Comyn’s Road Show path on map
Start location: Glen Tromie ( NN 753 925 )
End location: Blair Atholl ( NN 876 655 )
Geographical area: Cairngorms National Park, Perth, Kinross and Stirling (part)
Path type: Medieval Road, Trade Route
Path distance: 35km
Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians
Route Description
Heritage Paths web-mapping only shows Comyn’s Road between Glen Tromie and Blair Atholl, as its section from Ruthven Barracks to Glen Tromie is included here as part of The Minigaig. However, if travelling along Comyn’s Road from end to end, it perhaps makes more sense to start from Kingussie or Tromie Bridge, than at the mapped start point, so we’ve included this section in the route description provided below.
Being such an old road, unsurprisingly many sections of Comyn’s Road may be hard to locate precisely, making for some uncertain navigation; also OS maps are contrary in where they do/don’t indicate paths. At least three footbridges have been washed away with no known plans for their replacement. Walking the route is thus a very serious undertaking: on high ground it crosses long stretches of remote, featureless terrain with no prospect of shelter; in glens at least eight crossings must be made of rivers and burns. Some were tricky even after a prolonged dry spell, usually all may prove difficult. This route should be given respect, undertaken only by fit and experienced walkers confident in navigation and river crossings, and due regard made to weather forecasts and recent rainfall.
From Kingussie, walk to the ruins of Ruthven Barracks where a farm track heads south for about 2km until a slightly overgrown track goes to the right. This improves after a short distance when a more used track comes from the left and this runs as far as NN758956 on the west side of a knoll. From here, the route heads through the col east of Sròn na Gaoithe, then heads south by Carn Pheigith to Glen Tromie. The historic route stayed on the west side of the River Tromie until the Allt na Fearna just beyond Bhran Cottage. However, the west side of the river has no obvious path; rough ground and dense vegetation make for difficult going. OS mapping shows Dalriach Bridge (NN753923), but it’s long gone, so only if the water is low, cross the river and follow the gravel road to Bhran Cottage. This point can be reached more easily by instead starting from Tromie Bridge and walking up Glen Tromie on the tarred road.
Just after Bhran Cottage, a gravel track fords the River Tromie, but this ford is large and potentially dangerous, even in lower water levels; unfortunately the OS marked footbridge at NN755911 no longer exists as an alternative. The ford over the Allt na Fearna is smaller. The landrover track leaves Glen Tromie and climbs Druim an t-Seilich, deteriorating into a peatier track onto Maol an t-Seilich, continuing as an ATV track rising slightly, then becoming a narrow footpath. Even this disappears on the descending traverse of the steep slopes of Bogha-cloiche, so the best option is to descend towards the loch where it is possible to pick up a pony track from Maol an t-Seilich to Gaick Lodge – not always distinct but marked occasionally by small cairns, making for much easier passage across the hillside.
Once the southwest end of Loch an t-Seilich is reached, the crossing to Gaick Lodge depends entirely upon the water levels in the loch (controlled at the dam at the north end) and its inflows. Our surveyor found it possible to walk dry across the shore of the loch, but in different conditions it may be necessary to ford the burn nearer the lodge (older OS maps show a footbridge at NN754848, but this too no longer exists).
Once across the river, a good track leads by the lodge and south to the Allt Gharbh Ghaig, coinciding with part of the Gaick Pass route. At NN758835, just before this river is forded, the two old routes diverge and instead of crossing, Comyn’s Road heads left upriver following a track. This track crosses the first burn (with footbridge), then crosses two outflows of the Allt Domhainn neither of which had much water when encountered on this survey, but could potentially be difficult in wet weather. There are ATV tracks which make reasonable going on both sides of the burn. It’s possible to stay on the northeast side to the bridge at about NN774819 and cross to the west side, but this will still mean crossing the Allt a’ Chapirnich at NH775818.
Once across, Comyn’s Road is immediately picked up climbing a zigzag and traversing the steep slopes above the burn onto the plateau of Bac na Greige. With some care, the old road can be followed and has a number of cairns on it until, on Bac na Greige, a small upright stone appears to mark the crossing point on the plateau. From there, the route is less obvious until picked up more clearly on the descent to Feith na Mad where it fords the burn then climbs the slope. Again, the road is not really obvious on this stretch, but skirts the west side of a small top, Carn an Fhiadhain, before it can be found descending to a ford on Allt a’ Mhuillin on the west side of Sròn a’ Chleirich – as this ford is at the top of a steep gully which has eroded over time, a slight detour upstream makes the crossing easier and safer. The road can then be found rising across the slopes of Sròn a’ Chleirich, west of the summit. It starts to descend the south shoulder before disappearing.
Alternatively, from Bac na Greige, given dry ground and good visibility, our surveyor found it far easier to cross the fairly level col and head directly to the trig point on Sròn a’ Chleirich.
From Sròn a’ Chleirich, a good ATV track starts to descend the south shoulder to avoid the steeper descent, then curves more easterly to descend at the sheilings. Crossings of the Allt a’ Chire Mhòir were found easy when little water, but may again be difficult otherwise.
From the sheilings, a grassy track leads a short way northeast, fords the Allt a’ Chire Bhig, then heads uphill and southeast as a gravel track to Clunes bothy (non-MBA). From the bothy, the route continues southeast across open ground, but the start of the track is not easy to find. Our surveyor suggests walking c.100m up an ATV track which appears to head too far east, then walk on a bearing for Cuilltemhuc. The route is vague and narrow in places, there is one large but mostly flattened cairn; if not found before the craggy high point, the track runs directly on the south side of this. To descend to Cuilltemhuc (locked), the route crosses the main Glen Bruar track, then heads to the Bruar Water with its very shallow ford, although if the river was too high to cross the Bruar track could be followed instead to Calvine. Comyn’s Road continues by Ruichlachrie (demolished) until it meets another estate track at the forest edge. Turning left this leads southeast by Glen Banvie, directly to Blair Castle and the village.
ScotWays volunteer, Colin MacLennan, has kindly written an account of his 2026 surveying trip, so if you wish to walk the route yourself we suggest reading it too. Thanks also to John Davidson’s 2018 article A Minigaig Adventure which gives an idea of what to expect on the first section of Comyn’s Road from Ruthven to the River Tromie.
OS Landranger 43 (Braemar & Blair Atholl) & 42 (Glen Garry & Loch Rannoch area)
Last Surveyed: August 2026
Heritage Information
Comyn's Road is an old route, little used for centuries. The Comyn family held the earldom of Atholl and the Lordship of Badenoch, and this route was built in the thirteenth century to link their castles at Blair and Ruthven. It originally took wheeled carts and is traditionally said to have been used for the transportation of ale from Atholl to Ruthven. The Pont texts (Pont maps c1583-1614) refer to Comyn's Road thus: "Ther is a way from the yet of Blair in Athoil to Ruffen in Badenoch maid be David Cuming earle of Athoill for carts to pass with wyne, and the way is called Rad-na-pheny or way of wane wheills, it is layd with calsey in sundrie parts". Walter Comyn is thought to have met his end in 1258 on the plateau of Bac na Greige - falling from his horse, which galloped away severing his leg and leaving his body by the road. The story is told in Sir Walter Scott's Rob Roy. By the seventeenth century Comyn's Road seems to have been superseded by the Minigaig to the east and the route through the Pass of Drumochter (now the A9) to the west.
