Kin­gussie

Wel­come to Kingussie

The name Kin­gussie comes from the Gael­ic words ceann a ghi­uth­saich mean­ing ​‘the head of the pine forest’ and reflects its pos­i­tion near the lim­it of the Cale­do­ni­an pine­wood that once covered much of the highlands.

In an area steeped in his­tory, the ori­gin­al burgh was on the oppos­ite side of the River Spey at Ruthven, where the old roads through Drumochter, Glen Tru­im and Glen Fesh­ie came togeth­er at a ford across the river. The present Kin­gussie set­tle­ment was foun­ded in the late 18^th cen­tury by the Duke of Gor­don fol­low­ing the build­ing of a bridge over the Spey at Ralia.

Red­coats and Jacobites

Ruthven Bar­racks were built in 1719 as a response to the 1715 Jac­ob­ite rising. The site was once a medi­ev­al castle belong­ing to Alex­an­der Stew­art, the infam­ous Wolf of Badenoch. The bar­racks were besieged by the Jac­ob­ites and even­tu­ally burnt down in 1746 to stop gov­ern­ment troops from using them. Today the elev­ated site of the ruins still gives a com­mand­ing view of the sur­round­ing countryside.

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

www​.kcdc​.co​.uk

www​.kin​gussie​.co​.uk

www​.cyclefriendlykin​gussie​.co​.uk

www​.cairngorms​.co​.uk

www​.badenoch​story​lands​.com

If you enjoyed using the ​‘Kin­gussie Paths Leaf­let’ look out for oth­er Com­munity Paths Leaf­lets to help you explore more of the Cairngorms Nation­al Park.

Kin­gussie Paths

Explore Badenoch

Shinty

Kin­gussie can jus­ti­fi­ably claim to be the home of shinty, an ancient sport with links to St. Columba and the sport of hurl­ing in Ire­land. The gov­ern­ing body, the Caman­achd Asso­ci­ation, was formed at a meet­ing held in the Vic­tor­ia Hall, in Kin­gussie, in Octo­ber 1893. The cham­pi­on­ship trophy, the Caman­achd Cup, was intro­duced in 1896 and Kin­gussie were the first win­ners. In mod­ern times the Kin­gussie club still often bring the cup back ​‘home’!

If you decide to take a walk to Ruthven Bar­racks you might well see the loc­al club in action play­ing or prac­tising at the Dell.

The Rail­way

In 1863 the High­land Rail­way Com­pany com­pleted con­struc­tion of a line through the town which opened the way for tour­ists to take the high­land air and admire the wild land­scapes. The Gyn­ack Burn played an import­ant role, sup­ply­ing water to the rail­way engines after their climb through the Drumochter Pass (the highest point on the UK rail network).

Tom Baraidh

Way­marked loop around a plant­a­tion forest, offer­ing lovely views over Kin­gussie. Option­al exten­sion to Raitts, the site of an old town­ship, on an inform­al trail through fields and juni­per woodland.

Short sec­tions of mod­er­ate climb­ing. Var­ied sur­faces, some nar­row, rough and rocky but usu­ally dry.

3 miles / 5 km

Allow mod­er­ate 2 hours

Route to Raitts a fur­ther I mile / 1.5km one way.

Kin­gussie Paths

Kin­gussie has a vari­ety of routes to enjoy, from gentle strolls to stun­ning hill top view­points. Dis­tances in the route descrip­tions are giv­en as cir­cu­lar from the Ardvonie car park. In the town there are many wel­com­ing places for refreshments.

Kin­gussie and New­ton­more are linked by two paths which give a great option for a longer cir­cu­lar route. The Cur­lew trail leads across the open hill offer­ing spec­tac­u­lar views, while the Spey­side Way (approx. 2½ miles) offers a quick­er altern­at­ive route.

You can also fol­low the Spey­side Way to Ruthven Bar­racks (about I mile) and the Insh Marshes Reserve, one of the most import­ant wet­land areas in Europe (11÷2 miles).

Golf Course Circular

Cir­cu­lar walk through birch wood­land with views of Loch Gynack.

Short sec­tions of steep climb­ing with some steps. Var­ied sur­faces, some nar­row, rough and rocky. Can be muddy.

3 miles / 4.5 km Allow mod­er­ate 2 hours

Cre­ag Bheag

A hill path with spec­tac­u­lar views from the top of Cre­ag Bheag over the town of Kin­gussie, the dis­tant Cairngorms and Loch Gynack.

Long sec­tions of steep climb­ing with some steps. Var­ied sur­faces, some nar­row, rough and rocky.

3 miles / 4.5 km Allow strenu­ous 22 hours

Cur­lew Trail

A hill route to New­ton­more with stun­ning views of lochs and hills, passing an old town­ship site.

Short sec­tions of steep climb­ing with some steps. Var­ied sur­faces, some nar­row, rough and rocky.

5 miles / 8 km Allow strenu­ous 32 hours

Dis­tance and time is for one way.

West Ter­race Circular

Cir­cu­lar walk through mixed woodland.

Long mod­er­ate slopes. Nar­row earthy path with some uneven sec­tions which can be a bit muddy after rain. Includes a sec­tion of tar­mac road.

¹⁄₂ miles / 2.4 km Allow strenu­ous ¹⁄₂ hours

Gyn­ack Mill Trail

A lovely walk through the the hazel woods and along quiet roads along­side the Gyn­ack burn.

Short, mod­er­ate slopes. Mostly a smooth gravel path with some uneven sec­tions. Includes a bridge with a short flight of steps.

¹⁄₄ miles / 2 km Allow mod­er­ate 1 hour