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Old Doune

Old Doune Road and Kilbryde

Distance: 4 miles / 6.3 km, Time: 2 hours

Trees on a hillA pleasant stroll along the ancient road to Doune and return via the picturesque Kilbryde Chapel.

This walk starts along the same route as Walk 1 up until you pass Dunblane High School. Continue along the Old Doune Road and across the footbridge over the by-pass then downhill to a small burn. The crossing here is known as Murdoch’s Ford and, traditionally, is where the Regent Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, was captured before being taken to Stirling and beheaded for treason.

Continue on past Greenyards Farm for 500m. and take a track on the right, downhill to join the Doune Road (A820) (2 miles/3.1km/1hr).

(The continuation of the Old Doune Road carries on past Glenhead Farm Cottage to Doune (a further 2 miles /3.1 Km./1 hr from this point).

Take care crossing the A820 and take the minor road straight ahead followed shortly by a right-hand fork signposted to Kilbryde. This passes Auchenteck Farm and leads to a cross- roads. Kilbryde Chapel and its interesting graveyard can be found 100m straight ahead. Near the church once stood Kilbryde Village, which was occupied until the 1920s. These houses have completely disappeared but around the year 1800 some 700 people lived in this locality. The road to the right returns to Dunblane, passing over the disused Dunblane-Callander-Oban railway line, closed in the 1960s as part of Dr.Beeching ’s rationalisation of the national railway network. Re-join the A820 and turn left soon crossing the Dunblane by-pass and arriving back in Dunblane.

Turn left into Kilbryde Crescent at the foot of which bear left then right before the Old Mill building to cross the Allan Water by the Faery Bridge. Once over the river follow the path to the right and return to the Cathedral.