Aviemore is on the main road and railway between Edinburgh and Inverness, so the national park is easy to reach. Speyside’s distilleries and Deeside are off the rail network: you need a car, a bus and some patience, or a tour.
Routes at a glance
| From | How | Time | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh | ScotRail train to Aviemore | about 2¾–3 hours | from around £20 booked ahead |
| Edinburgh / Glasgow | Car on the A9 to Aviemore | about 2½–3 hours | fuel |
| Inverness | Train or car to Aviemore | about 35–45 min | train around £10–15 |
| Aviemore | Car to Dufftown (A95) | about 1 hr | fuel |
| Aberdeen / Inverness | Train to Elgin or Keith, then bus to Dufftown | about 2–2½ hours in all | around £20–30 |
| Aberdeen | Bus up Deeside to Ballater and Braemar | about 1¾ / 2¼ hours | around £12–15 |
Times and prices are approximate and change with season and booking date — check operators for current timetables and fares.
By train
All Edinburgh/Glasgow–Inverness trains on the Highland Main Line stop at Aviemore, and most at Kingussie and Newtonmore; the Caledonian Sleeper from London calls in the early morning. For the distilleries, the Aberdeen–Inverness line stops at Elgin, Keith (a short walk from Strathisla distillery) and Forres. No railway reaches Dufftown, Aberlour or Deeside.
By car
The A9 brings you to Aviemore from the south or from Inverness. From Aviemore, the A95 follows the Spey north-east to Grantown, Aberlour and Craigellachie. For Deeside, the A939 climbs over the Lecht — one of the highest and steepest main roads in Britain, sometimes closed by snow between November and April — to Ballater and Braemar; the alternative from the south is the A93 over Glenshee from Perth.
Whisky without driving
The legal alcohol limit for drivers in Scotland is very low, and distilleries will not serve a dram to anyone driving. Options: join a guided whisky tour; stay in Dufftown, Aberlour or Craigellachie and use local taxis (book them ahead — there are few); use the hourly-ish Elgin–Dufftown bus; or walk a stretch of the Speyside Way between distilleries. Most distilleries will give drivers their samples in small bottles to enjoy later.
Getting around the national park
Buses link Aviemore with Glenmore, Loch Morlich and the Cairngorm ski area, and with Grantown, Kingussie and Newtonmore. Bike hire is easy to find, and an off-road path runs from Aviemore to Glenmore. For Loch an Eilein, the wildlife park and anywhere on Deeside, a car is far more convenient.
