Beachen Wood – Birch, Juniper and a View over Glenbeg
About 3.1 miles on foot.
Grantown-on-Spey has two sets of woodland trails.
Anagach is pine forest and gentle paths. Beachen Wood is rougher ground: old birch, aspen and juniper on hill paths, with a view over Glenbeg to the Cairngorms.
- Time
- About two hours: a circuit of about three miles (5 km) on forest track and narrow, rough paths, with moderate slopes.
- The path
- Forest track and narrow, rough paths that are uneven, rocky and muddy after rain. Moderate slopes, and one bridge with steps on both sides.
- Where to start
- Park in Grantown-on-Spey: the Burnfield car park, by Grantown Museum, is free. The trail is reached on foot from the town; carry the National Park's map of the Grantown paths.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From mid October to March the rocky stretches can be icy and the light under the trees goes early.
- Dogs
- Welcome. Under close control near farm animals.
- Children
- A rough two hours for children used to walking. Not for a pushchair.
- Toilets
- Public toilets at the Burnfield car park in the town. None in the wood.
- Before you set out
- On 9 October 2026 the National Park listed no closure at Grantown-on-Spey. The information desk at Grantown Museum is open from April to October only.
The walk
Beachen Wood is old, natural woodland at the edge of Grantown-on-Spey. Scots pine, birch, rowan, aspen, bird cherry and hazel grow here, with juniper under them and moss thick on the ground. The Orange Trail is the longer of the wood's two loops, a circuit of about three miles.
It mixes forest track with narrow, rough paths, and partway round the trees thin to a view over Glenbeg and across to the Cairngorms. The going is uneven and rocky in places, with moderate slopes and one bridge that has steps on both sides. After rain it's muddy, so wear boots.
The town's other woods, at Anagach, ask for dogs on a lead from April to August for the capercaillie. Beachen is where the National Park suggests taking a dog in those months instead. Grantown has no information desk from November to March, so bring the Park's map of the town's paths with you.
If it rains
The trees keep off the worst of a shower, but the paths are rough and turn muddy and slippery. The view over Glenbeg needs clear air.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Mihai Kovacs via Google