Parking
No route-specific parking facility is documented. The named start is on the north bank of the River Spey, southeast of the railway line.
Overview
About The Coffin Road, Newtonmore
Why go
- A memorable local history for a short walk.
- One clear destination and a simple return option.
Heads up
- Rough grass and gates make footing uneven.
- No trail-specific parking is documented at the Spey-bank start.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation233–253 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 The Coffin Road, Newtonmore, 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
The Raven’s Rolling Flight0:00 / 0:29
“A large black bird rolling over in mid-air may be a raven. These birds can twist and tumble during aerial displays, with males showing off to females.”
Plays on the road 0.4 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Poet Behind Ossian
- Clan Macpherson Museum
- Newtonmore’s Wildcat Hunt
- The Snipe’s Humming Tail
- 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 The Coffin Road, Newtonmore
The short historic routeThe Coffin Road follows an old line from the north bank of the River Spey to Banchor Cemetery.
The Coffin Road follows an old line from the north bank of the River Spey to Banchor Cemetery. The path is 1.4 km (0.9 mi) one way; walk it back for a 2.8 km (1.7 mi) out-and-back. Allow about an hour, including time at the cemetery, which stands on the site of an early Christian cell dedicated to St Bride.
Follow the line to the cemeteryExpect rough grass and field gates, then a railway underpass and short road sections near…
Expect rough grass and field gates, then a railway underpass and short road sections near Newtonmore. From the Spey, the path heads toward the B9150, turns beside a café, and follows the signed alternative around Banchor Mains to the cemetery beside the River Calder. Close the gates behind you.
A route built around a funeral journeyPeople from the townships of Phones and Nuide crossed the Spey by ferry, then carried their…
People from the townships of Phones and Nuide crossed the Spey by ferry, then carried their dead to St Bride’s churchyard. Old trees still mark the former field boundary, and the railway underpass follows the historic line. After a farm steading blocked the former right of way, a court required an alternative route in 1878; a Gaelic sign by the A86 remembers the roadway established by law.
Two walks share the nameA separate Newtonmore village itinerary also uses the Coffin Road name and covers pavements and…
A separate Newtonmore village itinerary also uses the Coffin Road name and covers pavements and roads as well as fields. Its leaflet lists 4.5 km (2¾ mi) return to start and about two hours. This entry follows the historic Spey-to-cemetery path and doubles its 1.4 km line for the return, so it covers less ground than that wider village walk.
Starting point and footingThe named start is on the Spey’s north bank, southeast of the railway line.
The named start is on the Spey’s north bank, southeast of the railway line. No trail-specific parking is confirmed at this access. The route is short, but rough grass and gates make it less even than a village stroll; the precise local pet rule was not established.
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.
