Speyside Way and Tomintoul Spur
Explore the Speyside Way and Tomintoul Spur at your own pace on a self-guided walking holiday. Accommodation, luggage transfer and custom holiday pack included.
Speyside Way and Tomintoul Spur
https://www.contours.co.uk/speyside-way-and-tomintoul-spur
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A self-guided walking holiday from Buckie to Newtonmore, following the course of the spectacular River Spey
From £385 per person
Follow the Speyside Way along the River Spey from the wave-battered coastline up through birchwoods and pastures, with views of heather-clad hills giving way steadily to the rising peaks of the Cairngorm Mountains. The Speyside Way keeps to clear paths and tracks, which are chiefly low-level save for a hillier foray from the riverbank between Ballindalloch and Grantown.
The trail is alive with welcoming villages and a wide variety of wildlife, from ospreys to dolphins, while budding historians will love the Pictish relics, standing stones and ancient castles. Some of Scotland’s most famous distilleries await, too, including Glenfiddich, Machallan, and Cardhu. Overall, the Speyside Way is an approachable, settled route through a wild and beguiling landscape.
From £1200 per person
The Tomintoul Spur extension juts from the trail at Ballindalloch. It adds a 15-mile trek up through the wild moors of Glenlivet to one of the highest villages in Scotland. It’s a steeper trail than you’ll find on the rest of the Speyside Way, but the climb awards phenomenal views from Carn Daimh over the surrounding Cairngorm Mountains – and presents an opportunity to visit the famous Glenlivet Distillery.
The extension then reunites with the main trail where it left off, and the holiday continues to complete the remainder of the full Speyside trail to Newtonmore.
| Code | Tour | Duration | Price per person | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPW1+TOM1 | From Buckie to Newtonmore | 8 days walking | £1200 | |
| SPW1+TOM2 | From Buckie to Newtonmore | 9 days walking | £1330 | |
| SPW2+TOM1 | From Buckie to Newtonmore | 9 days walking | £1330 | |
| SPW2+TOM2 | From Buckie to Newtonmore | 10 days walking | £1450 |
| Code | Tour | Duration | Price per person | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPWSB1 | From Craigellachie to Grantown-on-Spey | 2 days walking | £385 |
Travel to Buckie where your first night's accommodation will be booked
Buckie to Fochabers. 10 miles (16km) / 315 ft (96 m) ascent
Fochabers to Craigellachie. 13 miles (21km) / 1680 ft (512 m) ascent
Craigellachie to Ballindalloch. 12 miles (19km) / 787 ft (240 m) ascent
Ballindalloch to Tomintoul (Tomintoul Spur)(T). 15 miles (24km) / 2707 ft (825 m) ascent
Tomintoul (Tomintoul Spur)(T) to Grantown-on-Spey. 14.5 miles (23.5km) / 1522 ft (464 m) ascent
Grantown-on-Spey to Boat of Garten(L). 10.5 miles (17km) / 525 ft (160 m) ascent
Boat of Garten(L) to Kincraig(T). 12.5 miles (20km) / 144 ft (44 m) ascent
Kincraig(T) to Newtonmore. 13 miles (21km) / 463 ft (141 m) ascent
Depart from Newtonmore after breakfast
This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.
Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.
The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation in most cases; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard if practical. A very limited number of stops will require you to travel on foot up to two miles off the trail, however these instances will be clearly communicated to you if applicable.
Further transfers may also be required due to some accommodations having a two-night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends.
Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
Indulging with a dram of delicious whisky at the Glenlivet Distillery.
Climbing the Tomintoul Spur to the highest village in the Scottish Highlands.
Admiring the vast peaks and breath-taking surroundings of the Cairngorm National Park.
You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:
To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:
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 on the River Spey - Thomas Witzel (1).jpg)
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“The Tomintoul spur is superb.”Mr Heath, UK
“Wonderful scenery and lovely quiet walk, enhanced by spectacular weather.”Mr Trees, UK
“As usual, everything was very well organised.”Mr Maier, Germany
“All very good.”Mr Joyce, UK
