The Ryvoan Trail to Lochan Uaine: A short family walk in the Cairngorms
Looking for a pushchair-friendly walk in the Cairngorms National Park? The Ryvoan Trail is just the thing! It’s also suitable for bikes.
The Ryvoan Trail is a loop running from the Visitor Centre at Glenmore up to An Lochan Uaine (The Green Lochan). The lower route to the lochan is a wide and level path, suitable for all-terrain prams, balance bikes and standard bikes. The upper route is more rugged and is only suitable for walkers.
Distance: 3.8 miles / 6km
Parking: You can park at Glenmore Visitor Centre which is the start of the walk. There is a charge for parking, details can be found on the Forestry Commission website.
Amenities: Toilets and a cafe are available within the Visitor Centre building at the start of the walk.
Ryvoan Trail Directions
1. Start at the Glenmore Visitor Centre. From the car park, pass to the right of the visitor centre towards the Reindeer Centre. The upper route heads left just before the Reindeer Centre. For the buggy-friendly lower route, you should continue past the Reindeer Centre on a minor road, following blue waymarker posts. The path begins about 150m along this road, rising fairly steeply to the left hand side of the road. This is actually probably the steepest part of the route, shown in the photograph below.
2. The path continues parallel to the road as far as Glenmore Lodge. There are some drainage channels and muddy puddles to negotiate, but generally the quality of the path is very good.
3. Continue past the lodge, following the blue waymarked signs on the ‘Old Logging Trail’.
4. An Lochan Uaine is a lovely spot for a picnic lunch. Watch out for the ducks though – they were very keen to pinch our sandwiches!
5. When you are ready, retrace your steps back down the trail to the Visitor Centre. The long gentle downhill is good fun for balance bikers, and a promise of hot chocolate at the cafe at the end may help to speed you along!
If you are looking for buggy-friendly walks in the Cairngorms, you may also enjoy these other routes.
