Tiger trail makes the purr-fect outing
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Spotting a wildcat on this walk around Newtonmore shouldn’t be too much trouble.
There are more than 100 brightly decorated models of our feline friend dotted here and there around the village and on parts of the trail.
The trouble is, that may be more than the number of the real thing remaining. A recent report from the Scottish Wildcat Association suggests there may only be 35 true wildcats alive today, with other sources agreeing their numbers are likely to be well below 400.
People in Newtonmore are certainly doing their bit to generate interest in the plight of the “Highland Tiger”. The Wildcat Experience is a fun treasure hunt for kids and adults, where you have to find as many of the model cats as possible.
Our trail is a little more sedate – but the cats certainly add some colour to what is a fulfilling and varied walk which circumnavigates the village.
There are a number of access points to the route but I took the train to Newtonmore and made a circuit of the Wildcat Trail from there. The walk is signed with a symbol of a wildcat throughout, so is fairly straightforward to follow, though I found the OS map useful for keeping track of progress.
Heading out of the station, follow the road past a few houses then turn left down a track where you see the wooden signpost directing you. Keep left in front of the memorial woodland and carefully cross the railway at the level crossing.
Hop over the stile to follow a line of trees then the edge of a field down to meet the River Spey. I decided to take a right turn here to do the circuit in a clockwise direction.
Follow the edge of the river, inside the fenced area at first, and then pass under the railway bridge and, beyond the campsite, the road bridge. Past here, you follow the River Calder, a tributary of the Spey, upstream – enjoying views to the prominent ridge of Creag Dubh across the water.
Cross the A86 at Calder Bridge, going immediately left the other side of the road to follow a good path that returns to the riverside and steeply up behind a cemetery.
The sound of tumbling waterfalls accompanies you along this stretch, and you can detour down to get a closer look – but only if you’re comfortable on very steep, uneven terrain.
Just before reaching the Glen Road, a viewpoint overlooking Glen Banchor offers a perfect opportunity for a rest to take in the spectacular panorama.
Take a right along the road until the signs point left into the woodland. Look out for a right turn in the woods before you emerge to views over the village towards the Cairngorm mountains and soon rejoin the road, where you turn left to continue.
After the cattle grid, turn left up a track which you follow out to the edge of birch woods, with open views to your left to the Munro of A’ Chailleach with its impressive east-facing cliffs. Pass a cairn in the woods then continue as the track turns to a boggy path before you reach the remains of an old hut circle.
Further on, I crossed a burn by a wooden footbridge before turning right across the grass to overlook the old crofting township of Strone. The route then crosses another footbridge beside a lovely waterfall before following the Allt Laraidh down to meet the main road just outside the village.
Turn right at the bottom and stay on that side of the road along the trail until you are beyond the Highland Folk Museum. A red squirrel darted past as I spotted a sign hidden in the hedge on the opposite side of the road. It points left down a tarmac track immediately before a white house.
Follow this straight on then over the railway after which it narrows to become a nice little path that runs alongside the golf course as it meets the River Spey again. Continue over stepping stones here and there until you reach the far end of the course, where you turn right to return to the railway station.
To go to the village centre – where there is a Wildcat Trail centre run by volunteers – turn left up Station Road then right at the main road, or simply turn right to return to the station.
After a walk like this, what else was there to do but enjoy a bottle of Wildcat ale from the Cairngorm Brewery? Well, it would have been rude not to...
