- 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 Pine Marten Trail, Boat of Garten
The walk in briefPine Marten Trail is a 7-mile (11.
Pine Marten Trail is a 7-mile (11.3 km) out-and-back from Station Square in Boat of Garten to a small loch and back. Allow about 3½ hours. It is graded moderate, with a mostly flat route that starts on a quiet road and continues over uneven forest track beside the Strathspey Railway. Expect a half-day woodland walk rather than a hill climb.
Beside the railwayThe trail leaves the village on a quiet road, then follows a forest track alongside the railway.
The trail leaves the village on a quiet road, then follows a forest track alongside the railway. The surface is uneven, though the route stays mostly flat. The walk is also listed as suitable for cycling, so watch for other trail users.
The loch and the returnLoch nan Carraigean is the turnaround, with open views toward the mountains.
Loch nan Carraigean is the turnaround, with open views toward the mountains. Give yourself a pause here before retracing the same route. Boat of Garten is listed as a refreshment stop, but that is in the village rather than on the trail. Begin at Station Square; the route information does not confirm dedicated trail parking, so check local options before you arrive. Dogs can accompany the walk; use a lead where requested, especially around livestock or ground-nesting birds.
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.
