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A walk · Rothiemurchus

Loch an Eilein – Round the Island Castle in the Pines

3 miles1 to 1½ hoursflata loop

£5 parkingdogs on a leadtoilets

Walk it nowPrint the walkRoute for Garmin (GPX)

Loch an Eilein lies in the old Caledonian pinewood of Rothiemurchus, just south of Aviemore, with the ruin of a castle on a small island close to its shore.

The path round it is level the whole way, under Scots pines that are in places more than three hundred years old, with the hills of the Cairngorms rising beyond the water. The castle, said to have been built for the Wolf of Badenoch and later a refuge from raiders on the Thieves' Road, keeps coming back into view between the trunks.

Say it

Lokh an AY-lin. The name is Gaelic for the loch of the island.

Where it starts

Start at the Rothiemurchus estate's attended car park at the north end of the loch, at the end of the Loch an Eilein road, which is signed from the B970 by Inverdruie.

Walk it nowDirections to the start

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Before you go

Getting there

Parking is £2 a person or £5 a car, £15 for a minibus, at the time of writing; Friends of Rothiemurchus park free. The road down is shared with walkers and cyclists at up to 20mph, and its narrow bridge does not suit coaches, motorhomes or caravans. No bus runs to the loch. Stagecoach's 30 from Aviemore station towards Cairngorm stops on the B970 by the Rothiemurchus Centre at Inverdruie, where the estate's longer version of the walk starts (12.6 km there, round the loch and back): check the times.

On the path

An hour to an hour and a half's walking: a loop of about 5 km (just over 3 miles) round the loch. Low-level paths and tracks with no long or steep gradients; they can be muddy or icy, so wear sturdy footwear. For children, no long or steep climbs, and a castle on an island to look out for. The map to carry is OS Explorer OL57, Cairn Gorm & Aviemore (1:25,000); OS Landranger 36, Grantown & Aviemore (1:50,000) shows the country round it.

Good to know

All year, in daylight. The gallery at the car park has opened from early April to the end of October. Keep dogs at heel or on a short lead on the paths: ground-nesting birds live here, above all from April to August. There is an off-lead dog area at Loch an Eilein. Toilets by the Loch an Eilein Centre at the car park. No fires or barbecues: the National Park bans them from 1 April to 30 September, and the estate asks for none at any time.

The walk

The loop is waymarked from the Rothiemurchus estate's car park at the north end of the loch, and the estate's own map is under Find out more, at the foot of this page. The paths are shared with cyclists, runners and the odd horse rider, so be ready to step aside and say hello.

By the car park stands the Loch an Eilein Centre, a whitewashed old cottage turned gallery. The car park attendant can help you spot crested tits, which live in these pines with red squirrels and Scottish crossbills.

The Loch an Eilein Centre, a white cottage with a mossy roof, beside the track under autumn birches.
The Loch an Eilein Centre, by the car park.

About 650 metres along the west shore you come opposite the castle on its island. The story goes that the Wolf of Badenoch, a son of King Robert, built a tower house here as a hunting lodge in the 1380s. Its walls show five phases of building, the last in the 1600s. It sheltered people from raiders on the Thieves' Road, and when Jacobites attacked it in 1690, one account has the laird's wife, Grizel Mor, casting musket balls for its defenders. On the shore here, look for the monument to General Rice, who drowned while skating.

The castle on its island, seen through autumn branches from the west shore.
The castle, from the west shore.

The path rounds the broad south end and comes back up the east shore, the line of the old Thieves' Road. Some of the Rothiemurchus pines are over three hundred years old. At the north end, a dam and sluice built in the 1700s to float timber down to the Spey raised the loch and hid the zigzag causeway said to have reached the island.

The loch between old pine trunks on the shore, a wooded point reaching into the water.
Old pines on the east shore.

The gallery has opened from early April to the end of October, selling coffee and ice cream: check before counting on it, and in winter bring a flask. There are toilets by the centre. For lunch, the Barn at Rothiemurchus, about 3 km back towards Aviemore, opens every day from 9.30am to 4.30pm, with soups and cakes by a wood-burning stove; its hours change a little over Christmas.

If it rains

Much of the loop runs under old pines, which take the edge off a shower. On a wet day, the walk out to the castle view and back is a short visit in its own right.

Wildlife you might spot

Crested tits, red squirrels and Scottish crossbills make their home in these pines, and ospreys are seen now and then in summer. The car park attendant can help you spot the crested tits.

A crested tit on a spruce branch in the rain. Film: Adobe Stock.
A red squirrel on a pine log. Film: Adobe Stock.
An osprey hunting low over the water. Film: Shutterstock.

Ospreys once nested on the castle itself: Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus remembered them on its battlements in her Memoirs of a Highland Lady, looking back to the early 1800s.

After the walk

Coffee and cake, something to do with the rest of the day, and dinner, nearest the end of the walk first.

Straight after

The Barn at Rothiemurchus, a timber building under the pines.3 min by roadA caféThe Barn at RothiemurchusThe café at the Rothiemurchus Centre by Aviemore, with a wood-burning stove, Cullen skink and cheese scones, and a corner for dogs.Fruit scones fresh from the oven.12 min by roadA caféRoute 7 CaféA family café upstairs on the Dalfaber estate at the edge of Aviemore, with hearty food, lighter dishes and a welcome for dogs.Two guests by the wood-burning stove.12 min by roadA caféFoxfire CoffeeA speciality coffee bar just outside Aviemore, with cinnamon buns baked in house and views towards the northern Cairngorms.

