Parking
Start at Causer woodland car park in Nethy Bridge, then cross the road to the marked trail.
Overview
About Wilderness Trail, Nethy Bridge
Why go
- Short circuit through Caledonian pine forest
- Possible old logging camp along the route
Heads up
- Narrow paths are often wet, muddy and rooty
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation226–244 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 Wilderness Trail, Nethy Bridge, 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
Explore Abernethy and the River Nethy0:00 / 0:35
“You're coming up on Explore Abernethy, the small visitor centre inside Nethy Bridge Community Centre. Stop here for forest maps and a look at the wildlife sightings board before choosing a walk.”
Plays on the road 0.9 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Castle Roy and its Courtyard
- A Flood for the Timber
- The Redstart’s Quivering Tail
- The Treecreeper’s Upward Spiral
- 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 Wilderness Trail, Nethy Bridge
A short loop into the pinesWilderness Trail is about a 1.
Wilderness Trail is about a 1.6-mile loop from Causer woodland car park, through Caledonian pine forest and around the back of Nethy Bridge’s local school. Allow about an hour. It’s an easy outing for a quick woodland walk, with the old logging camp as a possible point of interest rather than a guaranteed stop.
Expect wet, rooty pathsMost of the route follows narrow, earthy paths on gentle gradients.
Most of the route follows narrow, earthy paths on gentle gradients. Roots and frequent mud make the footing the main challenge, so expect an uneven walk despite the short distance. Start at Causer woodland car park and cross the road to the marked trail.
A working forestAbernethy’s pines have supplied timber for shipbuilding, railway sleepers and mine pit props.
Abernethy’s pines have supplied timber for shipbuilding, railway sleepers and mine pit props. The wider forest is home to red squirrels, pine martens, Scottish crossbills and capercaillie, though sightings aren’t guaranteed. Dogs can join the walk; keep them on a lead in the forest from March through August during the breeding season.
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.
