Abernethy Forest
This splendid forest and nature reserve in the Cairngorms has miles of good walking trails to try. This circular walk starts from the RSPB forest lodge and takes you along the woodland trails along the River Nethy. You can extend your walk further into the expansive forest and visit a series of pretty lochs and streams. The reserve is a fantastic place for wildlife with Ospreys and red squirrels to look out for.
The forest includes the beautiful Loch Garten with an Osprey Centre where you can observe the birds nesting in the Caledonian pineforest and view the birds on the live CCTV camera. It's a splendid area with the Cairngorms Mountains making a great backdrop.
Postcode
PH25 3HA - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsAbernethy Forest Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map
Abernethy Forest Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map
Abernethy Forest OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Abernethy Forest Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
Head to the nearby Nethy House Cafe & Rooms for some post walk refreshments. The cafe offers a wide range of home baking, breakfast rolls and light lunches. There's free parking for guests and a nice decking area outside for eating or relaxing with a book, coffee or glass of wine. The cafe is also provides accommation and is dog friendly if you have your canine friend with you. You can find it at Nethy House, Nethybridge with a postcode of PH25 3EB for your sat navs.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
A few miles to the west there's more peaceful waterside walking around the beautiful clear waters of Loch Vaa. The epic a href='/routes/home.nsf/routeslinkscycle/speyside-way-walking-and-cycle-route'>Speyside Way can also be picked up near here, at Boat of Garten. If you were to follow the shared cycling and walking trail north east you could visit the nearby town of Grantown On Spey. There's riverside trails along the River Spey and peaceful woodland in Anagach Woods on the northern side of the river. The pinewoods are a good place to look out for wildlife including Capercaillie and red squirrels. To the north of the town you'll also find the peaceful Lochindorb. The loch has a good walking and cycling path running along its eastern side. From here you can enjoy views across the water to the ruins of Lochindorb Castle which sits on an island in the centre of the loch.
In nearby Nethy Bridge you can enjoy a pleasant riverside walk along the River Nethy.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Cairngorms Walks page.