This circuit rises steeply from the pretty village of Alyth to the top of the Hill of Loyal and then the Hill of Alyth both of which have great views over the Sidlaw hills and into the southern Cairngorms.
Bog Factor
Tracks, moorland path, some rough and boggy sections.
Alyth village centre.
Bus service to Alyth.
NO246485
There is parking in the centre of Alyth, a pretty village with Alyth burn running through the middle. It looks particularly good in the evenings in the run up to Christmas when lights are strung across the water. The centre was a scene of flash flooding in 1998 when branches and tree trunks cascading down the burn and caused flooding of many buildings and houses. Start by crossing the burn from the main square and heading north along the east side of the burn, passing the Alyth Hotel, a shop and the Alyth museum (open Weds - Sat summer only). Where the burn and the road diverge there is an old mill and stone bridge.
Continue along Toutie Street and up the steep road and turn right into Hill Street at the top. Bear left into Loyal Road following the green signs for the Cateran Trail (a long distance path that starts in Blairgowrie). The road passes the entrance to the Lands of Loyal Hotel; keep on up the hill, passing a couple of fine houses on your left. Go through a metal gate to continue along the straight track uphill. This section is steep but the views back over Strathmore and towards the Sidlaw hills improve all the time.
The gradient eventually eases and the crest of the hill is reached, where the track ends at three gates. Take the one on the right to make the rough and pathless detour (which can be omitted) to the top of the Hill of Loyal. Through the gate, keep left to cross a burn and boggy patch. After around 50m diverge from the fence and head NE through the trees, following a rough ATV track, always heading uphill (ignore a fork right). Soon the trees give way to gorse - with a boggy path leading through - and then heather and grass. The summit of the hill is indistinct but has great views. Continue east - aiming just to the right of a small area of trees and then alongside them until a fence is reached. From here Here there is a good view of Barry Hill where the remains of a vitrified fort can be clearly made out.
Return to the gate by the same route. Go back through the gate and turn right passing through the pedestrian gate, marked as part of the Cateran Trail. Immediately leave this trail to follow a grassy path heading NNW towards the Hill of Alyth. The path soon forks - take the right hand branch, which leads through gorse and climbs up, eventually curving west to reach the trig point at the top of the Hill of Alyth (the true summit is actually the 300m hump due west approx 5 mins walk from here). There is a good view of the Sidlaw Hills while in the opposite direction Glen Isla can be seen.
From here follow the path which turns left, then back right. The next part of the route is hard to follow; the objective is Alyth Millennium Beacon which lies around 400m to the SW - but out of sight until you reach it. There is a network of paths here, most of which link up again. Take the middle path of three up a bank and then continue along this path to pass the beacon, from where there is a good view down over Alyth.
The path heads west downhill, soon joining the line of the Cateran Trail. Turn left, joining the trail and following it alongside a fence, and then between fences. At the bottom ignore a path left but then turn left at the track immediately beyond. Almost immediately turn right again to descend a track directly towards Alyth with a view of the parish church. Pass to the left of some farm buildings and bear left along a road and then turn left at the T junction with the High Street to reach the top of the first hill out of Alyth. Turn right down Toutie Street to retrace your steps to the start of the walk.
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