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Hello Friends,

We began our day with a delicious breakfast at the Strathallan Guest House in Grantown on Spey. Then, we loaded up our suitcases (which would be transported to our next b&b by someone else) and the backpack that we would carry for our big day of walking to finish the Speyside Way.

The first leg of the trip was the walk from Grantown to Nethy Bridge, about 6 miles.
Gate Count: 21
Slug Count: 1

This was a fairly easy walk, along the disused rail line-- a little greener, and a little softer than the earlier part of the trail that we walked. Although mostly cloudy, we experienced no rain.

We stopped for lunch in a small town called Nethy Bridge, just before noon. We ate at the delightful Nethy House Cafe.

We started the second leg of the day at 1:00, walking from Nethy Bridge to Boat of Garten, about 5 miles. We rolled into Boat just around 3:00. Our best and fastest walk of the trip! This was a nice part of the walk, with more trail-like conditions. We walked through some nice forest area, including a little field of Christmas trees. It rained a bit, but other than that, was quite pleasant.

Our plan was that once we arrived in Boat, we would look into the adorable steam engine train that we had seen advertised. We learned that the next train for Aviemore was scheduled for just after 4:00. So, we took a few minutes to check out the very small town and then popped into the Boat Hotel and Pub for a pint and to celebrate the near finish of our big walk. While we were at the pub, we bumped into one of the Speyside walkers we had met at the hotel in Ballindalloch. She agreed that the trail mileage is woefully understated. She had done one of the other big walks and found that the mileage was right on track.

We took the adorable train from Boat of Garten to Aviemore and arrived in Aviemore around 4:45. Aviemore is sort of like the North Conway of the Scottish Highlands-- more touristy, more shops, and a range of outdoor activities on offer. We found our b&b for tonight and tomorrow night, settled in and then found a restaurant for dinner.

Here we are at the end of the Way:

Unfortunately, there is no "You've Finished!" or "Congratulations, You're Done!" Sign. May we'll put that in the suggestion box, if we find one.

And, now it's time for bed. We are exhausted!

Slainte,
Susan