Route Summary

A circular walk along Ravensheugh Sands to Seacliff on the gorgeous East Lothian coast. One short section at Scoughall Rocks may be impassable at high tide so check tide tables before starting. The scenery and wildlife is superb throughout

Difficulty: Moderate

Distance:  6.3 miles (10.2 km)

Walking Time: 03h 00m

Type: Circular

Start location

Atholl car park, Dunkeld

lat: 56.5675441

lon: -3.5862452

Getting there

By train: Regular Scotrail trains run from Glasgow and Inverness to Dunkeld.

By bus: Citylink bus M91 goes via Dunkeld from Edinburgh to Inverness
(0871 266 3333, www.travelinescotland.com).

Route Map

Waypoints

1

From Atholl car park, turn right onto Atholl Street and walk through Dunkeld, turning right onto High Street. Keep right of a fountain then walk right through an archway into the parkland of Stanley Hill, which was created by the second Duke of Atholl around 1730. At a junction, go left through the park to a fork. To the left are the grounds of Dunkeld Cathedral (NO024425) and a visit is highly recommended.

2

To continue the walk, take the right fork, follow a path around to the left then go left again at another fork. The path swings right towards the River Tay. When the path  splits again, bear left to reach the riverbank. Proceed west, following one of the finest sections of the River Tay, the banks cloaked in beautiful woodland with fine views back to Dunkeld Bridge. Follow the path then a track to a hotel (NO012425). Bear left onto the entrance drive but, just before the hotel, go right at a fork, follow the drive around the rear of the hotel and through a car park. At the next fork, go right and climb the drive to a road (NO013430).

3

Cross the road and turn right then left through a gate onto an Atholl Woods path, keeping along it past lovely Polney Loch. At the head of the loch, bear right through Atholl Estates woodland to Cally car park (NO024437). Go straight on, follow a broad track (signposted ‘Loch of the Lowes’) and go straight on at the next crossroads. The track turns left then right to a waymarked path on the right. Take this then immediately bear right and descend a lovely path. Just before the A923, take a left fork and walk through attractive beech woodland, soon dropping down to the A923 opposite Dunkeld and Birnam Golf Course (NO030432).

4

Carefully cross the road, turn right then left and walk along the golf course entrance road, past the clubhouse and through a car park. At its right corner, join a path that turns left then goes through a gate onto a field-edge path. After two more gates, go straight on and walk past Fungarth (NO037431). A rougher track here drops down through scenic countryside and then swings left, climbing to a junction. Bear left, continue above the golf course and, once through a gate, descend through woodland. Beyond a gate, carefully cross a minor road then walk left along a path to the visitor centre and hides at Loch of the Lowes (NO041435).

5

Retrace your steps back to the junction a little southeast of Fungarth (NO041429). Take the left fork (signposted for ‘Dunkeld’) along a grassy path through attractive countryside. After a gate, bear right onto a broad track, which descends gradually then steeply, veering right onto a narrow road. Follow this to Brae Street (NO034424) on the outskirts of Dunkeld. Turn right and walk along this quiet road, eventually dropping steeply back to Dunkeld at Atholl Street. Turn right back to the start of your walk.