• June 19th, 2018
• 18.9km | ascent 305m | descent 343m
• Pagoda Guest House, Aberlour, £40

Aberlour Distillery – this was at one end of Aberlour (and the Walker’s shortbread factory at the other), but all tours were full for the day so I could only visit the shop. I called around a few distilleries (Macallan, Balvenie…) and Glenfiddich was the only one with tours available, thus the walk over to Dufftown. I was planning on having an easy day but after the ‘once an hour’ bus passed me, I ended up walking the full loop back to Aberlour via Craigellachie.

The public footpath from Aberlour to Dufftown

This circuit (and a live track you can follow on your phone) is on the Walking Highland’s site, called the Dufftown, Craigellachie and Aberlour circuit. I did have to check it at a couple of junctions when I was unsure which way to go.

The public footpath from Aberlour to Dufftown

The public footpath from Aberlour to Dufftown

First view of Dufftown from the public footpath from Aberlour to Dufftown

Dufftown views from the public footpath from Aberlour to Dufftown

Dufftown, the home of whisky

Glenfiddich Distillery is located a few minutes’ walk out of Dufftown and it was a very educational tour (for someone who knows nothing about whisky!)

Balvenie Castle, just a stone’s throw from Glenfiddich Distillery

There’s a bus stop opposite the distillery so I thought I may as well check the timetable, just in case there was one on the way… if there was, I would take it back to Aberlour and have a relaxing afternoon. If not, I would walk the loop. Unbelievably, there was a bus due in three minutes so I waited, and waited and waited. After 15 minutes I figured it must’ve come early, so slightly begrudgingly I walked on, and you guessed it, now I was on the wrong side of the road, the bus whizzed past!

Dufftown station – the path from here to Craigellachie, then onto Aberlour follows an old railyway line

The interesting ‘Siding’s cafe’ inside an old train carriage at Dufftown station

Following an old railway line between Dufftown and Craigellachie

In Craigellachie, I took a small detour to visit Thomas Telford’s Craigellachie Bridge, opened in 1814.

A good selection of whisky at the Spey Larder in the main street of Aberlour

Sampling a whisky flight after dinner at the Mash Tun pub in Aberlour. I’d tried to come here the night before but it was full (even on a Monday night!) so I’d made a reservation for tonight and had a lovely dinner.

Not the Speyside Way – Dufftown, Craigellachie, Aberlour loop walk