Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE SPEYSIDE WAY
The
Speyside Way
(
W
speysideway.org), with its beguiling blend of mountain, river,
wildlife and whisky, is fast establishing itself as an appealing and less taxing alternative to
the popular West Highland and Southern Upland long-distance footpaths. Starting at
Buckie
on the Moray Firth coast (see p.386), it follows the fast-flowing River Spey from its
mouth at Spey Bay south to
Aviemore
, with branches linking it to
Dufftown
, Scotland's
malt whisky capital, and
Tomintoul
on the remote edge of the Cairngorm mountains.
Some 65 miles long without taking on the branch routes, the whole thing is a five- to
seven-day expedition, but its proximity to main roads and small villages means that it is
excellent for shorter walks or even cycling trips, especially in the heart of
distillery
country between Craigellachie and Glenlivet; the Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Macallan and
Cardhu distilleries, as well as the Speyside Cooperage, lie directly on or a short distance off
the route.
11
surrounded by distilleries, the market town of
Huntly
has an impressive ruined castle
and serves as a useful point of entry if you're coming into the region from the
Aberdeenshire side.
GETTING AROUND
SPEYSIDE
By train
The only mainline railway stops in the area are at
Keith, twelve miles northeast of Dufftown, and Huntly.
By bus
Transport connections are poor through the area,
with irregular buses connecting the main villages.
Dufftown
he cheery community of
DUFFTOWN
, founded in 1817 by James Duff, fourth Earl of
Fife, proudly proclaims itself “Malt Whisky Capital of the World” for the reason that it
produces more of the stuff than any other town in Britain. A more telling statistic,
perhaps, is that as a result Dufftown also reportedly raises more capital for the
exchequer per head of population than anywhere else in the country. here are seven
active distilleries around Dufftown, as well as a cooperage, and an extended stroll
around the outskirts of the town gives a good idea of the density of whisky distilling
going on, with glimpses of giant warehouses and whiffs of fermenting barley or peat
smoke lingering on the breeze. On the edge of town along the A941 is the town's
largest working distillery,
Glenfiddich
(see box opposite),
here isn't a great deal to do in the town itself, but it's a useful starting point for
orienting yourself towards the whisky trail. Dufftown's four main streets converge on
its main square, scene of a lively annual party at Hogmanay when free drams are
handed out to revellers.
Whisky Museum
24 Fife St • Daily 10am-4/5pm • Free
he small, volunteer-run
Whisky
Museum
has a slightly disorganized collection of illicit
distilling equipment, most of which has been donated by local distilleries. here are
also plenty of old books and photographs to help to give visitors a flavour for the
industry's humble beginnings.
Keith & Dufftown Railway
Station Road • April-Sept Sat & Sun 3 trips daily; June-Aug also Fri • £10 return •
T
01340 821181,
W
keith-dufftown-railway.co.uk for
journey times
Restored by enthusiasts, the old Dufftown train station is now the departure point for
the
Keith & Dufftown Railway
, which uses various restored diesel locomotives to chug
forty minutes through whisky country to Keith, home of the Strathisla distillery (see
box opposite).
