Parking
Start at Tomintoul village square (NJ 168 187). The estate also lists Campdalmore and Tomintoul Gateway car parks as alternative access points.
Overview
About Tomintoul Circular Trail
Why go
- The community bird hide and spring wading birds add an easy wildlife stop.
- A viewpoint toward Ben Avon breaks up the riverside and woodland sections.
Heads up
- Two road crossings and a steep flight of steps interrupt the otherwise gentle village circuit.
- The Conglass Water bend can flood when the stream is high.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation302–360 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 Tomintoul Circular Trail, 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
Tomintoul Square, Museum and Whisky Castle0:00 / 0:34
“Up ahead is Tomintoul's village square, where the Discovery Centre makes a useful first stop for local stories and advice.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Glenlivet Estate Visitor Centre and Mindfulness Trail
- Queen’s View over Glen Avon
- Still Viewpoint’s Mirrored Frame
- Yellow Beneath, Grey Above
- 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 Tomintoul Circular Trail
The loopThis mapped 2.7-mile (4.
This mapped 2.7-mile (4.3-kilometre) loop starts in Tomintoul village square and follows fields beside Conglass Water to the community bird hide and a birchwood. It continues by Campdalmore to the Victor Gaffney viewpoint, then returns through River Avon woodland and fields. Allow about 1.5 hours; most of the walk uses quiet lanes, tracks and paths.
Wayfinding and footingFollow the blue arrows with the lapwing symbol.
Follow the blue arrows with the lapwing symbol. The circuit has two main road crossings and one steep flight of steps. A bend beside Conglass Water can flood when the stream is high. Short sections pass through fields where livestock may be present, so keep dogs on a lead around animals.
Birds and woodlandThe wet fields beside Conglass Water are an important breeding area for wading birds,…
The wet fields beside Conglass Water are an important breeding area for wading birds, especially noticeable in spring. The community bird hide sits on the circuit. Roe deer are often seen in the small birchwood; near Campdalmore, the farm track passes a high bank with rabbit warrens and Scots pines.
Glen Avon viewpointThe Victor Gaffney viewpoint is named for a local historian and looks toward Ben Avon and the…
The Victor Gaffney viewpoint is named for a local historian and looks toward Ben Avon and the winding River Avon. The return follows woodland above the river, then crosses fields and a farm track back toward the village. Tomintoul began as a planned settlement established by the Duke of Gordon to bring scattered tenants together.
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.
