An early morning train got me into Newtonmore just before 10am on a sunny morning. The station is on the outskirts of the village so it was a short walk up to the Main Street where I picked up some items from the shop in the garage for my lunch and set off towards Aviemore. There is no visible start line at Newtonmore yet as the walk hasn't been extended that far yet so my timings just started from a point along the Main Street. The first 3 miles to Kingussie were a gentle stroll along the cyclepath that runs alongside the road, giving some nice views of the surrounding hills.
The path was so flat that I was in Kingussie within an hour but it doesn't go into the village centre so pick up your lunch/water in Newtonmore where you pass two shops rather than having to walk the extra in Kingussie. I turned right following the signs for Ruthven Barracks and the Badenoch Way along a road, the ruins looking quite impressive sitting up a small hill. Shortly after this at a car park, you come off the road and this is where the Badenoch Way starts.
The Way goes through woodland on a nice path which was dry today with nice views all around when you got clear bits through the woodland. There is a seat in one of the clearings where I took a few minutes out to enjoy the scenery and have a break before setting off again, through the woodland, a bit of a road and then more forest until the path headed down to the shores of Loch Insh.
The path follows the shores for a little while before heading up and away from the water before heading back towards the bridge that takes you over to Kincraig. There is a small shop here with seats outside it so it seemed the ideal place to have another break as there is just 6 miles from here to Aviemore. Kincraig is where I'd see my first Speyside Way sign pointing towards Aviemore.
A nice new gravel path took me up and down through the woodland and then it followed the railway line most of the rest of the 6 miles. The path was new and smooth so it was fast walking but there were only small glimpses of scenery and then the path followed a line of pylons, not exactly breathtaking. I could hear the road to the left getting noisier as I got nearer Aviemore which meant the end of my first day was near too as my Hostel was at the near side of Aviemore.
I got to the Hostel, there was only one more person in the Dorm that night which surprised me as I thought a Friday night in Aviemore would be busy but I guess October isn't that popular. I had a wander into the town itself and got some food for tea and just look at the many outdoor clothing shops along the main road.
Today had been a nice relaxing days walking, with nothing much to tire you out as the paths were mainly new and level, meaning you could enjoy the scenery as you walked without tripping over loose rocks or branches of trees. A mixture of cyclepath, woodland trail, roads, forest track and the new 6 miles of new path from Kincraig to Aviemore. I enjoyed my night in the Hostel, knowing the remaining 3 nights would be in my small tent, I just hoped the weather would be as good as it had been today.
Click here to go to Day 2 of the Speyside Way - Aviemore to Grantown On Spey
