The Cateran Trail
The Cateran Trail is a superb circular long distance route that straddles the border between Perthshire and Angus. The Trail explores this neglected corner, taking in secluded Strathardle together with parts of Glen Shee and Glen Isla. Taking its name from the maurading bands of cattle thieves known as Caterans which brought terror and bloodshed to these glens in times past, the landscapes are now a peaceful idyll.
With plenty of pubs and settlements at decent intervals, a high moorland pass with great mountain views, and good wildlife spotting opportunities it is offers a well waymarked and moderate route which can be taken at a leisurely pace over 5 or 6 days - or the 104km (65 miles) circuit can be tackled as a challenging shorter route.
| Stage descriptions | Length | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Blairgowrie to Kirkmichael | 24.25km | 6 - 7 hours |
| Kirkmichael to Spittal of Glenshee | 13km | 4 - 4.5 hours |
| Spittal of Glenshee to Glenisla | 23.5km | 6 - 7 hours |
| Kirkton of Glenisla to Alyth | 17km | 4.5 - 5.5 hours |
| Alyth to Blairgowrie | 26.25km | 6.5 - 7.5 hours |
THE CHALLENGE
The walk is well waymarked, with a mix of paths, tracks, short sections of minor road and some moorland stretches. The route is rough in places and can be very muddy in others.
ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE TRAIL
The Cateran Trail has accommodation available at the end of each stage.
Blairgowrie is a small country town with a range of bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels. There is also a good choice of shops and places to eat.
The Bridge of Cally has a hotel and shop and offers a possible place to split both the first and final stages of the walk. Nearby is a
Kirkmichael is a small village with a shop and a choice of two hotels.
The Spittal of Glenshee has 2 hotels - one a couple of kilometres off route; there is also a hostel here.
Kirkton of Glenisla is a tiny village; the pub/hotel here offers the only accommodation..
Alyth is a small town with a choice of bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels, places to eat and shops for supplies.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The Cateran Trail is a circular route and starts and finishes in Blairgowrie - a small town with bus links to the cities of Perth and Dundee. Alyth is also well served by bus.
The rest of the trail has more limited public transport. Kirkmichael and Kirkton of Glenisla both do have a service that links them back to Blairgowrie. The Spittal of Glenshee only has a post-bus, with times that are unlikely to be convenient.
Timetables for all the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.
The following users have walked the Cateran Trail:
Paul Webster helenw beth grant whitey333 JimGibson rucsacs dougcurtis brodie Paderlan deuchary markohakli coopar paulgold23 mamacgregor 1444 GEOFFCARSON cobblergreen lacacz embo636 Kerrycash zhickman BlairYompers Fraoch joe.cassidy Andy Geo slioch69 raykilhams dburness choupacha LGreenaway robertgrahamstorey angusharris frosty marcoamerika trekker53 ledgie Paracaba donald macleod johntherambler Buggiba k9rst5n Becs fastedi Gordie12 TDrexel712 RustyGuy smarijsse cali alnes Mike_R froggy tyrant2 cemills chirpol5
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User reports from the Cateran Trail
| Title | Author | Likes |
|---|---|---|
| Not so much the Cateran Trail, more of a capering fail.. | basscadet | 1 |
| Cateran trail | bootsandpaddles | 3 |
| Cateran Trail Walk | zhickman | 0 |
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