Walks near Inverness by train

Speyside Way through the forested fringe of the Cairngorms National Park, great mountain views, Aviemore to Boat of Garten on the Strathspey Steam Railway.

Warnings: Highland weather is changeable; bring layers and waterproofs.

Walk details: ScotRail (tips).

A beautiful walk along well maintained paths through native Caledonian Forest; classic Highland landscapes; a delight. A beautiful walk on well-maintained gravel paths through native Caledonian pine forest, heather and conifers, following the Speyside Way, forest trails and minor roads and with the Strathspey Railway for company on the first section. Easy and well-suited to bikes. Follows the Speyside Way and Cycle Route 7. Boat of Garten at the halfway point has cafes and good facilities. The relic of the old bridge at Carrbridge is worth seeing.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 4h30–9h30

Lunch: A couple of cafes at Boat of Garten, midway, and a cafe and shop at Carrbridge.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Lots of lovely nature to enjoy. Largely follows a well-maintained, signposted multi-use trail in good condition, on quiet paths beside a minor road, through RSPB woodland and pleasant riverside stretches and with some road walking. Easy and clear going throughout. Largely follows the Speyside Way national trail, diverging from it in places. The RSPB Insh Marshes reserve has a visitor centre with a bar/cafe.

Woodland: a third under tree cover.

Time: 6h30–13h

Lunch: Visitor centre with a bar/cafe at the RSPB reserve roughly mid-route.

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a third of the walk.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A long, pleasantly rural route mostly on asphalt along quiet back roads, with forestry, heather and farmland and occasional houses. A short off-road footpath at Dyke may be wet or muddy. Passes through the restored site of Kingsteps Quarry. A bus stop at Brodie has a good service to Nairn, Inverness, Forres, Elgin and Aberdeen.

Time: 4h30–9h30

Lunch: Brodie Castle has a cafe (check opening days and times).

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 3h–6h

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A farm track that becomes a country road, then a useful cycle path beside the road after Evanton. Mostly easy and swift walking on hard surfaces and with a fair amount of road and some traffic. Covers part of the John o'Groats Trail from the Cromarty Bridge to Alness; see jogt.org.uk for the full Trail route.

Time: 4h30–9h30

1 lunch spot: Cornerstone Café

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a quarter of the walk. The country road carries a fair amount of traffic, though it is wide enough for safety with generally good sight lines.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Reverse direction: Railwalks.

Time: 6h–12h30

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Time: 4h30–9h30

Warnings: Follows a busy road for two fifths of the walk.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Woodland: half under tree cover.

Time: 5h30–11h30

Warnings: Follows a busy road for a fifth of the walk.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

A wonderful natural landscape with plenty of wildlife; some splendid isolation and views over the moors in Badenoch. A long, remote walk through wild Badenoch moorland in two distinct sections: a narrow tarmac road with light traffic from Dalwhinnie, then General Wade's military road across open moorland and through woodland, where the track becomes grassy and indistinct. A few boggy areas and streams to negotiate and plus two crossings of the A9. No facilities; splendid isolation and moorland views. Follows General Wade's military road across the moor. A remote area with no facilities along the way; abundant wildlife including birds, dragonflies and damselflies. Crossing the A9 twice; cyclable on a hybrid or mountain bike.

Time: 6h–11h30

Lunch: No facilities along the way; come fully provisioned.

Warnings: The first section follows a narrow tarmac road with no footpath. The moorland path is indistinct in places, so careful navigation with GPS and map is needed at junctions. Two crossings of the A9 trunk road. A few boggy areas. No facilities the whole way.

Walk details: Slow Ways.

Climbs out of Alness past a golf course onto the Scotsburn Road, then is intended to follow forest tracks; in practice much of the marked forest route is impassably overgrown or blocked and leaving a long stretch of tarmac road with fairly frequent traffic. Closely follows the John o'Groats Trail; see jogt.org.uk for additional route descriptions.

Woodland: two fifths under tree cover.

Time: 6h–11h30

Warnings: The marked forest paths are blocked or impassably overgrown in places, and a gate at Scotsburn Farm was locked; walkers may end up on the road for most of the route, which is all tarmac with fairly frequent vehicles.

Walk details: Slow Ways.