The Birks of Aberfeldy circuit

Walk distance : 14 miles
Total ascent : 2,231 feet
OS Map : Dunkeld, Aberfeldy & Glen Almond
Difficulty rating : 2 out of 5

As Winter 2010/11 is still biting I decided it's still a bit early for me to get another Munro under my belt and I'm also planning a few long distance walks this year. So, I figured it's best to get a lot of full day walks on the go, that way my feet get used to the pounding they will no doubt receive.

Out of the places in Scotland I've visited I've always been taken with Perth, it's the kind of place I could retire to when the time comes as I find it the perfect picture postcard idea of Scotland. What better walk to go on than one The Bard was so taken with, he wrote a song about it !

The Birks of Aberfeldy are a series of waterfalls in the picturesque burgh of Aberfeldy on the River Tay, the circular walk passes through the birks and up into the bleak grouse mooreland of the Kenmore Hills then down into some fetching forests on the Tay valley and also takes in some of the unmarked Rob Roy Way (more on that later).

There is a car park at the foot of the Birks and the path is very easy to spot. Follow the path and take in the sights and sounds of this wonderful area and look for the indicators of where Burns drew his inspiration from.

The path heads up pretty steeply to the impressive Falls of Moness, cross over the bridge and follow the sign for the Urlar Road on the left. I've not seen many waterfalls in my life if I'm honest, so it doesn't take much to get to my number 1 spot but so far this is in the lead.

Once over the falls the road forks, continue on to the right through the forest. At this point I almost literally bumped into two deer that ran about 15-20 feet in front of me, a bit too quick to get a decent picture but I managed a couple of blurry snaps.

When you come to the road continue right and you'll soon see Urlar farm, there is a sign for walkers taking them on a path to the left of the farmhouse and round the farm yard. Follow this on to the bleakness of the Urlar Moors. 

 

This section is very straightforward, just follow the land rover track until you come to a Lochan witha hut. It's here you'll get great views of the Ben Lawers range and Schiehallion. Even though I've climbed a few Munro's in Lawers and Schiehallion I was quite struck just by how huge mountains are (albeit small ones in the grand scale of things).

Follow the path until you reach the road, go through the gates and then turn right, then follow it downhill. 

You will soon come to a very quaint cottage with a gate right next to it. Go through the gate and follow the road, avoiding the sheep until you see the sign for the Rob Roy Way, follow that. I got a bit confused with this section, I'd expected a straight forward path which there was but I hadn't charged my GPS & the batteries were dying so I decided to make my own way, I'd recommend you get some proper routes planned before doing this section.

A very enjoyable walk all in all. A mix of all types of scenery Scotland has to offer and a good physical walk also, well recommended (just take a map!)