Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.
The hike
The walk starts from the car park at Inverey, on the road from Braemar to the Linn of Dee, and goes out and back. A short path joins the estate track up Glen Ey, which runs south beside the burn and crosses a bridge about 0.9 km from the car park. After about 2.1 km a short path leaves the track and ends at the Colonel's Bed, where the burn is squeezed into a narrow rocky gorge. The line turns back there. Return the same way.
It is 4.7 km (2.9 miles) with 101 m (330 ft) of ascent; allow about 1½ hours. The grade is Easy.
The gorge has steep, unprotected sides: keep well back from the edge, do not try to climb down to the water, and keep children and dogs close. The Heading for the Scottish Hills table gives Mar Estate stalking in the upper Glen Ey catchment between late July and 15 February, with none at weekends. It has no row for the lower glen, where this walk goes.
OpenStreetMap has no fee tag on the Inverey car park.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Up the lower end of Glen Ey by an estate track to the Colonel's Bed, where the burn squeezes through a narrow rocky gorge
- The gorge is a hazard: its walls are steep and unprotected, so keep back from the edge and do not try to climb down
- A quiet glen north of Inverey, with the hills of the Cairngorms around it
- Glen Ey runs on for many kilometres into remote country: this walk turns back at the gorge
Getting there
Start: Inverey car park. 56.98523, -3.50004
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Aviemore: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.
