Alyth – The Common Hill Above the Town
About 3.2 miles on foot.
Alyth's own hill rises straight out of the top of the old town, and the Cateran Trail climbs it on the road the drovers once used.
It's a short, brisk walk onto open grass with a big view at the top, and it ends back in the town with lunch in a former coaching inn.
- Time
- An hour and a half to two hours: about 4.4 km (2.7 miles) round from the top of Toutie Street, with 170 m of climb.
- The path
- A steep climb on an old drove road and tracks, then grassy paths over the top, faint in places, and a short stretch of road: good footwear needed.
- Where to start
- Round the Market Square in the middle of the town; the walk starts a few minutes up Toutie Street.
- Set off
- About 10.15am.
- When to go
- The hill can be walked on any day, in daylight; lunch is served Wednesday to Sunday.
- Dogs
- Sheep and cattle can graze the hill: keep a dog on a short lead or close at heel near them.
- Toilets
- Free to use at Cafe in the Square on the Market Square, a few minutes' walk from the start: Monday to Saturday 7.30am to 4pm, Sunday 11.30am to 4pm.
The walk
Park round the Market Square in Alyth. The walk starts a few minutes away at the top of Toutie Street, named after the horn the herdsman blew to gather the town's cows and sheep for the hill. From there the Cateran Trail climbs steeply onto the Hill of Alyth, common land that was never formally divided.
A trig point and a pillar to the town's common lands stand on the broad, grassy top, with Strathmore spread south to the Sidlaw Hills and the Cairngorms to the north on a clear day. Grassy paths lead down the east side into the town another way. The round is 4.4 km (2.7 miles) with 170 m of climb, about 3 miles with the way to and from the square.
Allow an hour and a half to two hours.
If it rains
On a wet day, the Alyth Hotel is under cover.
On the way
- The Pack Bridge
The Pack Bridge was made for packhorses carrying loaded panniers over the Alyth Burn, and it is one of the oldest stone bridges in Scotland, on maps as far back as 1600. It is said to date from around 1500 and was rebuilt in 1674; its broad parapets came later, but the roadway is still only five feet wide.
Afterwards
The Alyth Hotel
Lunch
Lunch is a minute from the Market Square at the Alyth Hotel on Commercial Street, with a woodburning stove in the bar and a fire in the Lounge. The food is bistro-style, made with local produce, and there's a children's menu. The kitchen serves from noon, Wednesday to Sunday, all year; the Café-Bar opens from 10.30am every day for coffee and home baking.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Nàdair, 5 miles away. Sleeps 6; next free Fri 4 Dec to Mon 7 Dec.
For further reading, before you go.
Photographs by Wojciech Suszko and The Alyth Hotel via Google