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 marauding 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.
The link route from Cray to Kirkmichael enables the Cateran Mini-trail option - making for a great two day circuit with stopovers at Kirkmichael and the Spittal of Glenshee.
| Stage descriptions | Length | Time | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cateran Trail Stage 1 - Blairgowrie to Kirkmichael | 24.5km | 6 - 7 hours |  |
| Cateran Trail Stage 2 - Kirkmichael to Spittal of Glenshee | 13km | 4 - 4.5 hours | |
| Cateran Trail Stage 3 - Spittal of Glenshee to Kirkton of Glenisla | 23.5km | 6 - 7 hours | |
| Cateran Trail Stage 4 - Kirkton of Glenisla to Alyth | 17.15km | 4.5 - 5.5 hours | |
| Cateran Trail Stage 5 - Alyth to Blairgowrie | 26.5km | 6.5 - 7.5 hours | |
| Link - Cray to Kirkmichael | 9.5km | 3 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.
BAGGAGE TRANSFERS AND WALKING PACKAGES
Click to find organised Cateran Trail walking holiday packages and baggage transfer providers.ACCOMMODATION AND SERVICES ALONG THE WAY
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 is a possible place to split both the first and final stages of the walk.
Kirkmichael is a small village with a shop and a choice of two hotels.
There is hostel accommodation at Enochdu.
The Spittal of Glenshee has limited self-catering accommodation, and there's a hotel 2km away.
Kirkton of Glenisla is a tiny village with a single hotel.
Alyth is a small town with a choice of bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels, places to eat and shops for supplies.
BOOKSHOP: GUIDES & MAPS
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 (with an additional service from Deeside in the summer months). 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 is passed by the Blairgowrie to Deeside bus which runs in the summer months.
Timetables for all the routes can be found on Traveline Scotland.
Users' walk reports for the Cateran Trail
There are 447 Walkhighlanders who have completed the Cateran Trail. To record if you have completed the route, you must register and be logged in. Our users have contributed 20 public walk reports for the route. These are ordered below with the most popular ones first.
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