Speyside Way

Speyside Way
A walker on the Tomintoul spur
Length	130 km (81 mi)
Location	Scotland
Designation	Scotland's Great Trails
Trailheads	Aviemore, Badenoch and Strathspey Buckie, Moray
Use	Hiking
Hiking details
Season	All year

The Speyside Way (Doric: Strathspey Way; Scottish Gaelic: Slighe Shrath Spe) is one of Scotland's Great Trails that follows the River Spey through some of Banffshire, Morayshire and Inverness-shire's most beautiful scenery. It is one of four Long Distance Routes in Scotland. It begins in Aviemore and ends at Buckpool harbour in Buckie, some 65 miles away. Some choose to walk the route from Buckie to Aviemore. There is a spur leading off the main route to Tomintoul bringing the total distance up to 80 miles (130 km). In addition, there is a Dufftown loop option, and other less well-known routes (Badenoch Way, Dava Way, and Moray Coast Trail) can be worked in, all affecting the total distance walked. Sections of the route are open to cycling.

The Way is clearly marked with a symbol showing a thistle in a hexagon. The route generally follows the valley of the River Spey, passing some of the distilleries that produce Speyside single malts. The final five miles from Spey Bay to Buckie follow the coastline.

An extension of the route from Aviemore to Newtonmore is currently being progressed. This extension would lengthen the total route by 34.8 km (21.6 miles), roughly following the route of the River Spey and utilising part of the Sustrans cycle route. The first part of the extension, to Kincraig, was opened in 2015.