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Brechin path network circuit

Brechin path network circuit


Postby KatTai » Wed Mar 30, 2016 7:52 pm

Date walked: 30/03/2016

Time taken: 4.5 hours

Distance: 21 km

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My car was in the garage today and therefore heading to further afield places was out of the question, so I decided to do something I always planned to do but never got round to - doing the full circuit of the path network going around the town where I live. I'd done every part of the path, some parts are regular walks for my dogs and I've combined parts but had never completed the whole round. I had one attempt last year, but the weather got so bad we just went home.

Today though, the sun was shining and we set of at about 11ish doing the worst bit (the walk across town and out on the road heading towards Montrose) over and done with first. That was the worst road section out of the way and just before the sewage works we left the road at a little cottage to head onto a farm track - it is signposted here, the majority of the route is well-signposted throughout just a couple of places where the signs are absent.

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Bridge over the railway line


It is an easy path to follow, turning onto a narrower gravel footpath at the big houses, and soon we were looking down on Brechin. I was taken by surprise at how busy the route was today, we rarely see anyone but today we passed a lady with two dogs, a jogger and another lady with a dog! Very busy for this part of the route. Guess the sunshine had brought everyone out.

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There is a fallen tree on part of this route, it has been there a while now but I'm sure it will get moved eventually. In the meantime, it provided some fun for the dogs who jumped over it a few times!

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Millie jumping the log


The narrow path rejoined the farm track, which was a bit muddy but not as bad as what it has been recently where it was a case of dancing across puddles and slipping and sliding all over the place. The farmers have been busy digging out their drainage ditches, so the track has been well-used recently. On the plus side, they have also been improving some sections of the path too.

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On the track - can see our route heading passed the pylon towards the trees, there is a track to the left that heads back to Brechin.


There was another lady ahead with a dog on lead, so my two were put on their leads until we crossed the road and went onto the next section of farm track to take us along to Trinity. Here there were views to the surrounding hills, would have been nice to be up there today!

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Again on this section, the farm track was good for the first part but turns muddier a bit further along when it goes through a woodland. As before though, not anywhere near as bad as it had been. Just as well really, because I'd decided to use my trail shoes for this walk and they wouldn't provide much protection from deep mud.

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Good part of the path


Approaching the farm it was lead on for Moss as there were a few ewes in the field with their lambs, most of them were in a field closer to the farm though. We were soon passed them though and she could regain her freedom.

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The path led round to the haunted bridge. I came along here with my previous dog and my aunts dalmatian (though she hadn't been dumped on my aunt at this point) and she freaked out refusing to cross the bridge, I had to put the lead on her to get her across. None of the other dogs have been bothered by this bridge, but ever since then I've called it the haunted bridge.

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We now had Trinty in our sights and we soon reached the road that ran in front of the houses.

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Trinity


We headed towards the other end of the row of houses to reach the entrance to the golf course and the next part of our route on a road through the golf course. There were a few ladies playing golf today, fortunately no one playing the new sport of foot golf though. The dogs like footballs and would have wanted to join in.

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Golf course


For the most part, the golf course was quiet and we followed the road over the A90 and passed some houses to a muddy stretch that took us down to another road. At the bottom, we turned left and headed up the road a short distance to reach a road on the right leading up to a farm. For some reason, this bit isn't signposted but there is signpost further on at a gate-fence thing to go through onto another path through some more farmland and fields of horses with Little Brechin to our right.

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Little Brechin


Then it is another short section on the road under the A90 and back into Brechin. The next turning isn't signposted, but it is the first turning to the right along a pot-hole covered road down to another farm. Just passed the farm, there is a gate through to another track. The dogs know this part well as it is probably one of our most walked parts of the route.

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It is only a short distance until we reach the road though, and from there it is another stretch on the road heading towards Aberlemno. There is a quarry on the right, and the pool there is a busy place for a variety of birds. There were still some geese hanging around there too, but mostly the very noisy black-headed gulls!

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At the side of a house is another track leading uphill, across a road onto another track and then up to another road. From there it is a short walk to reach the bit where we left the road to head towards the woods. Though there was a bit of a distraction - a bat!

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Eventually, I stopped watching the bat and we continued on. The forest has been getting felled and a new deer fence has been put up, not the best of sights. But with the trees gone, we could look down onto Brechin below.

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We deviate from the signposted route along here - the signposted route goes up to a road but there is a track through the forest so just before reaching a burn we followed a trail into the forest for a short distance to reach the other path. Means the dogs can stay off lead and have some fun running around. There are a lot of fallen trees, but the dogs have their own ways of dealing with these obstacles.

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One over, one under...


The track leads to another section of felled trees and onto a road, where we turn to head for the final section of our walk along another track and downhill to reach the river, and from there it is just a short walk back along to Brechin Bridge!

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13 miles, 4.5 hours think it is safe to say the dogs had a good walk today! Though I was glad to get my car back!

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User avatar
KatTai
Wanderer
 
Posts: 1135
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Joined: Feb 12, 2015
Location: Angus

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