With the rest of the day

The red Rothiemurchus sign at the centre, listing the estate's shopping and café.3 min by roadA shopRothiemurchus Farm ShopThe estate's own Highland beef and venison, trout and heather honey, with a deli counter, at the Rothiemurchus Centre by Aviemore.Falconer in a field flying a bird of prey towards his gloved hand3 min by roadThings to doRothiemurchus FalconryFly owls, hawks and a great eagle yourself on the Rothiemurchus estate near Aviemore, with falconers Jonny and Daisy Ames.A steam train at Boat of Garten.6 min by roadThings to doStrathspey RailwayHeritage steam trains through the Spey Valley from Aviemore to Boat of Garten and Broomhill, running since 1978.Timber-clad building entrance with glass doors and round wooden sign11 min by roadThings to doThe Cairngorm BreweryAviemore's own brewery since 2001, home of Black Gold, Wildcat and Trade Winds, with a shop and a Tap Room by the tanks.Reindeer with antlers walking along a wooden boardwalk through moorland14 min by roadThings to doCairngorm Reindeer CentreBritain's only free-ranging herd of reindeer has roamed the Cairngorms since 1952, and the Reindeer Centre at Glenmore is where you meet them.Two Japanese macaques huddled in the snow.14 min by roadThings to doThe Highland Wildlife ParkThe Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's park at Kincraig, with Scotland's only polar bears, snow leopards, wolves and a drive-through reserve.

For dinner

The Old Bridge Inn in Aviemore, 5 minutes by road. A pub on the bank of the Spey in Aviemore, once a gamekeeper's cottage, with a log fire, seasonal cooking and dinner every evening.

The Rowan Tree Country Hotel in Alvie, 7 minutes by road. A small family-run hotel overlooking Loch Alvie, three miles south of Aviemore, whose restaurant serves dinner every evening to anyone who books.

Andersons Restaurant in Boat of Garten, 16 minutes by road. A relaxed evening restaurant in Boat of Garten cooking local Scottish produce in season, with vegan and children's menus.

Places to stay near the walk

Our places to stay nearest the start, by road.

An advert

Killiehuntly Bothy

A stone cottage for a family of four in the old farm courtyard at Killiehuntly, near Kingussie, with a log stove, a bunk room and a welcome for the dog.

Sleeps 4 · 19 minutes by road

See Killiehuntly Bothy
A row of stone cottages with a slated roof and four chimneys sits behind a gravel courtyard, hills visible in the distance.

More places to stay near the walk

A landscape view of Park Cottage in the snow, its windows lit, forest and a white hill behind.An advert · KincraigPark CottageSleeps 6 · 14 minutes by roadA rowan tree heavy with red berries hangs before a white harled house, a round table and chairs set on the gravel behind.An advert · KingussieCairngorms Church Hill HouseSleeps 4 · 19 minutes by roadA stone and dark timber house sits beneath autumn trees, logs stacked in an open store and hills visible in the distance.An advertGeordie’s CottageSleeps 5 · 19 minutes by roadStone farmhouse surrounded by autumn trees and hills in the Scottish countrysideAn advertKilliehuntly FarmhouseSleeps 10 · 19 minutes by roadA stone barn with a red door and a steep slate roof stands among trees turning gold in autumn.An advertThe HayloftSleeps 2 · 19 minutes by roadDell Cottage's sitting room, a fire lit in the open hearth, with teal sofas and sheepskins on an oak parquet floor.An advert · Nethy BridgeDell CottageSleeps 2 · 23 minutes by roadDell Lodge under snow, its pale stone front and dormers seen through red autumn leaves across the white lawn.An advert · Nethy BridgeDell LodgeSleeps 8 · 23 minutes by roadEast Dell in spring sunshine, a low stone cottage with a red door and a mossy roof beside its garden and an old oak.An advert · Nethy BridgeEast DellSleeps 5 · 23 minutes by roadA wooden gate in a picket fence opens onto Little Dell's green garden, with cow parsley and a wooden bench beyond.An advert · Nethy BridgeLittle DellSleeps 2 · 23 minutes by roadSouth Dell, a white cottage with a stone gable and a slate roof, its sunny lawn edged by big trees.An advert · Nethy BridgeSouth DellSleeps 6 · 23 minutes by roadTimber-clad lodge with balcony overlooking a loch, framed by bare branchesAn advert · CarrbridgeStrathspey LodgeSleeps 8 · 23 minutes by roadWest Dell, a whitewashed stone cottage with a red door and a slate roof, in low winter sun.An advert · Nethy BridgeWest DellSleeps 6 · 23 minutes by road

More walks near here

Within a short drive of the start.

The Old Logging Way3 min by roadA long dayThe Old Logging Way5½ miles, about 3¾ hours, one wayRiver Feshie8 min by roadA walkRiver Feshie1¼ miles, about an hourUath Lochans12 min by roadA walkUath Lochans3½ miles, 2 to 2½ hours for both trailsLoch Morlich13 min by roadA walkLoch Morlich3½ miles, about two hoursCraigellachie6 min by roadA hillCraigellachie2¾ miles, about two hoursLoch Insh10 min by roadA strollLoch Insh1½ miles, about an hour

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Maps from OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors; heights from Mapzen's terrain tiles.