Speyside Way Malt Whisky Trail - Plan Your Trip Today!

There is no better way to dive into the world of Single Malt Whisky then to embark on a distillery adventure marathon along the Speyside Way Malt Whisky Trail. If one were so fortunate as to have unlimited time & money, one could easily visit all of the distilleries along the trail. However, with the number of distilleries spotted across Speyside, if you are the average walker with a deadline, you will have to make some tough choices & decide which distilleries are going to the make the cask.

There are many companies you can have organize your walk. They book your B&Bs, organize your baggage transfer, and provide you with maps and timelines (Check out Macs Adventure or Absolute Escapes). You still have to book & pay for all of the distillery tours but the logistics are all organized for you.  However, as I am a person who gets a kick out of planning trips my own way, I decided it would be best if we carried our bags along the way and saved some money.


Not having enough time to hike the entire trail,
the way  I wanted to, I chose a specific section of the trail based on the distilleries within it and planned our hike accordingly. Typically the trail is hiked from North to South as the terrain becomes more challenging as you work your way south towards the hills. However, with the distilleries we wanted to visit, the time we had available, and the tempting Whisky Festival at the end of our week, we decided to travel it in reverse working our way North. With the basics figured out we finally had it sussed, we deciding to hike from Glenlivet to Strathisla along the Speyside Way Malt Whisky Trail for 4 days, our goal was to stop at as many distilleries as possible on the way.

In pursuit of the ultimate Speyside distilleries experience, I got hard at work to plan accordingly, doing the maths and making the calls to determine what the best plan of action would be. The key to planning your own whisky hike is using the official Speyside Way Trail Map as a guide (be sure to buy the Harvey Map). This is the only way to accurately gauge your planned mileage for each day and book your accommodation (or pick your campsites) and distillery tours accordingly. Just don't forget to be generous with your time. Sitting at a desk planning a trip, it is easy to become over zealous with your estimated mileage and pace, making it challenging for you to actually enjoy the trail as you are constantly rushing to make it to the next scheduled tour.

Once the distilleries had been selected, I booked the Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs), and then booked our tours with the distilleries. Luckily for us, three weeks out, the only tour that was fully booked was Balvenie, and now the only challenge would be putting in the miles to make it to each distillery in time for our tours!