New community-run café is perfect starting point for Loch Morlich walk
The local community took over the running of the former Forestry and Land Scotland visitor centre and cafe at Glenmore last year after a community asset transfer.
It has always been a popular spot, situated close to the beach at Loch Morlich, with the Cairngorms mountains above and the main path up Meall a’ Bhuachaille leading out the back of the car park.
The Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust is now operating the cafe everyday between 10am and 4pm, while crowdfunding for its plan of phased work to upgrade the visitor centre.
With so many inspiring trails to take from here, it makes the perfect starting point for any outing – especially with fresh coffee on tap! If you park here, please donate to the crowdfunder using the QR codes and links in the car park.
We have always thought that the cafe should be open later in the day, as we are definitely not the only ones who finish a walk and try to get in for a coffee and cake in the late afternoon only to find the doors locked!
I learned my lesson this time. After spending more than the morning cajoling the family to get out of the door, it was well after lunchtime by the time we arrived – so I popped in and got a couple of takeaway coffees for us before we set off.
There’s much more space in the cafe now, and a cosy wood-burning stove in the corner, while some of the cakes looked amazing – but I still had my sandwiches to munch as we set off on our winter walk.
We’d decided to opt for the circuit of Loch Morlich, as we hadn’t left enough time for my preferred choice of getting onto the top of Meall a’ Bhuachaille.
Heading first for the beach, we crossed the ski road and followed the markers through the beach car park then went through the trees to see the loch. There were some keen people enjoying – or should that be enduring – a cold-water dip and others just walking on the sand with the backdrop of the magnificent Northern Corries.
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At this time of year, you’d expect them to be in full winter glory, but the snow and ice even up there is patchy and intermittent; another sign of the changing climate. Still, there’s enough snow about for anybody venturing up there to need full winter kit and the associated skills to deal with whatever this season might throw at them.
The children played among the beautiful old Scots pines that line the beach as Meg and I encouraged them to make their way in the vague direction we were trying to go. Eventually the path heads away from the loch and comes to a burn, where it bends left to reach a bridge.
Crossing the Abhainn Ruigh-eunachan, which feeds Loch Morlich from the amalgamation of burns that crash down from the corries of the Cairngorm mountains high above, we followed the red waymarked route straight on.
The route soon turns left then right again to go back towards the edge of the loch at its south-eastern corner, before a short but steep climb to reach a forestry track.
Turn right here to follow the track along the southern edge of the loch, mostly high above the water and among the trees. There are a few benches on the way for a wee break and a robin that was clearly used to people being around was very keen to see if we had any crumbs as we sat for a short rest.
A bit further along, we spotted large parts of the track with areas of ice lensing – which, as I learned from a recent post from the High Life Highland countryside rangers, is natural process where water in the soil freezes as it travels upwards, forming thin layers off ice.
It’s quite destructive to roads and other structures, and we could see this from the way the sides of the track were crumbling where these ice layers were breaking away from the edge.
Keep right where a couple of tracks branch off left, and cross a bridge beside a ford (good fun to ride through on the bike) to continue on a narrower path through the trees.
When you reach a metal gate and join a wide vehicle track, take a look left up to the Lairig Ghru before turning right back towards the Glenmore road. Just before the road you cross the outflow of Loch Morlich on a vehicle bridge that gives access to Rothiemurchus Lodge.
Turn right on the far side and follow the red markers along the edge of the loch towards a forestry car park. There’s a bit of beach here that gives great views across the water to the Northern Corries again, and with a few picnic tables here it’s a good spot to stop for a final feed before the last stretch of the walk.
The marker posts lead you out of the car park and across the road to join the Old Logging Way, a popular off-road path that links Aviemore to Glenmore. Go right on the far side of the road to join that route and follow it all the way back.
At the youth hostel, stick to the road that climbs up to the left behind the building, then drop down to reach the upper part of the visitor centre car park.
If you’ve timed your walk better than us, you might even have time for a nice coffee and a slice of cake before it closes!
Route details
Loch Morlich loop
Distance 4.5 miles / 7 km
Terrain Paths and tracks, muddy in places
Start/finish Glenmore cafe and visitor centre
Map OS Landranger 36; OS Explorer OL57
A classic walk in the heart of Glenmore, taking in beach, forest and views to the mountains
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
