Aberlour to Craigellachie – Down the Spey to Telford's Bridge
About 6.3 miles on foot.
Two of Speyside's whisky villages are joined by an easy path along the old railway beside the Spey, and at the far end is one of the most handsome bridges in Scotland.
Thomas Telford's iron arch has spanned the river at Craigellachie since 1814. Walk there and back from Aberlour, about 10 km in all, with a dram or a pint at the Fiddichside Inn in the middle.
- Time
- About three hours' walking: around 4 km (2.5 miles) each way on the Speyside Way between Aberlour and Fiddich Park, and 2 km (1.25 miles) there and back between Fiddich Park and the bridge.
- The path
- Level old railway line, then earth, gravel and grass paths at Craigellachie. Gates and barriers on the Speyside Way; the bridge walk does not suit wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Where to start
- Aberlour's riverside car park, by the Speyside Way and the old station. Free.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. A walk for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, when the Fiddichside Inn opens at 1pm. From November to January set off by 11.30am.
- Children
- An easy, level walk, but a long one for small legs. Hold hands on the riverbank below the bridge.
- Toilets
- Public toilets by the old station in Aberlour; seasonal toilets at Fiddich Park in Craigellachie.
- Before you set out
- The path down to the riverbank below the bridge has a steep drop beside it. The toilets at Fiddich Park are seasonal.
The walk
Park in Aberlour's riverside car park, where the Speyside Way passes through the village by the old station. It's free, and there are public toilets beside the station building. The Way runs down the Spey to Craigellachie on the old railway line, level and easy underfoot, and it's about 4 km to Fiddich Park at the far end, an hour or a little more. Craigellachie is where the River Fiddich joins the Spey. Moray Council's signed walk between Fiddich Park and Telford's bridge is another 2 km there and back, on earth, gravel and grass, so the whole outing is about 10 km and three hours on your feet.
The bridge is the reason to come. Thomas Telford built it between 1812 and 1814: a single arch of iron, 150 feet across, springing from castellated stone towers below a crag of pines. The ironwork was cast in Wales, and a plaque on one of the towers still names the foundry at Plas Kynaston. It carried the road until 1972 and is now kept for walkers and cyclists. The path down to the riverbank beneath it has a steep drop beside it, so hold small hands.
The toilets at Fiddich Park are seasonal, so use the ones in Aberlour before you set off. The Speyside Way has gates and barriers along it, and the grass stretches by the bridge don't suit a pushchair. From November to January, set off by 11.30am.
If it rains
The old railway line is firm and partly sheltered by trees, so a shower does no harm, and the pub is dry. The grass by the bridge is slippery when wet.
Afterwards
About 55 min on foot
The Fiddichside Inn
A drink
The Fiddichside Inn stands beside the River Fiddich on the edge of Craigellachie, about 300 metres from Fiddich Park along the A95 and over its bridge. It's a main road, so take care on that stretch. It was built in 1842 as refreshment rooms for the railway workers, and one family kept it from 1919 until 2017 with very little changed. It's a small riverside pub for a dram or a pint and a talk with whoever is in, with a garden by the water. From Friday to Sunday it opens at 1pm, and on other days at 4pm, closing at 8pm. From November to March it's shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. So this is a walk for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Come here for the drink and eat back in Aberlour, where the Aberlour Hotel on the High Street serves meals every day from noon to 7.30pm.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
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Where to eat
The Fiddichside Inn, a bar in Craigellachie.
Aberlour Hotel, a restaurant in Charlestown of Aberlour.
For further reading, before you go.