OS Champion Gee Jackson puts a pretty route from our ‘Short Walks Made Easy’ series to the test. Gee and her friends reviewed Walk 3, Nethy Bridge Circular from our Ordnance Survey Aviemore and the Cairngorms Short Walks Guidebook which features 10 leisurely walks in this stunning area of Scotland.
A Leisurely River Walk in Nethy Bridge
Moving to a new area is never easy. Thankfully, when I moved to the Highlands of Scotland I was quick to find two new wonderful friends in Yasmine and Nicole. The three of us clicked pretty quickly and spending time together is always very fulfilling – regardless of what we’re doing – but especially when we are on an adventure.
Nethy Bridge is a pretty village close to Aviemore, situated on the River Nethy and hugged by the beautiful Abernethy Nature Reserve. The community centre here has public toilets as well as a brilliant small exhibit on the history of the area, so it seemed like the perfect place to start our sunny weekend walk in early April.
Whilst it’s not the easiest to get public transport to Nethy Bridge itself, we opted for a joint approach to save time and potential logistics stress. I took the train to Aviemore where logistics queen Yasmine and chief navigator Nicole picked me up in the car to head to the community centre.
We headed east along the river after paying the £2 donation for the car park, which was well signed as the Riverside path. We all commented on how lovely it is to walk with the sound of running water, and the daffodils sparked some more conversation too. Meeting the lane that led us to a clear path into the woods, guarded by two large redwoods and lined with a beech hedge, each of us had already chosen one of the houses we’d spotted along the way as a dream home for the future.
Strolling through the heather, we took the time to point out trees we particularly admired or name a species of bird we had just spotted, and the discussion naturally led to how wonderful it is to have such lovely short walks in an area where most people focus on climbing the mountains.
These overlooked, more accessible routes are fantastic for those that perhaps don’t want to go climbing or spend the whole day hiking, but still want to enjoy the area for everything that it has to offer. Especially a walk such as this which has plenty of benches and peaceful places to pause along the way.
Nicole diligently read the notes on local nature and history from the guide book to us at relevant points. We discussed the world of fungi that lives just below our feet and the incredible ways that trees can communicate and support each other. Dell Wood easily captured our imaginations and suddenly every tree turned into something magical. Other than a slight hiccup at step 7 of the route (left instead of right!), the guide had clear landmarks to follow and the visual route-line along with the map really helped to keep us on track.
We read all the information boards regarding the logging that took place in the area close to the saw mill, and wondered how different – and noisy! – this place would have been almost 200 years ago. Rejoining the road close to the community centre it was time for some lunch and a sweet treat at Nethy House cafe to round off a delightful morning with friends.
Yasmine dropped me off at the station again and as we said goodbye, it was clear that short walks made easy routes in Aviemore and the Cairngorms were quickly going to become some favourites for catching up with the people I love.
See more Route Reviews from our award winning range of walking guide books – Guidebook Route Reviews
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