PHYSICAL FEATURES. 117 



XII. THE GREAT SPEY VALLEY AXD ITS FOEESTS. 



The river Spey with its extensive valley and tributary streams 

 may be said in a general way to be enclosed by the Grampian and 

 Cairngorm mountains on the south, and by the Monadhliadth 

 mountains on the north. 



The recognised divisions of the valley are L^pper and Lower 

 Badenoch, Strathspey, and Speyside. Upper and Lower Badenoch 

 are separated, or indicated, by the narrowing of the valley above 

 Kingussie at Creag Dhubh. Lower Badenoch is the portion extend- 

 ing down from Creag Dhubh to Upper Craigellachie Eock near 

 Kinrara and Aviemore, where the valley is again hemmed in by 

 the advancing spurs of the mountains on the north and south. 

 Strathspey is the name given to the wide portion of the valley 

 which includes the great forest tracts, and reaches to the narrow 

 pass of Lower Craigellachie, which is formed by the approaching 

 spurs of Ben Einnes on the south and the Eock of Craigellachie 

 on the north. Speyside is the remaining portion between Lower 

 Craigellachie and the sea. 



Spey Valley. 



The glorious Spey rises far away to the westward among the 

 mountains which form the backbone of Scotland, gathers its head- 

 waters in the lonely Loch Spey, and thereafter is joined by 

 innumerable mountain tributaries on both light and left banks. 

 Loch Spey is only 1142 feet above the sea, and Spey runs a course 

 of 120 miles, and drains an immense area of 1097 square miles.^ 

 As is natural to suppose, niost of its tributaries rise at much 



^ Longmuir {Speynde Guide) says, * not less than 1300 square miles.' 



Some excellent remarks directly applicable to Upper Badenoch and the dis- 

 trict surrounding the sources of Spey are given in a most interesting old book, 

 A Survey of the Province of Moray, etc., Aberdeen, 1798. 



Cf. Boleskine, p. 243; and again of the hicjher valley of v. tl.o C rnoyairack 

 Pass, op. cit. p. 252. 



