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WILDCAT TRAIL
SECTION 6 "TWO RIVERS"
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| From the village square proceed west to
the corner and turn right up Glen Road for half a mile (0.8 km) until
reaching the sign for Upper Knock. Follow the track past three houses
and fork left at the sign to Craggan. Proceed round the back of the hill
past the Craggan sheepfank. There is a signpost to Craggan, the rocky
hill overlooking Newtonmore, where there are the remains of an old stone
slate quarry from which some of the older houses in the village were
roofed. From the Craggan viewpoint you can see a panoramic view of the
village. Among the mountains to the east are Braeriach (Am Braigh
Riabhach -- the greyish-brown speckled slope) and Cairngorm (An Carn
Gorm - the blue cairn), part of the grampian massif. To the north and
west are the summits of the Monadhliath (Am Monadh Liath - the grey
mountain range). On the plinth is further information. You might spot
buzzards soaring over the moor where red grouse, curlews and peewits
breed. Deer may be seen, specially in the late evenings, and in autumn
the roaring of rutting stags can sometimes be heard. Mountain hares,
which in winter turn white, are common here. The vegetation in this area
consists mainly of moorland grasses and heathers with some blaeberry,
crowberry, bog myrtle and occasional juniper. There are signs of birch
and aspen regenerating in the fenced off areas planted by the Woodland
Trust. Before a mains pipe was laid from Loch Einich, (Loch Eanaich--the
loch of the bog), the moorland to the north supplied Newtonmore with
soft peaty water. An interesting feature is the march stones, recently
discovered nearby on the moor. They are a series of 12 or 15 large
stones or boulders that have a line and two initials carved on them - a
B and a G with an elongated plus sign between. It is thought that the
line of the stones is nearly the same as that of the boundary between
the former Banchor and Gordon estates. You can return to the village by
one of several signposted paths. Alternatively you may decide to
continue on the trail and through Strone moor to the crofting township.From the village square head
south-west along the Main Street, and turn left down Station Road.
Before reaching Station Square you will see a Wildcat Trail sign to the
right. Take care when crossing the railway by the level crossing and
continue until you reach the river bank. Turn right along the river
bank, continuing under the railway bridge and past the caravan site to
the River Spey road bridge. Walk under the road bridge, cross a style
and proceed through the trees to reach the confluence of the River
Calder with the Spey. Turn right along the top of the raised embankment
to the Calder bridge. To return to the village, turn right along the
tarmac road to the main street. Alternatively cross the road and
continue on the signposted Wildcat Trail up the Calder gorge. The land
on both sides of the railway is known as "The Acres" and was
rented by the various crofts and small businesses in the village for
cropping and grazing. The families led their cattle down the various
'cow roads' to the grazing in the summer. These families also grazed the
west end of the Dale of Newtonmore. Part of the present golf course is
on the east end of the Dale which is part of the crofting common grazings. The sheep are allowed on the golf course from November till
the beginning of April. This area is a flood plain where the course of
the river can change as repeated spates carve new passages through the
gravel and sand. Trout, eels and salmon populate the waters. Approaching
the confluence of the Calder and the Spey there is a view of Creag Dhubh
(Creag Dhubh -- Black Crag) and Glen Truim. From the Calder embankment
can be seen the Eilean, the famous pitch of the Newtonmore Shinty Club
that has won the Camanachd Cup - the premier trophy in the ancient
stick game of the Highlands - more times than any other team since it
was first competed for in 1893. Evidence of flooding can be seen
entangled in fences and trees along the river. The River Calder
embankment was built to contain the worst of the spates in late winter
and early spring. The Coffin Road indicated on the accompanying map was
so named because coffins from Nuide and Ralia were brought over the Spey
by boat and were carried thence to the cemetery by the Calder. The road
and rail bridges (and the completion of the Laggan Road in 1818) were
very important in the development of Newtonmore which in Gaelic is Baile
Ur an t-Sleibh - the new township on the moor. It developed in the early
nineteenth century along the road to the new Spey Bridge that had been
built in 1765 to the orders of the Duke of Gordon. People gradually
moved from the small farms on the periphery of the village as this type
of farming became uneconomical. They learned a trade and set up in
business. The coming of the railway in 1863 greatly increased the
expansion of the village and brought more trade and the early tourists.
The number of houses increased from about thirty in 1860 to seventy in
1880. At the Calder Bridge you can turn right, returning to the village
by the tarmac road.
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