This route covers some of the most scenic points in Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, Moray Speyside and the Highlands. Depending on the time of year, you could be taking in snow-capped mountains (as we did during our visit in May), plus rugged glens, towering Munros and, of course, delicious food along the way. The route begins in the picturesque market town of Blairgowrie, and passes through Braemar, Ballater and Tomintoul before finishing in Grantown-on-Spey. Of course, you could always do it the other way, too!
The Snow Roads start from Blairgowrie as a pretty country road that cuts through some forests and farmland. At this point the A93 is nice, but nothing out of this world. That’s until you reach the edge of Cairngorms National Park – that’s when the scenery simply explodes into a gigantic amphitheatre of nature. You are surrounded by mountains on the old Military Road that snakes its way up to the top of the Cairnwell Pass. At 670m (2199ft), the pass is the highest main road in the UK, and at the summit is the Glenshee Ski Centre, Scotland’s largest and oldest ski centre.
The road up to the top is fast, fun and rewarding, but the views in all directions are so good that you might want to take it easy and enjoy the scenery. At this point it’s tempting to turn back and do that run again, but resist the temptation and carry on down the other side towards Braemar. This section of the road is even faster, even more fun, and the views are even better.
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Braemar is a good place for a little stop to let the adrenalin settle. There are nice cafés and restaurants that you can spot from the main road, so no need to hunt around.
From Braemar towards Balmoral and Ballater you’re riding through a forest, following the River Dee. This is still the A93, and it takes you Ballater, where you will take the A939 north.
Officially, the Snow Roads run 90 miles from Blairgowrie to Grantown-on-Spey, but our route takes a cheeky little shortcut, bypassing Ballater, which saves us about 10 miles and 15 minutes. Not that we do that because we are in a hurry. It adds a nice little section of narrow roads to the ride, but if you fancy popping into Ballater on your way, that works great, too.
Whichever way you go, you will cross the beautiful Gairnshiel Bridge and continue towards Grantown-on-Spey on the A939.
You are now riding over the tops of the mountains, dipping down for a bit before heading up to the Lecht Ski Centre just before you reach Tomintoul.
On the section from Tomintoul to Grantown-on-Spey, the road takes a different form again. There’s a mixture of forests, open moorland, and then a feeling that you have returned to civilisation as you get nearer to Grantown-on-Spey. The road is mostly the usual, fairly fast affair, but there are a couple of hairpins here for you to negotiate, so keep your wits about you.
From Grantown-on-Spey you can continue towards Inverness and jump on the NC500, turn the other way and join the NE250, or take our ‘Not the A9’ route back down via Aviemore, avoiding the A9 as much as possible.
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