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Upper Tay Paths Group

18 May was celebrated by the Group with a ‘party’ at the House of Menzies. Invitations were sent out to all those who had been involved in one way or another with the Route from Grandtully to Kenmore.  Notices were posted so everyone was welcome.  Pete Wishart MP cut the tape and about sixty happy people gathered to launch what is generally considered to be a great asset to the Tay valley, writes Paths Group chairman Liz Lines.

The route is roughly 12 kilometres in length, can be walked for the whole length, cycled and ridden for most of the way. Flat, except for two small rises on the eastern length, through varied and very interesting land.

The Scottish Canoe Association has made its car park available to members of the public who wish to try the walk.  This enables walkers, cyclists and horse riders to park at the eastern end.  The path follows the old railway line where some upgrading was necessary and which has been undertaken with permission of the landowners.

The length of the old line near Grandtully needed no upgrading as this has been a well used walk for the village for many years past. The path continues along the field edge, 4km towards Aberfeldy, through a short stretch of wooded area and very close to the river and up a short slope into the car park next to the Aberfeldy Burial Ground.

From this point there is a bit of road walking, but going on through or round Aberfeldy the path continues over Wade’s Bridge and turns west at the bottom of Poplar Avenue alongside the River Tay via more field edges out towards Comrie Bridge.  The River Lyon is crossed by Comrie Bridge.

Unfortunately this is where the path has to leave the river edge and takes to the road for about 1km, but continuing west will lead the ‘Access Taker’ onto the Gallops and into Kenmore.  The Eastern part of the route, which has been named the ‘Carse Path’, enables people to get to the House of Menzies – clearly signed – a very pleasant way of discovering a venue for a coffee, lunch or a bottle of good wine. 

Dull and Camserney, Highland Safaris and the Scottish Farm Shop can be reached by crossing the Camserney Burn away from the river and taking the metalled road up through Camserney and into Dull via the upgraded Right of Way. Turn left and be rewarded with  coffee/tea, a fresh lunch or arrange to collect some sandwiches to sustain you on your way.  You can also buy “things” at these two places!

This trail has been very much a Grass Roots project and has come about in response to requests by the public. The whole route is intended to form the core of the Core Path Plan for the area.  This plan has been drawn up by P&KC in response to an imposition placed upon it by the Scottish Government following the Land Reform Act (Scotland) 2003and supported by Public Consultations. 

The success of the project has been made possible by the generosity and foresight of many landowners along its way, one stretch being match funded by the owners themselves and the considerable contribution made by Official Funders:- Forward Scotland, Natural Scotland, The Forestry Commission and Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust.

WB Grieve Groundworks got a special cheer from the crowd as they were thanked for the achievement of completing so much in a convoluted time scale, brought about among other things by flood and snow, interspersed with ‘just in time’ suppliers. Norrie Campbell from Ardguarlich, Loch Tummel and his men who did the upgrading  work on the railway line, achieved their target under much the same conditions, except the flooding was rather more permanent as anyone who remembers the puddles will agree!

In declaring the Route “Open,” Mr Wishart was very complimentary about the project and, amongst other things, said how vital it was to encourage people to get out into the countryside and take exercise.  The network of paths, he added, of which this was part, was very important to their enjoyment.

The Group has done its best with this project. We have tried to give the community something it really wanted for many years.

Please respect the land over which you pass, it belongs to someone, try not to disturb fishermen, they have paid for their access to the river.  Please don’t leave litter and that includes the silent crisp bag dropper and the gnomes who forget to take their empty drink cans home and not to mention dogs whose toilet training might cause a psychologist to raise an eyebrow!

Enjoy the Route, if you want to keep it - use it. It will in turn reward you with pleasure, increased fitness and awareness of a natural world - and you meet some very nice people along the way.

Photo above shows L to R: Alex Murray, Liz Lines Chairman, Robbie Gordon PKCT Project Officer, Pete Wishart MP, Ian Duncan Millar, Sally Murray Project Officer

and Bob Ellis Chairman PKCT.