Helen Rose Outdoors – Grantown on Spey.

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Helen Rose Outdoors – Grantown on Spey.

January 2025

In the autumn a group of us visited Grantown on Spey to have three days walking. Most of us travelled by Citylink bus to Aviemore where Ian kindly collected our luggage and transported it to the very comfortable Speyside Hotel at Grantown on Spey. We passed the evenings in the bar with a lovely log fire. The bus broke down outside Glasgow and after several changes of buses and a lot of stress we arrived in Aviemore nearly two hours late. After lunch, we took a local bus to Grantown on Spey. The town was founded in 1765 as a planned settlement, and was originally called simply Grantown after Sir James Grant. It is now mainly Victorian buildings but there are a few 18^th century buildings. Grantown on Spey is located in Morayshire in the North east of Scotland in the Cairngorms National Park It is the largest National Park in the UK.

Grantown on Spey

On the first day walking we started on the Dava Way. This is an unusually varied disused railway solum walk, winding its way from sea level on the Moray Firth. through forests, then over the Dava Moor to the Dava summit at 1050 feet (320 metres) before descending into Strathspey. We joined it outside Grantown on Spey and followed a section on the old railway solum going north.

This is Grant’s land. Castle Grant’s tower has been carbon-dated to the 11th century while the castle itself was built during the beginning of the 15th century and was originally called Freuchie Castle, Freuchie meaning ‘Heathery Place’. The castle was renamed Castle Grant in 1694 and became the ancestral seat of Clan Grant. In 1694, Ludovic Grant changed the castle’s name to Castle Grant when he obtained a Crown charter to rule their lands. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the castle in 1860. Victoria is recorded as having described the castle as looking similar to a factory. It is now in private ownership but the Grant Insignia is still evident on the buildings.

We stopped at the former railway halt. The deal with the Grants had been that in return for allowing the Highland Railway to be built across his land, Lord Grant would get an ornate gateway to his estate and a private halt for himself and his guests. The halt was designed so the lords and ladies of the estate could transfer directly from the train through the building to a waiting horse and carriage, with minimal exposure to the weather. The railway was opened in 1863 and provided the first through service by rail from Perth to Inverness. It closed in 1965. The halt was called Lady Catherine’s Halt.

We passed a rowan tree heavy with berries. In Scottish folklore, the rowan tree (also known as the Mountain Ash) is a symbol of protection and good fortune. The tree is associated with many beliefs including warding off witches and evil spirits.

Ballindalloch to Aberlour

On the second day walk, we took the bus to Ballindalloch for the walk on the Speyside Way section to Aberlour. On the way we admired the rich autumnal colours of the trees from light golden to deep fiery orange. This section is flat and a good path along the railway solum alongside the River Spey. It was nearly twelve miles but easy going and we had plenty of time.

We stopped for our picnic lunch at Blacksboat. Built in 1863, Blacksboat Station served the village of Ballindalloch and was a stop along the scenic Great North of Scotland Railway line, which closed in 1965. There is a bridge over the river here so presumably prior to the bridge being built, Black provided a ferry service.

Speyside is famous for the number of whisky distilleries and the local Member of Parliament has 39 distilleries in his Constituency! We passed around six distilleries on our walk but I was intrigued by the name Knockando. It is a malt whisky particularly popular in France and Spain. In Scottish whisky the water is very important and malt whiskies flavour varies throughout Scotland. Knockando means Little Black Hill in Scottish Gaelic

The walk continued in peaceful countryside to Aberlour where we had a taxi back to Grantown on Spey after refreshments at the local Inn. Aberlour is also famous for its malt whisky distillery.

Grantown to Nethy Bridge

The walk on the last day was from Grantown on Spey to Nethy Bridge. The walk was on a good path but with open countryside all the way so good views toward the Cairngorm Mountains. On the way, we crossed a very shoogly (Scots for shaky) bridge where the limit was five people at a time. Every step made the bridge shake due to the construction but it looked well made.

From the path, we saw the ruined Castle Roy. There is no shortage of castles including ruins in Scotland. Castle Roy from the 12th century was a fortress built by the Clan Comyn on a small glacial mound . In 1420 the whole area came under the stewardship of the Clan Grant who are still the clan of this area today.

This was a shorter walk so we reached Nethy Bridge in good time and had lunch there in the hotel. Built in 1810, the bridge over the River Nethy is a classic Telford design with three arches. Thomas Telford was a versatile Scottish civil engineer whose crowning achievement was the design and construction (1819–26) of the Menai Bridge in Wales. It’s at the heart of the village. When we arrived, the Community Arts Fair was in full swing at the Visitors Centre/Community Hall so the village had a real buzz to it.

Thanks to Ian for arranging the accommodation and planning the walks. Also, thanks to Robin for leading the walks. It was lovely to see Ian’s home town. Fortunately, we had mild, dry weather for the trip which makes walking in the countryside even more enjoyable.