N146 Benedict Pilgrimage Route: Kingussie - Dalwhinnie

Our path continues straight through the village - please get provisions and dinner if not done already. After about 1.5 km, the road forks; we keep straight ahead by the hotels and the Macpherson Museum (left branch, now B9150), and after another approx. 200m, turn left towards the train station. We continue straight and cross the Spey after about 800m over the bridge.

Variant for a section without asphalt (Note: This has not been checked on site, possibly fences and animals, and only partly marked as the "Wildcat Trail" hiking path): We walk a few meters right from the Roman Catholic church, turn right before the city park into Ruthven Road, cross the railway line and walk almost to the bridge over the Spey. At the junction with the small car park, we turn left onto the lower path, pass the sports field on the right, then follow the field path and path along the Spey riverside. Here we do not necessarily need to follow every meander of the river, but more or less walk straight on the paths and field roads. After about 3 km, we have to cross the stream (Allt Lairaidh) right at its mouth into the Spey and then continue about 400m further. Here at the water canal begins the marking of the "Wildcat Trail": to the right before the canal it goes through a railway underpass up in the middle of the Highland Folk Open-Air Museum. We can visit this and - if not already done - get provisions in Newtonmore. We can decide here either to continue on the main street through the village as described above or to return back down to the Spey on the marked "Wildcat Trail". At the canal's mouth, we then find a bridge on the left and continue our path along the Spey. There are still a few small waters to cross; the romantic path on the nature trail takes us once again under the railway line (Spey railway bridge) then also to the road bridge over the Spey, where there is a small ascent/side path on the right.

Roman Catholic Church Our Lady of the Rosary & St. Columba, Kingussie - Spey bridge southwest of Newtonmore: approx. 6 km

From the Spey bridge, the road continues a bit steeper with a partly separated cycle path. This time we cross the railway line and come close to the A9 dual carriageway. Our hiking path now runs 'squeezed' between the railway line and the dual carriageway for about 5.5 km. At the beginning, there is a rest station with a cafe (Ralia). Note: Do not use the ramp afterwards. Halfway, we leave the Spey valley and now walk slightly uphill in the valley of the River Truim. Note: Not far from the mouth of the Truim into the Spey, geographers have determined the center of Scotland. A huge granite stone (Centre of Scotland Stone) marks the spot. We can also feel having arrived in the center of Scotland.

We ignore further road crossings and on- and off-ramps of the dual carriageway along the way, except at the exit to Crubenberg, where we first cross the railway line (overpass) and make a small detour (not marked in the gpx data) at the left curve to the right to admire the Truim waterfall from the bridge, but also if we go down to the right before the bridge; a romantic spot.

Spey bridge southwest of Newtonmore - Junction to Truim waterfall: approx. 7 km

Back at the dual carriageway, it continues on the right side of the railway and dual carriageway almost flat, later slightly ascending after crossing the Truim. Even if the path itself is not very inviting, the view on both sides into the Highlands mountains - weather permitting - is breathtaking. On the left, we look at the peaks of Meal Odharaich (533m) and Creag Ruadh (658m) with Cam na Caim (941m) in the background; on the right, Cruban Beag (590m) and Meall Ruigh nam Biorag (544m) rise, and in the background, the (snow-covered) peaks of the Monadhliath Mountains (up to just over 1000m). We stay on the combined bike-road, which is generally lightly used, and remain on the right side of the River Truim (seen from the walking direction). It's about 7 km on this high plateau from the bridge; then, after joining road A889, we cross the railway line to the left and pass very close to the over 120 years old Whisky Distillery of Dalwhinnie. We follow the road into the small village, after the first houses we go right straight ahead to the train station, where we also find our - only - accommodation in Dalwhinnie, the "Old School Hostel". The name Dalwhinnie means in Gaelic "Meeting Plain" and refers to the location as a junction of old cattle droving routes between the mountain ranges.

Junction to Truim waterfall - Old School Hostel, Dalwhinnie: approx. 9.5 km