Aviemore – Out by Steam, Home on the Speyside Way
About 6 miles on foot.
The Strathspey Railway's steam trains run from Aviemore down the valley to Boat of Garten in eighteen minutes, and the Speyside Way comes back the other way on foot.
So this is a day in two halves: a ride out behind a steam engine, then a long, easy walk home through heath and pinewood with the Cairngorms along the skyline. The walk back is six miles on good paths.
- Time
- About four and a half hours: the 10.15am train from Aviemore, 18 minutes to Boat of Garten, then 9.5 km back on the Speyside Way, about three and a half hours.
- The path
- The walk is on a well-surfaced trail with moderate slopes, rough forest roads and short sections on minor roads; ask the railway about boarding with a wheelchair.
- Where to start
- The village car parks near Aviemore station charge; the railway leaves from Platform 3.
- Set off
- Be at the Aviemore ticket office in good time for the 10.15am train.
- When to go
- On the railway's running days from spring to 1 November 2026: in October every day except Fridays 9, 23 and 30. From 25 October take the 10.15am train.
- Children
- The train suits all ages; the walk back is 9.5 km, long for small children.
- Toilets
- At Aviemore; none on the path.
- Before you set out
- The railway's calendar shows which days run: check it before you go. No ordinary trains from 2 November until spring.
The walk
The Strathspey Railway leaves from its own platform, Platform 3, at Aviemore station, and the village car parks near the station charge. On its standard timetable trains leave Aviemore at 10.15am, 12.45pm and 3pm and reach Boat of Garten 18 minutes later. Take the 10.15, or the 12.45 while the evenings are still light. The railway sells return tickets online, and singles at the station on the day when there's room, so ask at the Aviemore ticket office for a single to Boat of Garten.
In October 2026 trains run every day except Fridays 9, 23 and 30, with the last day of the season on Sunday 1 November. After that there are no ordinary trains until spring. The walk back is the Speyside Way. The National Park gives Aviemore to Boat of Garten as 9.5 km and about three and a half hours, a well-surfaced trail with moderate slopes, some rough forest road and short stretches on minor roads.
It crosses open heath and runs through pinewood, with the Cairngorms on the skyline, and cyclists use it too. If you've had enough at Boat of Garten, the train goes back to Aviemore at 11.39am, 2.09pm and 4.24pm, and the adult return is £26. From 25 October, when the clocks go back, take the 10.15 to be home in daylight.
If it rains
The train is dry and the path is surfaced, but the heath is open to the weather for long stretches: in steady rain ride both ways and keep the walk for another day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
Route 7 Café, a café in Aviemore.
Cairngorm Café, café at the ski centre.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Peter Trimming