Bike ride down Glen Almond in central Scotland

March 22, 2020

(Above image is a capture of a ruined building at Craignavar looking west.)

Today, my wife and I visted Glen Almond near Crieff in central Scotland which is about 55 miles north of Glasgow.

Key objective was the abandoned township of Craignavar which seems to have fallen into decline around 1820 with the buildings left to deteriorate. These sort of communities were based on stone built, single storey dwellings with thatched roofs and operated on a collective tenancy basis, something along the lines of an Israeli kibbutz. I plan to post more information on Craignavar tomorrow.

View west from ruined house at Craignavar.

Glen Almond and Craignavar are accessed via an unsealed, private road. However, the road is,in fact, open to hikers and cyclists although there is no explicit notice to this effect.

Road along Glen Almond

Our bike ride covered a 12.5 miles round trip along a well maintained road. Weather was near perfect (for time of year) with brilliant sunshine, temperature around 6c/43f and light wind.

Inquisitive sheep

This valley has been occupied by man for about 5000 years. There is evidence of stone circles and burial cairns dating back to the Neolithic period and then from medieval times through to the modern day.

Hopefully, the portfolio of images herein will provide readers with a flavour for the glen (valley). A click on any image will serve to enlarge same.

River Almond

Memorial to WW1 casualities from the area. Note quartz rock on top. It is common to find pieces of quartz in prehistoric stone circles. Times change but people don't!