Scotland's Great Trail · Scotland

Speyside Way

165 km (102 miles), in Scotland, through 1 national park.

Data compiled by Ryan — sources and method

Route from OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Coastline, borders and national park boundaries from the Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Summits from the Database of British & Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0).

Distance: 164.8 km
In miles: 102.4 mi
Day stages: 8 at ~20 km
Typical trip: 6–8 days
Countries: Scotland
National parks: 1
Listed summits within 2.5 km: 0

Scotland's Great Trail

One of the 29 routes designated by NatureScot as Scotland's Great Trails — largely off-road, well-managed long-distance routes that are signposted and mapped end to end.

How long it really is

We measure Speyside Way at 164.8 km (102.4 miles), computed by walking the OpenStreetMap route geometry point by point . The route is tagged in OpenStreetMap as 207; where that differs from our figure, the difference is usually alternative sections, spurs, or a published distance that rounds.

No ascent in this figure

This is horizontal distance only. Our trail dataset carries no elevation profile, so we will not quote a total climb or a confident walking time — on hill routes ascent can add hours a day. A flat-ground pace gives roughly 39 h 20 min of walking for the whole route, which is a floor, not an estimate. Add your own ascent figure in the walking-time calculator for something usable.

Access rights along the way

The route stays within Scotland, so one access regime applies along its length.

Scotland

Yes Right to roam: Statutory right of responsible access to most land and inland water.

Yes Wild camping: Wild camping is broadly lawful under the 2003 Act.

Full access rules for Scotland

A waymarked route is a route you may walk — it does not follow that you may camp beside it, leave it, or take a dog on it. Long-distance paths cross farmland, estates and access land in turn, and byelaws and seasonal restrictions override the general position. This is general information, not legal advice. Check a specific spot with the access checker.

National parks on the route

The line passes through one national park, each with its own byelaws and camping position.

Cairngorms

The route in day stages

Speyside Way cut into 8 stages of roughly 20 km, measured along the line itself. These are equal-distance splits computed from the geometry, not an official itinerary — they will not always land on a village, a bunkhouse or a station, and the real day you walk should be set by where you can sleep.

This route is mapped in 2 separate pieces

OpenStreetMap does not hold Speyside Way as one continuous line, so the stages below run through the pieces in order of length and the joins between them are not walking distance. Treat the stage boundaries as approximate, and check the official route for the sections between them.

Day stages of the Speyside Way at roughly 20 km each
Stage	Distance	Cumulative	Starts near	Ends near	Flat-ground time
1	20.1 km	20.1 km	NJ 4247 6561	NJ 3378 5607	4 h 25 min
2	20.4 km	40.5 km	NJ 3378 5607	NJ 2619 4271	4 h 29 min
3	20.1 km	60.6 km	NJ 2619 4271	NJ 1425 3429	4 h 25 min
4	20.1 km	80.7 km	NJ 1425 3429	NJ 0361 2631	4 h 25 min
5	20 km	100.7 km	NJ 0361 2631	NH 9134 1534	4 h 24 min
6	20.1 km	120.8 km	NH 9134 1534	NH 8316 0208	4 h 25 min
7	20.7 km	141.5 km	NH 8316 0208	NJ 2086 3368	4 h 33 min
8	19 km	160.5 km	NJ 2086 3368	NJ 1687 1874	4 h 11 min

Positions are 8-figure (100 m) OS grid references for points on the line, computed from WGS84 coordinates. Flat-ground times are Naismith at 5 km/h with a 6 min/hour rest allowance and no ascent — add the climb in the walking-time calculator before you plan around them.

Conditions on the route

Weather at the route midpoint live

Loading forecast for the midpoint of the route…

Forecast for the midpoint of the Speyside Way, at MET Norway's own ground level — we hold no elevation profile for this route, so nothing here is altitude-adjusted, and conditions vary considerably end to end on a route this long. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).

Daylight at the midpoint today

Sunrise: —
Sunset: —
Daylight: —
Civil twilight ends: —

Computed astronomically for 57.365, -3.507. Set a turnaround with the daylight safety planner.

Plan this walk

Walking-time calculator — add ascent, terrain, pack weight and fitness to get a usable time.
Pack-weight calculator — multi-day routes live or die on base weight.
Kit-list generator — season and terrain aware.
Access checker — what a specific grid reference on the route allows.
Best month to walk — historical rainfall, temperature and wind by area.
Safety notes — conditions change fast; build in margin.

Other long-distance paths nearby

Sources for this route

Distance, stages, country crossings, park crossings and summit proximity: computed by OpenFell from that geometry.
Boundaries: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Summits: Database of British & Irish Hills v18.3 (CC BY 4.0).
Official route website: www.speysideway.org
Background reading: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database Licence. Our derived trail measurements are published under the same terms — see data sources.