Abernethy – A Glen Walk with the Dog and Lunch at the Nook
About 2.4 miles on foot.
Abernethy is a small village under the Ochils south-east of Perth, with an ancient round tower in its churchyard and a lovely walk straight up into the glen behind it.
The Witches' Path loops through the woods past a burn (a stream) and the local horses, and the café beside the tower welcomes dogs for lunch afterwards.
- Time
- About an hour and a half: the Witches' Path is a 3 km loop with about 100 metres of climbing from the top of Kirk Wynd, a few minutes' walk from the tower.
- The path
- Woodland path with steps, slippery when wet.
- Where to start
- On the street in the middle of Abernethy, near the round tower; a small car park in the village.
- When to go
- The path is open ground all year (go in daylight); the Nook opens Tuesday to Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm, shut on Mondays.
- Dogs
- On a short lead past horses and farm animals; never into fields with lambs or calves.
- Children
- Steps and a burn on the path.
- Toilets
- For customers at the Nook.
- Before you set out
- The tower can be climbed Wednesday to Sunday afternoons, May to September, with the Museum of Abernethy's key.
The walk
Park on the street in the middle of the village, near the round tower in the churchyard on School Wynd. The Witches' Path starts at the top of Kirk Wynd, a narrow lane of cottages off Main Street, and heads into the woods of Abernethy Glen.
The Nook's owners give it as a 3 km loop with about 100 metres of climbing, past a babbling burn and plenty of horses, and say dogs love it. Keep dogs on a lead past the horses and any field with farm animals.
There are steps on the path that get slippery when wet, so wear boots. The round tower is believed to be around a thousand years old, and Scotland has only one other like it, at Brechin.
If it rains
In rain the steps on the path are slippery and the glen is muddy: take it slowly in boots, or keep to Kirk Wynd and the lanes, and dry off over lunch at the Nook.
Afterwards
The Nook Coffee Shop & Larder
Lunch
Lunch is at the Nook on Main Street, a coffee shop and larder beside the round tower, so it's a few steps from the end of the walk. It serves breakfast, lunch and home baking, and dogs are made welcome. It opens Tuesday to Friday from 9am and at weekends from 10am, until 4pm, and is shut on Mondays. It fills up quickly, so book a table by phone on 01738 501441 and say you're bringing a dog.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book lunch at The Nook Coffee Shop & Larder
Book a table at the Nook by phone on 01738 501441 for about 12.30pm, on any day but Monday, when it is shut: it opens Tuesday to Friday 9am to 4pm and at weekends 10am to 4pm, and fills up quickly.
For further reading, before you go.