Parking
Nethy Bridge Community and Visitor Centre. Two marked accessible bays are outside; additional parking is alongside or behind the centre and on street.
Overview
About Riverside Short Accessible Path, Nethy Bridge
Why go
- Flat, smooth gravel with no steps or barriers.
- Three backed benches and a view of the river pool.
Heads up
- The turn at the third bench is not marked.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation211–220 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 Short Accessible Path, Nethy Bridge, 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
Explore Abernethy and the River Nethy0:00 / 0:35
“You're coming up on Explore Abernethy, the small visitor centre inside Nethy Bridge Community Centre. Stop here for forest maps and a look at the wildlife sightings board before choosing a walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Castle Roy and its Courtyard
- The Redstart’s Quivering Tail
- A Flood for the Timber
- The Treecreeper’s Upward Spiral
- 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 Short Accessible Path, Nethy Bridge
A very short river walkThis is a 0.
This is a 0.4-mile out-and-back beside the River Nethy, from Nethy Bridge Community and Visitor Centre to the third bench and back. It is flat throughout and takes about 15 minutes. Choose it for an easy waterside stroll, not a longer ramble; the smooth surface and regular benches make this a good short option if rough ground is a concern.
Follow the river to the third benchFrom the centre, cross the road to the riverbank path and follow it with the river on your left.
From the centre, cross the road to the riverbank path and follow it with the river on your left. There are no junctions. The compacted fine gravel is firm and smooth, more than a metre wide, with no steps or barriers. Three benches with backrests sit along the route. The third, about 320 metres from the centre, overlooks a small beach and river pool; turn around there. That turning point is not signed. The path continues, but beyond the third bench it gets steeper, narrower and rootier, outside this accessible short section. Look for dippers on the river rocks.
Getting to the startStart at Nethy Bridge Community and Visitor Centre.
Start at Nethy Bridge Community and Visitor Centre. Two marked accessible bays are outside, with more parking alongside or behind the building and on street. Bus stops are about 120 metres eastbound and 140 metres westbound. The Visitor Centre has an accessible toilet. Dogs are welcome; keep them on a short lead or close to heel and follow any local signs.
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.
