Torr Alvie Trail

The Torr Alvie Trail is a 5.4 km (about 3¼-mile) out-and-back from Dalraddy Holiday Park to the Duke of Gordon’s Monument, with a short side spur to Waterloo Cairn. Allow two to three hours for the walk and about 150 m of climbing. It’s a good choice if you want a compact hill walk with two historic stops and a broad view; the path gets rough and grassy, so it isn’t a smooth stroll.

From the back of the entrance car park, go through the gate and under the railway, then turn left onto the Speyside Way. Turn right at the minor road and, after about 400 m, take the left fork onto the climbing track. It winds through old pine, juniper and birch before reaching a field. Follow the fence uphill, using the gates and stile, until you join the ridge track. The views over Strathspey open up as you climb.

The ridge is undulating and bumpy, with narrow, rough, often grassy stretches. At the forks, keep left for the main route. Look to the right for the small path to Waterloo Cairn; it’s easy to walk past. Return to the main track, then continue to the tall column at the end.

Waterloo Cairn is a stone memorial raised in 1815 for soldiers who died at the Battle of Waterloo. Its outlook faces southeast toward the high Cairngorms. The Duke of Gordon’s Monument is a 90-foot column commemorating the last Duke of Gordon, who died in 1836. From there, look north across Strathspey toward Loch Alvie and the winding River Spey. At the cairn, include the stones in the foreground with the mountains behind; at the monument, step back enough to fit the column into the view.

Both summit tops sit within the faint ramparts of a Pictish hillfort. Much of the stone has been taken away over time, leaving low earth banks that are easy to miss among the trees.

The ridge was once more formal parkland associated with Kinrara House, the former summer home of Jane, Duchess of Gordon. Today the route passes old Scots pine, juniper and birch between the open grassy slope and the monument. Dogs are allowed under Scotland’s access rights; keep them under proper control around livestock and wildlife. Start from the entrance car park at Dalraddy Holiday Park, just off the B9152.