4 Favourite Summer Walks
There’s never really a bad time for walking in Perthshire, but some can be more pleasant than others. Perhaps unusually, summer isn’t always up there for me, I prefer a spring or autumn walk when it’s not too hot, there’s no midges to worry about and my hay-fever isn’t bothering me. Having said that, on a really hot day there’s something incredibly inviting about a a cool stream of water amid a shady, leafy woodland. So in this article, we’ve put together four of our favourite locations for a refreshing stroll:
Den o’ Alyth
Just a brief drive outside the lovely little small town of Alyth, this walk has a convenient car park and well-kept path, though it can be muddy in places, especially if the weather has been wet. After a short slope downwards, past a children’s play park and grassy area, the path takes you along the Alyth Burn, the same one that also runs through the town itself.
The first ‘landmark’ of the walk is a wooden bridge, which is a kind of cross roads—you can continue along the same way, go over the bridge and walk on the other side, or go upwards. We usually choose to go straight on, continuing along the burn side, but it really doesn’t matter too much, as there’s another bridge later on, and one at the end, so you can go in a kind of giant figure of eight. It’s also great to have the option of doing it slightly differently on your next visit.
This is such a lovely walk, and it’s suitable for most abilities, being fairly flat and not too long, although it’s also very easy to shorten if needed. It also in our experience tends to be less busy than the likes of the Hermitage, the main people you meet being locals walking their dogs.
Birks of Aberfeldy
No visit to Aberfeldy would be complete without a walk round this scenic beauty spot, made famous by Robert Burns. Not only is it shaded by the beautiful trees that give it its name, some waterfalls are so close to the path that you can feel the refreshing spray as you navigate the steps past.
Deep green ferns fringe much of the walk, and there’s some rather exciting bridges and good views of some still, clear pools where you can watch little trout feeding on the insects that hover over the water. The cool stone of the nook where Burns’ supposedly sat to compose his song is also rather magical.
In general this is a fairly straightforward circular walk, although upward, with steps on one side and a quite gentle slope on the other, so you can choose which one to go up or down. A visit to Aberfeldy town afterwards for a coffee is always rewarding.
Black Spout
The Black Spout walk in Pitlochry has some limited parking at its base, but on busy days it may be necessary to walk a bit further. It’s then a reasonably steep but short climb to the Black Spout waterfall, and definitely worth it. There’s a great viewpoint with seating and the high, narrow, rushing stream of water is totally mesmerising.
If you’d like to turn this into a longer walk, you can continue on to the lovely village of Moulin, which is a bit higher but has a great pub. Another option is to head into Pitlochry for coffee, lunch, or an ice cream.
Falls of Bruar
The Falls of Bruar are located just outside Blair Atholl. The walk starts at the river next to the House of Bruar, where there’s ample car parking available, and you can even pop in to the cafe there for coffee and a warm up after your walk if you wish.
While reasonably steep, the walk isn’t particularly long, perhaps about 3 miles, and can be done either as a circular walk, or by simply walking up and back down again the same way. The walk has several viewing platforms, bridges and benches on the way to make the most of the beautiful views on offer, and you’ll also spot the remains of a Victorian viewing point.
The waterfall is surrounded by a variety of trees, something which we can perhaps thank Robert Burns for. After visiting in 1787, he wrote his poem The Humble Petition of Bruar Water to the Noble Duke of Atholl, (catchy!) which basically asked for trees to be planted along the water’s banks. The Duke at the time didn’t actually do this until after Burns’ death, but it quite possibly put the idea into his head.
We hope you enjoy a refreshing wander round a Perthshire woodland one hot day this summer!
