The Mack Walks: Short Walks in Under 10 km

Auchterarder Circular ()

Route Summary This gentle circuit acquaints you with the small town of , famous for its very long High Street, and nearby golf courses. You will also appreciate the fine countryside views, particularly towards the Ochill Hills. Be aware, one section adjoins the busy .

Duration: 2 hours.

Route Overview Duration: 2 hours. Transport/Parking: Fairly frequent Stagecoach bus service (#19), from Perth. Check timetables. On and off-street parking available in the centre of Auchterarder. Length: 6.870 km / 4.29 mi Height Gain: 109 meter Height Loss: 109 meter Max Height: 58 meter Min Height: 132 meter Surface: Smooth. The route takes in a mix of paved surfaces and hard- surfaced paths. Child Friendly: Yes, if used to walks of this distance and overall ascent. Difficulty: Easy. Dog Friendly: Yes, on lead on public roads and near farm animals. Refreshments: There are a number of options in Auchterarder.

Description This easy route leads us on a way-marked circuit of Auchterarder, a small town located north of the in Perth and , and home to the world famous Hotel and golf courses. At places during this very pleasant walk there are good views of the Grampian Mountains to the north and north-west, and a particularly fine view of Craig Rossie, in the Ochill Hills to the south and east. Auchterarder is an old weaving town, known as the “Lang Toun” because of the length of its High Street, which drops gently from west to east, and provides the opportunity to enjoy unusually good views of the surrounding countryside. It attracted world-wide attention and accompanying political protests in 2005 when the G8 summit was held at the 5 star and Golf complex. In medieval times, Auchterarder was known as 'the town of 100 drawbridges', arising from the narrow bridges leading from the main street across wide gutters to the doors of the houses. The name Auchterarder first appears in a royal charter of 1227. For a time, it was the most important settlement in Strathearn, and Auchterarder Castle, whose scant ruins lie to the north of the town, was used as a hunting lodge by Malcolm III in the latter half of the 11th C. A Jacobite army, under the Earl of Mar, burned the settlement to the ground in 1716, and from then, the town was always in the shadow of in terms of regional importance. However, it prospered again in a modest way due to the rise of the handloom industry in the later 18th C, and employment from textile mills in the 19th C. Golf tourism is now a major source of revenue for this very scenic area.

1 Waypoints (1) Start walk at old fountain by Post Office on the High Street (56.29642; -3.70629) The walk starts at the old fountain on the wall of the Council Buildings/Library/Heritage Centre on Auchterarder High Street, also beside the Post Office. Facing the fountain, turn left and walk up the High Street in a westerly direction.

(2) Right up Castleton Road (56.29459; -3.71204) In just over 400 m, turn right up Castleton Road. Continue walking up the pavement. (410 m)

(3) Left for Oak Walk (56.30023; -3.71904) In 800 m, go left to cross the road and enter an access road to pass Lower Borland Park Farm (soon, on your right). The walks signpost for the Oak Walk was partly fallen over, behind the wheelie bins, on the day we walked the route. Carry on up the access road in a broadly westerly direction, heading towards a house at the end of the road. (1.2 km)

(4) Veer left by house (56.29772; -3.72787) In 600 m, as you approach a house, follow a path veering slightly left to bypass the house and garden. Keep following the path as it goes over a stile. Then turn left to follow the path slightly uphill through a belt of trees. (1.8 km)

2 (5) Left onto Road (56.29151; -3.72804) In 800 m, the path meets Tullibardine Road. Turn left here to walk along the pavement. Soon, Tullibardine Road joins Orchil Road for a short distance before, itself, joining the A824 Western Road where you turn left to go along Western Road for a short distance. (2.6 km)

(6) Cross road at weaving sculpture then right for re-cycling centre (56.29251; -3.71719) In 700 m, on Western Road, stop to view the weaving sculpture in a little park on your left. There is an information board here to check out. When you are ready to move on, cross Western Road to take the access road to pass the re-cycling centre (signed). (3.3 km)

(7) Veer left down paved path (56.29142; -3.71490) In 200 m, after passing the re-cycling centre on your left, veer slightly left to take the pedestrian walkway downhill through the trees. (3.5 km)

(8) Left to follow Jubilee Walk (56.28952; -3.71296) In 300 m, at the bottom of the slope, go left to follow the signpost for Jubilee Walk. Keep following any signs for Jubilee Walk as you follow this path below the town, with the busy A9 road on your right side. (3.8 km)

3 (9) Veer slightly left beside Ruthven Water (56.29254; -3.69841) In 900 m, at a tarred road-end, veer slightly left to pass by the weir at Ruthven Water. The watercourse is on your right as you carry on, now taking the Burnside path. (4.7 km)

(10) Continue in direction marked Abbey Road (56.29373; -3.69652) In 200 m, at a signed paths junction, ignore the option to return to the High Street, and instead carry on in the direction you have been taking, now signposted for Burnside - Abbey Road. (4.9 km)

(11) Continue in direction marked Burnside to Abbey Road (56.29488; -3.69169) In 300 m, again ignore the option to return to the town, and continue taking the Burnside - Abbey Road path, soon crossing Abbey Road and walking past the former Glenruthven Mill, now the Glenruthven Business Centre. (5.2 km)

(12) Follow path up - then up and left - after Glenruthven Business Centre (56.29775; -3.68972) In 400 m, after passing the Glenruthven Business Centre on your left, take the footpath going gently uphill, then swinging left, to follow this path back to the outskirts of Auchterarder. When you arrive at a t-junction with the A824 Feus Road, turn left and walk into Auchterarder, soon arriving at the High Street. (5.6 km)

4 (13) Finish walk back at council offices and library by old fountain on the High Street (56.29652; -3.70602) After 1.3 km, you will have arrived back at the fountain beside the Auchterarder Heritage Centre, where you started the walk. (6.9 km)

5 Route Map

Links: Photos from walk Download Route Guide (PDF with illustrated Waypoints) Download GPX file (GPS Exchange Format) Access Walk on Viewranger Access Walk on Wikiloc

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