The Wildcat Trail – All the Way round Newtonmore
About 6.2 miles on foot.
The Wildcat Trail is a signposted path that goes all the way round the village of Newtonmore: ten kilometres of riverbank, croft land, moor and woodland, with the Cairngorms and the Monadhliath in view.
It runs beside the Spey, high above the gorge of the River Calder and past a waterfall on the Allt Laraidh, and the village is never far away if you want to cut it short. Allow four hours for the full round.
- Time
- About four hours: the Wildcat Trail, a signposted 10 km circuit of Newtonmore by the Spey, the Calder gorge and the Allt Laraidh waterfall. A long walk, graded strenuous.
- The path
- Narrow, uneven earth paths, some rough, stony and muddy; grassy fields with livestock; stiles, stepping stones, gates and a railway crossing; some short steep sections.
- Where to start
- The free village car park off Main Street, Newtonmore, a minute from the Wildcat Centre.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by 11am to finish in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January set off by 11am. Wet underfoot after rain.
- Dogs
- Welcome under control; livestock on the croft land.
- Children
- Ten kilometres on rough paths, with a gorge, stepping stones and a railway crossing: for older children who walk well. A single section from the village suits younger ones.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets beside the Wildcat Centre on Main Street; none on the trail.
- Before you set out
- Low stretches can be waterlogged after wet weather. Livestock on the croft land: close every gate. The Wildcat Centre sells the trail brochure for £4 and opens 10am to 4pm on weekdays and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays in season; closed on Sundays.
The walk
Park in the free village car park off Main Street in Newtonmore, a minute from the Wildcat Centre, where there are free public toilets. The centre belongs to the community trust that looks after the trail. It sells a trail brochure for £4, which helps pay for the path's upkeep, and in season it opens from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays. The village Post Office sells the brochure too. The trail is a signposted 10 km circuit of the village.
The Cairngorms National Park allows four hours for it and grades it strenuous, on narrow earth paths that are rough, stony and muddy in places, with stiles, stepping stones, gates and a railway crossing. It takes in the bank of the Spey, a stretch high above the gorge of the River Calder, open moor, old woodland and a waterfall on the Allt Laraidh. The Cairngorms and the Monadhliath are in view for much of the way. The low stretches can be waterlogged after rain. Parts of it cross croft land where livestock graze, so keep dogs under close control and fasten every gate.
Where a stretch is signed as diverted, take the diversion. The trail can be joined at six places round the village, so half of it makes a good walk too. Watch for painted model wildcats on roofs and in gardens: 132 of them are hidden round Newtonmore. From November to January, set off by 11am to finish in daylight.
If it rains
Much of the trail is low and soft, and parts lie under water after wet weather. On a wet day walk a single section from the village and come back along Main Street, where the wildcat hunt works under an umbrella.
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 Kaye King via Google