The Wildcat Trail

The Wildcat Trail is a roughly 10 km (6¼-mile) loop around Newtonmore, starting at the railway station and taking in riverside paths, farmland, the Calder gorge, birchwood and open moor. Allow three to four hours. It has only about 110 m of ascent, but the narrow, uneven, sometimes muddy paths and short steep pitches make it a more demanding walk than the climb suggests. For a gentler hour, the nearby Jack Richmond Memorial Park is a separate 2.6 km easy stroll.

From the station, cross the railway and fields to the River Spey, then follow its bank beneath bridges with views toward Creag Dubh. At Calder Bridge the route crosses the A86 and turns beside the River Calder. The riverside changes the feel of the walk from village path to a quieter gorge approach.

The path narrows and becomes rough, stony and often muddy near the Calder. It climbs steeply by Banchor Cemetery, then runs along the river's steep banks past several small waterfalls. Take your time here: this is the most uneven section, and the water is close below the path.

Above the gorge, benches look into Glen Banchor. The name refers to the river's horn-shaped bend; almost 300 people lived in the glen in the early 19th century before its settlements were cleared for sheep. The route continues past crofting land, gates and livestock, then follows birchwood along the open moor. Keep to the wildcat markers: side paths lead toward a viewpoint, Newtonmore or a hut circle.

The return crosses Strone Road and the A86, passes between parts of the Highland Folk Museum, then crosses a railway bridge and follows a burn, the golf-course edge and the Spey back toward the village. Red grouse, curlews and peewits use the open moor; dippers and sandpipers are among the birds along the Spey. Native orchids flower in late May and June. Keep dogs under close control in the fields and shut every gate behind you.