Getting to the start
The start is Buckie, on the Moray Firth coast, and Buckie has no railway station, so every approach finishes with a bus or a taxi. The usual way in is a ScotRail train to Elgin (ELG) on the Aberdeen to Inverness line, then Stagecoach 35 or X35 west along the coast to Buckie, roughly hourly and calling at Lhanbryde, Mosstodloch, Fochabers, Bridge of Tynet and Portgordon on the way. Neither the 35 nor the X35 runs on a Sunday, and that is the single most useful thing to know about this end of the trail. The other good option is Ember's E7 electric coach, which runs seven days a week including Sundays with something like sixteen journeys a day, calls at Aberdeen Airport terminal, Huntly, Keith, Fochabers, Elgin, Forres and Nairn, and is pre-booked online. It will not put you in Buckie, but it will put you in Fochabers, which is 17 km along the route, or in Elgin for the coastal bus. Flying, Inverness (INV) is the nearer airport and has its own station (IVA) on the Elgin line; Aberdeen (ABZ) is further out but the E7 leaves from the terminal stance, which makes it the simpler of the two if the times suit.
Leaving the finish
The finish is Newtonmore, and this end is easy. Newtonmore station (NWR) is a few minutes from the end of the walk, on the Highland main line, with ScotRail trains north to Inverness and south to Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is unstaffed with no ticket office, so buy before you travel or on board. Aviemore (AVM), 32 km back down the route, is the larger station, staffed, and the one to aim for if you want the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston, which calls there. Stagecoach M39 and 39 cover the same corridor by road, Inverness to Aviemore, Kincraig, Kingussie and Newtonmore. Returning to a car left at the Buckie end is the awkward leg: train to Inverness, train on to Elgin, then the 35 bus, which is most of a day and not possible by bus on a Sunday, when the E7 coach will still get you as far as Elgin or Fochabers but nothing runs on to Buckie.
The one-way journey
This is a linear walk between two ends with very different transport, so the car question decides a lot. Nothing on the route is a confirmed multi-week car park. Moray Council lists nine free car parks in Buckie, including Cluny Place with 67 spaces, and publishes no maximum stay, which makes the Buckie end the more plausible place to leave a vehicle, but the council does not state that a fortnight is acceptable and it is worth a call before doing it. At the Aviemore end the council's own directory contradicts itself: Grampian Road appears in the long stay (over 24 hours) category, while its own record gives a 10 hour maximum. Aviemore and Newtonmore station car parks have ten spaces each, which is not something to build a plan on. The honest answer is that both ends are well enough served by train and coach that most people are better off not bringing a car at all, and the distilleries that are the reason many walk this route are hard to combine with driving anyway. On bags: no national baggage company covers the Speyside Way. AMS Scotland serves only the West Highland Way, and Sherpa Van's route list does not include this trail. The trail association says local taxi firms in the northern section will move bags for walkers, and that several accommodation providers will do it for their own guests, so bag transfer here is arranged locally, property by property, rather than booked once end to end. The exception is a packaged self-guided tour, where the operator handles it.
If you need to leave the trail early
The escape routes are good at both ends and thin in the middle. From Buckie to Craigellachie you are near the coastal 35 and X35 and, at Fochabers, the Aberdeen to Inverness trunk buses and the Ember E7, all of which reach Elgin quickly. Craigellachie and Aberlour also have the Stagecoach 36 to Elgin, Monday to Saturday, roughly every one and a half to two hours. From Grantown-on-Spey southwards you have the 337 to Aviemore, and from Aviemore on there are stations at Aviemore, Kingussie and Newtonmore plus the M39 and 39 buses. The problem stretch is the middle, from Craigellachie through Ballindalloch and Advie to Cromdale, where the only road service listed is the Stagecoach 37A, Monday to Saturday, with no Sunday service and about six journeys a day. Plan a bad day in that section around a taxi rather than a bus.
Useful access hubs
RailElgin railway station
The practical gateway to the Buckie end. Stagecoach 35 and X35 run west along the coast to Buckie via Mosstodloch, Fochabers, Bridge of Tynet and Portgordon, roughly hourly, no booking needed. Stagecoach 36 runs south to Rothes, Craigellachie, Aberlour and Dufftown, which is the useful link if you are joining or leaving the route mid way. Station postcode IV30 1QJ.
Trains year-round. The 35, X35 and 36 buses run Monday to Saturday only, with no Sunday service on any of them.CoachElgin bus station
Where the coastal 35 and X35, the Speyside 36 and 37A, the Aberdeen to Inverness trunk services and Ember's E7 all meet. A short walk from the railway station.
