Cateran Ecomuseum

Summary

This tour takes you back through 5,000 years of human history across one of Scotland's most beautiful and fertile valleys - Strathmore. Along mostly quiet backroads with breathtaking views to the Grampians and Cairngorms you will visit ancient human settlements, prehistoric standing stones and the site of an unusual looted treasure.

Scottish Outdoor Access Code: Know the code before you go

Please use the arrows on left/right side to go to previous/next route

You can download our booklet, From Deep Time To Our Time, Cycling Across The Cateran Ecomuseum here.

Route stats

Suitable for: Road bikes
Total Distance: 45.1 km
Total Ascent: 290 m
Terrain: A mixture of quiet and some busier roads, all on tarmac
Access: Fully accessible with no gates
Route Category: Straightforward
Riding Time: 3 - 5 hrs
Start/Finish: Meigle Town Centre
OS Grid Ref: NO 28697 44657
Nearest Parking: On-street parking at the start
Key Facilities on Route: Meigle (shop, hotel, cafe), Alyth (accommodation, bike shop, shops, restaurants, cafes), Ardler (pub)
OS Landranger Map: 53 (or custom Cateran Ecomuseum map)

For information on local accommodation & services click here

Strathmore's Secrets (.GPX)

1 file(s) 72.68 KB

Download

Please click on images to open slideshow.
Photographs: Markus Stitz/Clare Cooper

Route description

The route starts and finishes in Meigle and follows Forfar Road first to pass Temple Hall on the left. Whilst there is no proof that this temple existed, the land the house is built on did belong to the Knights Templar, a Catholic military order of Knights, founded in 1119. Just opposite from the building in the church yard is Vanora’s Mound, regarded as being the tomb of King Arthur’s Queen, Guinevere, known locally as Vanora or Wanda. The route leaves Forfar Road and takes a short connecting road to Dundee Road, where the route passes the Meigle Sculptured Stone Museum, one of the most important collections of early medieval sculpture in Western Europe. Displayed in the Old Schoolhouse at Meigle, this magnificent collection of carved stones dates from the late 700s to the late 900s. Continuing on Dundee Road, which can get busy at times, the route soon passes Belliduff, located to the right. This Bronze Age cairn and cist is the first site on this tour to have a story that connects it with the Scottish king Macbeth. Shortly after Belliduff the route leaves the B954 and crosses the grounds of Belmont Estate, which hosts Belmont Castle and extensive woodlands, which are great for a short detour by foot (or on a mountain/gravel bike). Belmont Castle is one of the finest houses in Strathmore, but currently not open to the public. It is the former home of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, the British statesman and liberal prime minister of Britain between 1905 and 1908. Just before the route leaves Belmont Estate through a gate, Macbeth’s Stone, the largest standing stone in the Cateran Ecomuseum, can be seen on the left. This giant of a stone measures about 12 ft high and stands on a large, low mound. Probably late Neolithic or early Bronze age, it is linked to the Scottish king Macbeth.

From here the route turns left and follows a quiet road. At the next crossroads the route takes another left turn, and then turns right after crossing the Cammo Burn to Newbigging, climbing steadily towards its highest point, the Baldowrie Symbol Stone. On one of the the most striking locations, this fine example of a class 1 Pictish symbol stone lies on the southern edge of the Cateran Ecomuseum and commands magnificent views across the Valley of Strathmore to the Cairngorms in the distance. From here the route descends gradually into the small village of Kettins, home to the Kettins Cross Slab, one of the largest examples of an 8th or 9th century Pictish symbol bearing a cross slab. Kettin’s Bell, originally cast in 1519, can be found on the grounds of Kettins Kirk as well. Shortly after Kettins the route takes a right turn onto a quiet road to Ardler, where a pub is a welcome stop. 

The route first continues on the same road past Ardler, and then on a side road which meets the A94, a busy main road connecting Meigle and Coupar Angus. Care is needed when cycling here. A short there-and-back-trip takes you to Kinloch House and Kinloch Mausoleum, designed and built by the radical politician George Kinloch of Kinloch for himself in 1798. Neither mausoleum nor house are open to the public and can only be seen from the main road. Following the A94 for a short while, the route then joins a quieter road on the right, signposted to Alyth. The River Isla is crossed by Bardmony Bridge, which was crowd funded through a local bazar and built through the efforts of enterprising and community minded local farmers at the turn of the 20th century. The route continues on the Strathmore Cycle Network to Alyth, a great stop with eateries and shops. 

James Sandy, inventor of the invisible hinge, was born in Alyth in about 1766 and lived in what is now the Alyth Hotel. Passing the hotel on the right side of the Alyth Burn, the route continues on Toutie Street, which immortalises the bygone custom of the herdsman tooting his horn, alerting the townsfolk to bring out their beasts to be herded up Alyth Hill. A quick loop through Alyth takes you along Chapel Street. To the right is the Pack Bridge. Intended to carry pack horses loaded with side bags or panniers across the burn, it is one of the oldest masonry bridges in Scotland and shown on maps as far back as 1600. The route follows Losset Road out of Alyth and then joins the B952 to Balloch, from where it continues on a quiet road towards Airlie, passing the Shanzie Souterrain. Souterrain is the archaeological name for a type of underground structure associated mainly with the European Atlantic Iron Age that may have been used for storage. Excavations unearthed a structure 35 metres long and roughly c-shaped, and whilst the souterrain itself has been sealed, remains of the mound can be seen from the road. After a bridge the route takes a right and heads south, before taking another right turn to continue parallel to the River Isla (on the right) and alongside the remains of an old Roman road (on the left). 

While Cardean Roman Fort is now a cultivated field, some traces of the rampart and outer defensive ditch can still be seen as a low, broad mound. It seems to have had a single period of occupation during the Flavian period and was probably abandoned shortly after AD 86. Dean Bridge, a wonderfully preserved 16th or 17th century bridge, is visible from the current road bridge, and lies precisely on the Roman road crossing of the Dean Water. From here the finish in Meigle is only a few pedal strokes away.

Find out more about some of the key Points of Interest below.

If you enjoyed this route, why not try the following?

Three Towns Bike Ride