Parking
Use Carrbridge’s public main village car park, a short walk from the Old Pack Horse Bridge start.
Overview
About Riverside Path, Carrbridge
Why go
- A proper river crossing and a distinctive 1717 bridge in a short walk.
- Mostly firm, level walking beside the River Dulnain.
Heads up
- The return follows Station Road through the village.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation258–280 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 Riverside Path, Carrbridge, 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
Carrbridge's Coffin Bridge0:00 / 0:31
“Up ahead in Carrbridge is the old packhorse bridge, a narrow stone arch over the River Dulnain. Built in seventeen seventeen, it carried funeral parties towards Duthil Churchyard, earning the name Coffin Bridge.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Landmark Forest Adventure Park
- A Pine Cone’s Weather Response
- Songs That Worked the Cloth
- The Thrush’s Snail Anvil
- 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 Riverside Path, Carrbridge
A gentle river circuitRiverside Path is a mostly level loop from Carrbridge’s Old Pack Horse Bridge, west along the…
Riverside Path is a mostly level loop from Carrbridge’s Old Pack Horse Bridge, west along the River Dulnain to Ellan Bridge, then back through the village on Station Road. Plan about 1.5 miles and an hour. Distance descriptions differ: an older village map gives one mile, while the current route information gives 1.5, so use the longer figure for the full circuit.
Along the river and backThe riverside stretch follows the north bank on firm gravel, with a short rough-track section…
The riverside stretch follows the north bank on firm gravel, with a short rough-track section and boardwalk. Cross the river at Ellan Bridge, rebuilt in 1992, then return by Station Road. The walk is easy overall, with a few short slopes near the garage; the village-road finish means it is not a continuous riverside path. Expect an ordinary village stroll, not a remote woodland hike.
Carrbridge’s old bridgeThe stone packhorse bridge dates to 1717.
The stone packhorse bridge dates to 1717. The 1829 Muckle Spate flood swept away its parapets, leaving the open arch that still makes this the walk’s most memorable landmark. Pause on the riverbank and frame the arch with water beneath it for the clearest sense of its shape.
Start and practical detailsThe public main village car park is a short walk from the bridge, which is the route start.
The public main village car park is a short walk from the bridge, which is the route start. Dogs are welcome; keep them close to heel or on a short lead and follow local signs. Watch your footing on the rough patch, boardwalk and bridge approaches.
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.