Ember E7 runs seven days a week. The local Stagecoach services listed here are Monday to Saturday.RailKeith railway station
An alternative railhead on the Aberdeen to Inverness line, also served by the Ember E7 coach. Further from the route than Elgin and with fewer onward buses, so use it only if the timings work better. Station postcode AB55 5GB.
Trains year-round; Ember E7 seven days a week.RailAviemore railway station
The route passes the station interchange, so no transfer is needed. Highland main line trains to Inverness, Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston calls here. Staffed during ticket office hours, with toilets, refreshments, shops, wifi and cycle storage. Only ten parking spaces. Station postcode PH22 1PY.
Year-round.RailKingussie railway station
On the Highland main line between Aviemore and Newtonmore, roughly 5 km short of the finish by road, and served by the Stagecoach M39 and 39 buses. Station postcode PH21 1JA.
Year-round.RailNewtonmore railway station
A few minutes from the end of the walk. Unstaffed, no ticket office and no refreshments, but step-free to all platforms, with toilets, a sheltered waiting area, cycle storage and ten parking spaces. Highland main line trains north to Inverness and south to Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Station postcode PH20 1AL.
Year-round.RailInverness railway station
The interchange that connects the two ends of this trail. Trains east on the Aberdeen line for Elgin and the Buckie end, and south on the Highland main line for Aviemore, Kingussie and Newtonmore. Also the hub for Stagecoach M39 and 39 buses down Strathspey and for Ember coaches east. Station postcode IV1 1LF.
Year-round.AirportInverness Airport
The nearest airport to both ends of the walk, about 13 km north east of Inverness on the A96. Inverness Airport railway station (code IVA) opened in February 2023 on the Aberdeen to Inverness line, with a short transfer between terminal and platform, which puts Elgin and the Buckie end within one train ride. Stagecoach buses also run between the airport, Inverness, Nairn and Elgin. For the finish end, take the train or bus into Inverness and change for Strathspey.
Year-round. Sources and research notes · 40 sources
- speysideway.orgOfficial association description of the route and its published length; Hillwalk Tours listed as a service provider. Note the site still describes the route as Buckie to Aviemore with the Newtonmore extension unopened.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- speysideway.orgAssociation list of rail and bus operators serving the route. Used as a lead only: several route numbers and operator names on it are out of date, so each was rechecked against current operator and open data sources.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- speysideway.orgBaggage transfer is done by taxi firms in the northern section rather than by a trail-wide operator.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- speysideway.orgAccommodation providers moving bags for their own guests; taxi firms serving walkers.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- speysideway.orgThe official start point is Buckie town centre at Cluny Square car park.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- speysideway.orgHillwalk Tours contact details as published by the trail association.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- en.wikipedia.orgRoute endpoints and length, and that the Newtonmore extension was completed, which is what our 139.4 km line follows.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgCurrent Stagecoach North Scotland service list, including 35, X35, 36, 37A, 337, 39 and M39 and their named endpoints.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgService 35 stops between Elgin and Buckie, Monday to Saturday operation and the absence of a Sunday service.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgService X35 stops and days of operation, confirming no Sunday service.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgService 36 calling at Craigellachie, Aberlour and Rothes, Monday to Saturday, roughly every one and a half to two hours, and not serving Fochabers.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgService 37A calling along the Spey valley, six journeys a day, no Sunday service, and the open data warning that it may be a closed door school or works service.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgService 337 calling at Boat of Garten between Aviemore and Grantown-on-Spey, with no Sunday service on the dates checked.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgService M39 calling at Aviemore, Kincraig, Kingussie and Newtonmore, weekday operation, a few journeys a day.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgEmber E7 calling at Aberdeen Airport, Huntly, Keith, Fochabers and Elgin, seven days a week including Sundays, and that most stops require pre-booking.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgWhich services serve Fochabers: 35, X35, 10, 10A, M96 and Ember E7.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgWhich services serve Buckie: 35, X35 and Moray Council 309.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.org37A and Moray Council 364 serving Nethy Bridge, and the Strathspey Steam Railway appearing as an operator between Aviemore and Broomhill.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- bustimes.orgThe 37A is the only listed service at Ballindalloch, which is the basis for calling the middle of the route the thin stretch.Checked 30 Jul 2026
- ember.toEmber operating across Scotland including Aberdeen Airport, and that a wheelchair or bike space can be booked free in advance.Checked 30 Jul 2026