Dul­nain Bridge Paths

Cairngorms Nation­al Park

Explore Dul­nain Bridge and Skye of Curr

Wel­come to Dul­nain Bridge

Dul­nain in Gael­ic is split into two parts with ​‘Dul’ mean­ing ​‘field or flat, open place’ and ​‘nain’ refer­ring to ​‘by the river’. Dul­nain Bridge, and the croft­ing com­munity of Skye-of-Curr to the south, retain much of their ori­gin­al char­ac­ter and take great pride in the wel­come they give to visitors.

Dul­nain Bridge Paths

A net­work of paths and tracks lead out of the vil­lage, provid­ing a vari­ety of routes to enjoy with fine views, a rich loc­al his­tory and abund­ant wild­life. Each col­our-coded route is shown on the map and there are cor­res­pond­ing way­mark­ers along each route to help guide you.

How­ever, please take a few minutes to read the path descrip­tions on the map before you set out, just to make sure that your chosen route is suit­able for you and any oth­ers in your group. You can also join paths and minor roads togeth­er to make your very own, longer, exped­i­tion route!

For inform­a­tion on paths, loc­al events, facil­it­ies and accommodation:

Vis­it­or Inform­a­tion Centres Grant­own on Spey: 01479 870 477 Aviemore: 01479 810 930

Use­ful web sites:

www​.dul​nain​bridge​.com www​.vis​it​cairngorms​.com www​.cairngorms​.co​.uk www​.walkhigh​lands​.co​.uk

If you enjoyed using ​‘Dul­nain Bridge Paths’, look out for oth­er Com­munity Paths leaf­lets to help you explore more of the Cairngorms Nation­al Park.

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Roche Mou­ton­nées – Rock Wigs!

Around 18,000 years ago Dul­nain Bridge lay deep under a sheet of gla­ci­er ice. As the ice moved along it ground down and shaped the bedrock.

The melt­ing ice left smooth, exposed rocky hil­locks. Known as Roche Mou­ton­nées, these roun­ded rocks resembled the wavy wigs or mou­ton­nées, which men wore in the 18^th century.

Find out more by vis­it­ing the site. See inner map for directions.

Croft­ing

Sir James Grant gif­ted ​‘good ground’ to loc­al people to allow them to build a croft, grow crops and keep live­stock. Skye of Curr is laid out as croft­ing land and, if you walk along the Skye of Curr road you can still see the small field patterns.

This low-intens­ity farm­ing is also bene­fi­cial for wild­life. A walk around the vil­lage can be rewar­ded with sight­ings of farm­land birds and anim­als such as gold­finches and stoats.

The ​‘col­lec­tion of imple­ments from a bygone age’ gives some idea of the effort involved in ​‘work­ing the land’.

Forests for the Future

The Forests around Dul­nain Bridge are some of the best Cale­do­ni­an pine­woods in Bri­tain. Rich in wild­life these forests are also import­ant for tim­ber provid­ing import­ant income for loc­al estates.

People of the Past

People have been liv­ing in or vis­it­ing Dul­nain Bridge for thou­sands of years. There are Pic­tish carved stones nearby and two Stone Age coffins were found in a buri­al cairn in Curr Wood.

The first stone bridge, built about 1754 was one of the few cross­ing points con­nect­ing Moray with the south and would have seen its fair share of traffic. The single-span stone arch bridge you see today was con­struc­ted in 1830 after the last flood washed its pre­de­cessor away.

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Old Laun­dry Path

A wood­land loop with a view across the river to Muck­rach Castle. See roe deer here if you’re lucky

• Short mod­er­ate slopes.
• Firm tracks and earth paths with short nar­row and uneven sec­tion that can be muddy in the winter.
• 0.5 miles / 0.75 km
• Allow 30 mins
• Mod­er­ate

Skye of Curr Trail

Loop through the forest per­fect for red squir­rel spotting.

• Short mod­er­ate slopes.
• Mostly on firm gravel tracks, short sec­tions of firm earth path. Can be muddy in winter months.
• 1 mile / 1.5 km
• Allow 45 mins
• Mod­er­ate

River­side Path

This short, cir­cu­lar route is a lovely way to explore the River Dulnain.

• Two sec­tions of steps.
• Firm gravel path with short sec­tions of firm earth path and track.
• 0.75 miles / 1 km
• Allow 30 mins
• Mod­er­ate

Curr Wood Trail

A walk through pine trees with views to the Braes of Aber­nethy and Castle Roy. Please keep gates clear.

• Short mod­er­ate slopes near view point. Firm gravel forest tracks and firm earth paths with short uneven sections.
• 0.75 miles / 1 km (1‑way)
• Allow 45 mins
• Mod­er­ate

Roche Mou­ton­nées

A short path to explore Roche Mou­ton­nées, rocky hil­locks shaped by the pas­sage of glaciers.

• Short mod­er­ate slopes on uneven nar­row earthy paths.
• 0.3 miles / 0.5 km (1‑way)
• Allow 30 mins
• Mod­er­ate