Parking
From Kincraig, follow the road toward Insh, take the signed left fork onto the no-through road, and continue about 1.6 km to the car park on the right. The final approach is narrow and winding; a picnic area is beside the lot.
Overview
About Uath Lochans Trail
Why go
- A short waymarked circuit links lochans with marsh boardwalk.
- The northern shore opens toward Farleitter Crag and the Glen Feshie hills.
Heads up
- Narrow path and boardwalk can be muddy or slippery after rain.
- A few short moderately steep pitches interrupt the gentle circuit.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation277–329 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 Uath Lochans 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
Uath Lochans and Farleitter Crag0:00 / 0:24
“Uath Lochans is ahead, with small lochs and marshy woodland to explore on foot. I'd choose the white-marked loop for a gentle forest outing: about an hour, with boardwalks and a few short steeper sections.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Where the Ice Melted
- Sgòr Gaoith from Allt Ruadh
- Loch Insh, Paddling and the Boathouse
- A River with Many Channels
- 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 Uath Lochans Trail
Plan for the short loopThe Uath Lochans Trail is a white-marked 1½-mile (2.
The Uath Lochans Trail is a white-marked 1½-mile (2.4 km) loop around small lochans and wet woodland; allow about an hour. The path is mostly gently graded, with a few short moderately steep sections. Stay with the white markers at junctions: the red-marked Farleitter Crag Trail is a separate, longer and steeper walk.
Track, boardwalk and lochan viewsFrom the car park, the route begins on a forest track curving around a lochan, then turns onto…
From the car park, the route begins on a forest track curving around a lochan, then turns onto narrower gravel and boardwalk over marsh. The boardwalk leads to the north end of the largest lochan, where the trees open toward Farleitter Crag and the Glen Feshie hills. The white route skirts the lochan, rejoins a track near a bench, then crosses heather and small pines before returning by the short shared access path. At the northern shore, frame the water and foreground woodland with the crag beyond.
Wetland life and the nameLook for frogs beside the paths and dragonflies over the wet ground; neither is guaranteed.
Look for frogs beside the paths and dragonflies over the wet ground; neither is guaranteed. Uath is pronounced “wah,” and the name means “hawthorn small lochs.” The route’s character comes from the close shifts between forest track, narrow path, marsh boardwalk and water, rather than a climb to a summit.
At the trailheadA picnic area is beside the car park.
A picnic area is beside the car park. There is no café or toilet at the site; food options are in Kincraig, and public toilets are in Aviemore, Glenmore and Kingussie. Dogs are welcome in the forest; keep them under control or on a lead around wildlife or livestock, and pick up after them. The final approach road is narrow and winding.
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.
