Speyside Way Cycle
By Alan Kimber on 08/08/2021
Or ..’Nowhere near the Speyside Way Way’.. as one local described it! Our two-day cycling trip started in the village of Newtonmore and finished in Buckie, with an overnight in Grantown-on-Spey This was Our route last November (2020). More details can be found here
First Day To be fair, day one did follow the official route, with rare deviations, mostly for food and drink. The addition of an extension from Newtonmore to Aviemore is very good. There is plenty of varied terrain, including some NCR 7 sections and forest trails. A visit to Route 7 Cafe, Aviemore is essential for lunch, if you are feeling peckish. The 35 miles from Newtonmore provided grand cycling over the newest part of the Way, although some signs were missing.
We were staying at the recently sold Ben Mhor Hotel in Grantown on Spey. There was no cooked breakfast.
We had an evening meal at the Craig Bar where they had keg Cairngorm IPA and a very merry landlord (and who can blame publicans at the moment) and the menu was anything you liked so long as it was a pie! The speciality was meat!
Day Two We were still looking for a cooked breakfast as we we had a big day ahead, biking to Buckie. The Speyside Hotel was recommended by the “merry” landlord of the previous night. He was also in for breakfast and still very “merry”. After an excellent feast, we left the town by the recommended B road to Ballindalloch, across the river from the official Way as the biking over this section is problematical. After a lengthy section of disused railway track-bed, it was largely road from Craigellachie, which was OK for biking but must make for tedious walking. We managed to complete the route to Buckie as night fell that day. Previous planning with another vehicle in Buckie and we were back home that evening. A great trip with two good friends. Thanks Adele and Jim.
